Al-Ma'mun: Difference between revisions

| name      = Ma'mun

| Nickname  = Ma'mun

'''Maʾmūn''', Abu l-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh (Arabic:مأمون ابوالعباس عبدالله) (b. [[170]]/786 - d. [[218]]/833) the son of [[Harun al-Rashid]], was the 7th caliph of [[Abbasid dynasty]], who became Caliph after his brother, [[Muhammad Amin al-'Abbasi]], was killed in [[198]]/814. He died in 218/833.

'Abd Allah b. Harun, nicknamed Ma'mun, was born from a Persian mother. His mother, Marajil, was a slave woman from [[Badghis]], [[Afghanistan]].

Ma'mun was born on [[Jum'a eve]], [[15 Rabi' al-Awwal|15th of Rabi' al-Awwal]] 170 ([[19 September|September 19th]] 786). He died in 218/833 after a minor illness near [[Tartus]], [[Syria]], when he was coming back from [[jihad]] in [[Egypt]].

He was the 7th caliph of [[Abbasid dynasty]]. Persians who had tendency toward [[Shi'a]] and have suffered the tyranny of 'Ali b. 'Isa -who was appointed by [[Harun al-Rashid|Harun]] as the governor of [[Khurasan]]- and hated the nasty action of the Caliph ,[[Muhammad Amin al-'Abbasi|Amin]], supported Ma'mun. On the other hand Arab leaders and people of [[Baghdad]] supported Amin. Mu'mun was able to defeat 'Ali b. 'Isa, the chief commander of the army of Amin, in [[195]]/810 by craftiness and perspicacity of [[Fadl b. Sahl]], who later became his vizier, and commanding of Tahir b. Husayn titled as Dhu al-Yaminayn, the chief commander of his army. And finally after a serious conflict in [[198]]/813 Tahir conquered Baghdad. Amin was prisoned and then killed. Ma'mun was officially chosen as the Caliph in 198/813 and he chose Fadl b. Sahl as his vizier.

[[Bayhaqi]] writes:

::: "giving [[allegiance]] to Ma'mun was in 195/810 and by [[196]]/811 majority of people in (Islamic) regions had swore allegiance to him. When Amin was killed in [[Muharram]] 198/ (September 813), people from all the Islamic territory unanimously accepted Ma'mun's caliphate."

Influenced by Persian training, Ma'mun was very interested in knowledge and wisdom from young ages. Therefore, during his caliphate period he assigned scholars to translate books from Greek, [[Syriac]], [[Pahlavi]] and Indian to Arabic. His court was a center to gather scholars of various religious and sects, for discussion and debate.

===His Governors===

Ma'mun appointed Muttalib b. 'Abd Allah al-Khuza'i as the governor of [[Egypt]] in 198/813, he was at the position for 7 months until Ma'mun appointed 'Abbas b. Musa b. 'Isa al-Hashimi as its governor in [[199]]/814. 'Abbas b. Musa also put his son 'Abd Allah in charge.

In 199/814, Ma'mun appointed [[Hasan b. Sahl]] as the governor of [[Iraq]] and its environs.

Ma'mun, brought [[Imam al-Rida (a)]] from [[Medina]] to [[Khurasan]] and swore allegiance to him as his successor on Monday [[7 Ramadan|7th of Ramadan]] [[201]]/ ([[3 April|April 3rd]] 817). He ordered people of all Islamic regions to wear green clothes instead of black and took their allegiance (black was Abbasid's color while [[Shi'a]] wore green clothes). Sermons were delivered in his (Imam al-Rida (a)) name and coins ([[Dinar]] and [[Dirham]]) were minted in his name.