| al-Mustansir Billah المستنصر بالله | |
|---|---|
 Gold coin of al-Mustansir, Egypt, 1055 CE. | |
| 8th Imam–Caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate | |
| Reign | 13 June 1036 (15th Shaban, 427 AH)[a] – 29 December 1094 (18th Dhu al-Hijjah, 487 AH)[b] |
| Predecessor | az-Zahir |
| Successor | al-Musta'li |
| Born | 2 July 1029 (16th Jumada II, 420 AH)[3][4] Cairo, Fatimid Egypt |
| Died | 29 December 1094 (18th Zilhaja, 487 AH)[b] (aged 65) Fatimid Egypt |
| Issue |
|
| Dynasty | Fatimid |
| Father | az-Zahir |
| Mother | Rasad[9] |
| Religion | Ismaili Shia Islam |
| Part of a series on Islam Isma'ilism |
|---|
 |
 Islam portal |
Abū Tamīm Maʿad al-Mustanṣir biʾllāh (Arabic: أبو تميم معد المستنصر بالله; 2 July 1029 – 29 December 1094)[b] was the eighth Fatimid Caliph from 1036 until 1094. He was one of the longest reigning Muslim rulers.[10] His reign was the twilight of the Fatimid state. The start of his reign saw the continuation of competent administrators running the Fatimid state (Anushtakin, al-Jarjara'i, and later al-Yazuri), overseeing the state's prosperity in the first two decades of al-Mustansir's reign. However, the break out of court infighting between the Turkish and Berber/Sudanese court factions following al-Yazuri's assassination, coinciding with natural disasters in Egypt and the gradual loss of administrative control over Fatimid possessions outside of Egypt, almost resulted in the total collapse of the Fatimid state in the 1060s, before the appointment of the Armenian general Badr al-Jamali, who assumed power as vizier in 1073, and became the de facto dictator of the country under the nominal rule of al-Mustansir.[2][1][4]
The caliph al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh was the last Imam before a disastrous split divided the Isma'ili movement in two, due to the struggle in the succession between al-Mustansir's older son, Nizar, and the younger al-Mustaʽli, who was raised to the throne by Badr's son and successor, al-Afdal Shahanshah. The followers of Nizar, who predominated in Iran and Syria, became the Nizari branch of Isma'ilism, while those of al-Musta'li became the Musta'li branch.
- ^ a b Hitti, Philip K. (2002). A Short History of the Arabs: From the Earliest Times to the Present (Revised 10 ed.). ISBN 0333631420.
- ^ a b O'Leary, De Lacy (1923). A Short History of the Fatimid Caliphate. p. 193.
- ^ a b c "MÜSTA'LÎ-BİLLÂH el-FÂTIMÎ - TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi". TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish).
- ^ a b c d "MUSTANSIR BILLAH I (427-487/1036-1095), 18TH IMAM". ismaili.net. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Cohen, Mark R. (2014). Jewish Self-Government in Medieval Egypt. Princeton University Press. p. 218. ISBN 9781400853588.
- ^ Ayman Fu'ad Sayyid (2002). The Fatimids and Their Successors in Yaman. I.B. Tauris. p. 5. ISBN 9781860646904.
- ^ Hodgson, Natasha R. (2019). Crusading and Masculinities. Routledge. p. 72. ISBN 9781351680141.
- ^ Daftary 2007, p. 246.
- ^ al-Maqrizi, Ette'aaz al-honafa be Akhbaar al-A'emma Al Fatemeyyeen Al Kholafaa, part 2, p. 45. Qairo. 1973
- ^ "al-Mustanṣir" Encyclopædia Britannica Retrieved 31 January 2015
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).