Al-Muntasir

al-Muntasir bi-llah
المنتصر بالله
Caliph
Commander of the Faithful
Dirham of al-Muntasir minted in Samarra in 862
11th Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate
Reign11 December 861 – 7 June 862
Predecessoral-Mutawakkil
Successoral-Musta'in
BornNovember 837
Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate (modern Iraq)
Died7 June 862 (aged 24)
Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate (modern Iraq)
Burial
IssueAhmad[1]
Abd al-Wahab[1]
Ubaydullah[1]
Names
Abu Ja'far Muḥammad ibn Ja'far ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Muntasir biʾLlāh
DynastyAbbasid
Fatheral-Mutawakkil
MotherHubshiya
ReligionSunni Islam

Abu Ja'far Muḥammad ibn Ja'far ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Muntasir biʾLlāh (Arabic: أبو جعفر محمد; November 837 – 7 June 862), better known by his regnal title al-Muntasir biʾLlāh (المنتصر بالله, "He who triumphs in God") was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 861 to 862, during the "Anarchy at Samarra". The power struggle between al-Muntasir and his brother, al-Mu'tazz, backed by different factions, climaxed with the Turkic leaders plotting the murder of his father al-Mutawakkil. Following the assassination in 861, al-Muntasir assumed the caliphate with Turkic support.

His reign, lasting only six months, saw a shift in policies, including a more favorable stance towards the House of ʻAlī and the lifting of the ban on pilgrimage to the tombs of Hassan and Hussayn. Al-Muntasir engaged in military actions against the Byzantines, led by his general Wasif al-Turki, but his sudden death in June 862 resulted in a change of leadership, and al-Musta'in succeeded him as caliph. The military campaign continued briefly, with Wasif achieving success before returning to Samarra due to the change in government.

  1. ^ a b c Lowry, J.E.; Toorawa, S.M. (2019). Arabic Belles Lettres. Resources in Arabic and Islamic Studies. Lockwood Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-948488-11-2.