al-Muntasir bi-llah المنتصر بالله | |||||
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Caliph Commander of the Faithful | |||||
11th Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate | |||||
Reign | 11 December 861 – 7 June 862 | ||||
Predecessor | al-Mutawakkil | ||||
Successor | al-Musta'in | ||||
Born | November 837 Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate (modern Iraq) | ||||
Died | 7 June 862 (aged 24) Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate (modern Iraq) | ||||
Burial | |||||
Issue | Ahmad[1] Abd al-Wahab[1] Ubaydullah[1] | ||||
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Dynasty | Abbasid | ||||
Father | al-Mutawakkil | ||||
Mother | Hubshiya | ||||
Religion | Sunni 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.