| al-Musta'li Billah | |
|---|---|
 Gold dinar minted in Fustat in the name of al-Musta'li, 1099/1100 | |
| Imam–Caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate | |
| Reign | 1094–1101 |
| Predecessor | al-Mustansir Billah |
| Successor | al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah |
| Born | 15/16 September 1074 Cairo |
| Died | 11/12 December 1101 Cairo |
| Issue | al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah |
| Dynasty | Fatimid |
| Father | al-Mustansir Billah |
| Religion | Musta'li Isma'ilism |
| Part of a series on Islam Isma'ilism |
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Abū al-Qāsim Aḥmad ibn al-Mustanṣir (Arabic: أبو القاسم أحمد بن المستنصر; 15/16 September 1074 – 11/12 December 1101), better known by his regnal name al-Mustaʿlī biʾllāh (المستعلي بالله, lit. 'The One Raised Up by God'), was the ninth Fatimid caliph and the 19th imam[a] of Musta'li Ismailism.
Although not the eldest (and most likely the youngest) of the sons of Caliph al-Mustansir Billah, al-Musta'li became caliph through the machinations of his brother-in-law, the vizier al-Afdal Shahanshah. In response, his oldest brother and most likely candidate for their father's succession, Nizar, rose in revolt in Alexandria but was defeated and executed. This caused a major split in the Isma'ili movement. Many communities, especially in Persia and Iraq, split off from the officially sponsored Isma'ili hierarchy and formed their own Nizari movement, holding Nizar and his descendants as the rightful imams.
Throughout his reign, al-Musta'li remained subordinate to al-Afdal, who was the de facto ruler of the Fatimid Caliphate. The Caliphate's core territory in Egypt experienced a period of good government and prosperity, but the Fatimids suffered setbacks in Syria, where they were faced with the advance of the Sunni Seljuk Turks. Al-Afdal managed to recover the port city of Tyre, and even recapture Jerusalem in the turmoil caused by the arrival of the First Crusade in northern Syria. Despite Fatimid attempts to make common cause with the Crusaders against the Seljuks, the latter advanced south and captured Jerusalem in July 1099, sealing their success with a major victory over the Fatimid army led by al-Afdal at the Battle of Ascalon shortly after. Al-Musta'li died in 1101 and was succeeded by his five-year-old son, al-Amir.
- ^ Madelung 1971, p. 1163.
- ^ Daftary 2007, pp. 36–38.
- ^ Madelung 1971, pp. 1163–1164.
- ^ Daftary 2007, pp. 1, 39ff..
- ^ Madelung 1971, pp. 1166–1167.
- ^ Daftary 2007, pp. 38, 89–98, 99–100, 507ff..
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