See also: Al-Mutawakkil

Ja `far “Al-Mutawakkil” Ben Al-Driven `atasim Bi-llâh Ben Hârûn rear-Rachid or Ja `far Al-Mutawakkil called Al-Mutawakkil was born in 821 from a named slave Chajâ `A. Tenth Caliph Abbasside, it succeeded his/her brother Al-Wathiq in 847. He is assassinated on December 11th 861 by a Turkish soldier with the orders of his son, Al-Muntasir, with Al-Ja `fariyya where he is buried.

He rejected the Mutazilisme and returned to the tradition Sunnite of the Coran incréé. The inquisitorial court created by Al-Ma' mûn and responsible for the control of religious orthodoxy: the mihna east dissolves. It puts thus fine at the period called period of the Test , the Ordalie or of the Inquisition .

Biography

The builder

Contrary to his/her father and his brother, Al-Mutawakkil is not known for its interest for sciences and arts, but for its desire of magnificence and its taste of builder. One owes him the construction of the large mosque of Samarra which was in its time largest of the world. Its conical minaret in spiral of 55m top is single in its kind and its walls were decorated with panels of blue mosaics. This mosque does not represent that part of the enlargings of Samarra in an old park of hunting inherited Sassanides. It is said that Al-Mutawakkil made there build approximately 20 palates doing of the current site of Samarra one of the vastest archeological sites .

Among the construction projects of Al-Mutawakkil, it there at the town of Al-Ja `fariyya built on banks of the Tiger. A channel was to bring the water of the river to it, work was entrusted to two courtiers ignoramuses calculations of a local engineer of good reputation. They preferred those of the astronomer and writer Al-Farghanī who was not a specialist in the civil engineering and which made errors. Water could run in this channel only when the river was close to overflowing. If this news had been revealed with the caliph, that would have meant decapitation for all the people concerned. The intervention of the engineer Sind Ben `Alî allowed the success of the operation although it is with the risk of its life. Al-Mutawakkil died before being put at the current of this business.

The religious policy

Al-Mutawakkil tended to be interfered religious controversies what resulted in its attitude with regard to certain minorities. His/her father had been tolerant with regard to the Imam S Chiites which preached with Médine, Al-Mutawakkil continued this policy during the first years of his reign. The reputation of `Alî Al-Hadî was as growing the governor of Médine, `Abd Allah Ben Muħammad, felt obliged to inform the caliph suggesting of it as a coup d'etat was preparing. Al-Mutawakkil invited the Imam to come in Samarra, an invitation such as one cannot refuse it. At Samarra the Imam was put under house arrest and spy. Al-Mutawakkil did not make any other act of repression against the Imam. It is its successor who shortly after his death made poison the Imam and followed a policy of oppression against the Shiites.

The actions counter the Shiites did not limit themselves to the supervised residence of “Ali Al-Hadî. Al-Mutawakkil made shave the tombs of Hassan and Husayn, then to plow the ground and to sow corn there. He threatened of imprisonment the pilgrims who wanted to visit the mausoleums of Karbala. On another side it posted a large respect for the first caliphs, including the Omeyyades, which was worth to him the support of the Syria NS.

Al-Mutawakkil had a devotion personal for the study of the Sunna. It was followed from there that during its reign the Mutazilisme installed by Al-Ma' mûn was reversed. The question of the character divine and incréé or not, of Coran was solved by adopting the traditional position sunnite.

The decree of 850

Al-Mutawakkil met the Byzantine Théologien Cyrille, which had been sent by the emperor Michel III to reinforce the diplomatic relations between the Empire and the Caliphate.

On this subject also Al-Mutawakkil took against foot of its predecessors. It applied a policy of discrimination with regard to the religious minorities. In 850 it promulgates an imposing decree with the Dhimmi S the wearing of various badges and a costume color honey, going until requiring that the slaves of these dhimmis be immediately identifiable in the places on the market.

These decrees envisaged also the destruction of all the churches and the synagogs built since the advent of Islam. It made confiscate a house inhabited by Christians or Jews on ten, it was specified that if the place lent itself to it were to be transformed into mosque if not there were to remain open. The other houses were to be identified by wood images representing of the demons nailed on the door.

These decrees stipulated that the tombs of the Christians and the Jews were not to exceed level of the showing ground thus that they were not those of Moslems. Al-Mutawakkil relieved all the Jews and the Christians who had political responsibilities or administrative. It was interdict with the Moslems to inform them. All these rules constituted certainly a means of designating the “infidels” with popular vindication.

In spite of all these reforms, the Al-Mutawakkil reign belongs to “the golden age of the Abbasids”, it is undoubtedly the last large caliph of the dynasty.

The place of Turkish

Al-Mutawakkil continued the consistent policy to be pressed on ministers and soldiers slaves Turkish to repress the rebellions and to carry out the wars out of the empire. Thus it could take to the Byzantines the Sicily. Its principal vizier was the Turk Al-Fath Ben Khagan.

This relation with the Turks was turned over against him. One of its generals Turkish was assassinated. That and its repression against the Shiites ends up making it unpopular.

Its death and its succession

Al-Mutawakkil had drawn aside his/her oldest son Al-Muntasir of the succession and thought of its second wire Al-Mu' tazz. Not only Al-Muntasir was the object of lacks of respect when it appeared at the court but it was his/her younger brother who chaired the prayer when the caliph was prevented by it. One day when Al-Mutawakkil was drunk, he insulted Al-Muntasir so coarsely that this last decided to finish some. With commanders Turcs that Al-Mutawakkil had évincé, it organized the death of his father. Al-Mutawakkil was killed with blows of saber in company of its favorite to which one allotted the crime. This parricide took place on December 11th 861 with Al-Ja `fariyya where it is buried.

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