Ibrāhīm ibn al-Mahdī (Arabic: إبراهيم بن المهدي; 779–839) was an Abbasid prince, singer, composer and poet. He was the son of the third Abbasid caliph, al-Mahdi, and the half-brother of the poet and musician Ulayya.[6] Ibrahim was contemporary of Abbasid caliph al-Hadi, al-Rashid and his three nephews caliph al-Amin, al-Ma'mun, al-Mu'tasim.
| Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi إبراهيم بن المهدي | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 779 Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate | ||||
| Died | 839 Baghdad/Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate | ||||
| Spouse | Umm Muhammad (divorced) Shāriyah[1] Bid'ah[2] Rayyiq[3] Khishf[4] Shaja[4] | ||||
| Children | Hibat Allah[5] | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Abbasid | ||||
| Father | Al-Mahdi | ||||
| Mother | Shakla | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
| Occupation | Singer, Composer, Arabic poet | ||||
Biography
Ibrahim was born in 779. He was the son of Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi,[7] and was born during the Caliphate of his father. His mother was Shaklah, a Negress,[8] whose father was Khwanadan, steward of Masmughan.[9] She had a brother named Humayd.[10] She was acquired by Al-Mahdi when she was a child. He presented her to his concubine Muhayyat, who, discovering a musical talent in the child, sent her to the famous school of Taif in the Hijaz for a thorough musical education. Years later Al-Mahdi, then caliph, took her as his concubine.[11]
One of his wives was Umm Muhammad. She was the daughter of Salih al-Miskin and Umm Abdullah bint Isa ibn Ali. After Inrahi divorced her, she married Harun al-Rashid.[12]
During the Fourth Fitna, Ibrahim was proclaimed caliph on 20 July 817 by the people of Baghdad, who gave him the regnal name of al-Mubarak (Arabic: المبارك) and declared his reigning nephew al-Ma'mun deposed. Ibrahim received the allegiance of the Hashemites.[13] He had to resign in 819, and spent the rest of his life as a poet and a musician. He is remembered as "one of the most gifted musicians of his day, with a phenomenal vocal range",[6] and a promoter of the then innovative 'Persian style' of song, 'which was characterized inter alia by redundant improvisation'.[14]
Ibrahim died in 839 during the Caliphate of his younger nephew al-Mu'tasim.[7]
Siblings
Ibrahim was related to several Abbasid caliphs. He was also contemporary to several Abbasid caliphs, princess and princesses. Ibrahim was at one point married to Abbasid princess Umm Muhammad.
| No. | Abbasids | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Musa al-Hadi | Half-brother |
| 2 | Harun al-Rashid | Half-brother |
| 3 | Abbasa bint al-Mahdi | Half-sister |
| 4 | Ubaydallah ibn al-Mahdi | Half-brother |
| 5 | Ulayya bint al-Mahdi | Half-sister |
| 6 | Banuqa bint al-Mahdi | Half-sister |
| 7 | Mansur ibn al-Mahdi | Half-brother |
| 8 | Aliyah bint al-Mahdi | Half-sister |
| 9 | Ali ibn al-Mahdi | Half-brother |
| 10 | Abdallah ibn al-Mahdi | Half-brother |
| 11 | Isa ibn al-Mahdi[15] | Half-brother |
References
Sources
- Abbott, Nabia (1946). Two Queens of Baghdad: Mother and Wife of Hārūn Al Rashīd. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-86356-031-6.
- Kilpatrick, H. (1998). Meisami, Julie Scott; Starkey, Paul (eds.). Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis. p. 387. ISBN 978-0-415-18571-4.
- Al-Tabari; John Alden Williams (1988). Al-̣Tabarī: Volume 1, The Reign of Abū Ja'Far Al-Maṇsūr A. D. 754-775: The Early ‛Abbāsī Empire. Al-Tabari. the Early Abbasi Empire. Cambridge University Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-521-32662-9.
- al-Tabari, Muhammad Ibn Yarir; Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (1989). The History of al-Tabari Vol. 30: The 'Abbasid Caliphate in Equilibrium: The Caliphates of Musa al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid A.D. 785-809/A.H. 169-193. Bibliotheca Persica. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-88706-564-4.
- Fishbein, Michael (2015). The History of al-Tabari Vol. 31: The War between Brothers: The Caliphate of Muhammad al-Amin A.D. 809-813/A.H. 193-198. SUNY series in Near Eastern Studies. State University of New York Press. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-4384-0289-5.