Al-Qa'im (Fatimid caliph)

al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah
Gold dinar of Al-Qa'im
Caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate
Reign	3 April 934 – 17 May 946
Predecessor	al-Mahdi billah
Successor	al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah
Born	April 893
Died	17 May 946 (aged 53)
Issue	al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah
Names Kunya: Abu'l-Qasim Given name: Muhammad Laqab: al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah
Father	al-Mahdi Billah
Mother	?
Religion	Shia Islam

Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Mahdi (Arabic: أبو القاسم محمد بن المهدي القائم بأمر الله; April 893 – 17 May 946), better known by his regnal name al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah or bi-Amri 'llah (القائم بأمر الله, "He who carries out God's orders"), was the second caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya and ruled from 934 to 946. He is the 12th Imam according to the Isma'ili faith.

History

Al-Qa'im was born in Salamiyah in Syria in 895 with the name Abd ar-Rahman. After his father Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah (910-934) seized power in Ifriqiya he was named heir to the throne in 912, and helped put down several revolts. However campaigns into Egypt faltered against the resistance of the Abbasids (914-915 and 919-921), with heavy casualties.

In 934 Al-Qa'im succeeded his father as Caliph, after which he never again left the royal residence at Mahdia. Nevertheless, the Fatimid realm became an important power in the Mediterranean. After the re-conquest of Sicily the Byzantine province of Calabria and the Ligurian coast was plundered and the city of Genoa sacked.

But from 944 to 947 the realm was plunged into crisis by the revolt of Abu Yazid, who had united the Kharijite Berber tribes of the Aurès Mountains of eastern Algeria and overrun Ifriqiya. Imam Al-Qa'im was able to hold out in Mahdia with the help of the navy for over a year, but died (17 May 946) before the revolt could be put down.

He was succeeded by his son Ismail al-Mansur (946-953). He died on 13th Shawwal 334 AH (Mahdiyya) / 17 May 946 AD.

See also

• Family tree of Muhammad#Family tree linking prophets to Imams
• List of Ismaili imams
• Ali ibn Muhammad al-Iyadi

External links and references

• Imam al-Qaaim, the 12th Fatimi Imam.
• Brett, Michael (2001). The Rise of the Fatimids: The World of the Mediterranean and the Middle East in the Fourth Century of the Hijra, Tenth Century CE. The Medieval Mediterranean. Vol. 30. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 9004117415. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Halm, Heinz (1996). The Empire of the Mahdi: The Rise of the Fatimids. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Vol. 26. transl. by Michael Bonner. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 9004100563. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• J. J. Saunders. "The Turkish Irruption". A History of Medieval Islam. Routledge. Retrieved 2007-08-25.

Family tree of the Fatimid dynasty

Abu Muhammad Abdallah al-Mahdi bi'llah (r. 909–934) Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah (r. 934–946) Abu Ali Ahmad Other children al-Qasim§ Abu Tahir Isma'il al-Mansur bi'llah (r. 946–953) Other children Abu Tamim Ma'ad al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah (r. 953–975) Abd al-Rahim§ Tamim Abdallah§ Abu Mansur Nizar al-Aziz bi'llah (r. 975–996) Sitt al-Malik Rashida Abda Other children Sitt al-Mulk Abu Ali Mansur al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (r. 996–1021) Other children Abu'l-Hasan Ali al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah (r. 1021–1036) Abu Tamim Ma'ad al-Mustansir bi'llah (r. 1036–1094) Abu Mansur Nizar§ Abu Abdallah Abdallah Isma'il Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad Other children Abu'l-Qasim Ahmad al-Musta'li bi'llah (r. 1094–1101) al-Husayn Nizari imams (claimed descent) Abu'l-Maymun Abd al-Majid al-Hafiz li-Din Allah (r. 1132–1149) Abu Ali Mansur al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah (r. 1101–1130) Ja'far Other children Sulayman§ Haydara§ Hasan§ Abu Mansur Isma'il al-Zafir bi-Amr Allah (r. 1149–1154) Yusuf Other children Abu'l-Qasim al-Tayyib§ Abu'l-Qasim Isa al-Fa'iz bi-Nasr Allah (r. 1154–1160) Abu Muhammad Abdallah al-Adid li-Din Allah (r. 1160–1171) Tayyibi hidden imams (claimed descent) Dawud Sulayman § denotes designated heirs who did not accede to the throne    denotes ruling Fatimid caliphs (with regnal names in bold and regnal dates)