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 | ||||
| |||||
Father | al-Mahdi Billah | ||||
Mother | ? | ||||
Religion | Shia Islam |
Part of a series on Islam Isma'ilism |
---|
![]() |
![]() |
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.