Talk:Ridwan ibn Walakhshi

Ridwan ibn Walakhshi has been listed as one of the History good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Review: July 19, 2020. (Reviewed version).

A fact from Ridwan ibn Walakhshi appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 31 January 2020 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that in 1138–39, Fatimid vizier Ridwan ibn Walakhshi attempted to overthrow the Isma'ili caliphate and replace it with a Sunni regime headed by himself?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2020/January. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Ridwan ibn al-Walakhshi.

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Good article nomination

I don't actually know the criteria that are used for the appellation but I found the article well-written and interesting. I know nothing about the topic and so cannot evaluate it's accuracy. Elinruby (talk) 18:49, 30 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Ridwan ibn Walakhshi/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: HaEr48 (talk · contribs) 03:28, 19 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Will take this review. HaEr48 (talk) 03:28, 19 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Well-written and interesting article. Some feedback and comments

vizier is linked twice in the lead. Also, It needs to be linked in the first instance in the body. Possibly with some background how it became powerful in the Fatimid caliphate.
- Done.
Anything known about his family background, e.g. the profession of his father? Or if he has his own family, children, or a kunya?
- Unfortunately, nothing I could discover. Even al-Imad, who usually lists the full name and titelature, only calls him with name and patronymic.
By the time of Kutayfat's anti-Fatimid coup in October 1130: Mention how this coup ended, given that in the next passage we're presented with the Fatimids as rulers again, and even further Kutayfat was mentioned as a model to Ridwan's vizierate.
- Done.
"This was a mistake" (and maybe some other passages) reads a bit too editorialized for Wikipedia's preferred neutral tone. I suggest toning down a little bit, but as this might be subjective I defer to you and this is not big enough of an issue for GA.
- Changed to "The move backfired".
and Bahram had to withdraw to Cairo: Wasn't Bahram already in the capital (Cairo)? If he marched out to intercept Ridwan, or if they had a battle, suggest saying so in the previous passage.
- Clarified.
"the deposition should be handled in accordance with religious law": Is there any detail what religious law would this be, given that the Sunnis have no concept of a hereditary imamate as seen by the Fatimids?
- Unclear. The idea I get from the descriptions both in Halm and in Brett is that this was evasion by means of a non-answer. If Isma'ili law was adhered to, then the deposition could not happen; if another legal tradition was followed, then al-Hafiz was an illegal monarch. Since whoever emerged victorious from this contest would decide what law was valid, Ibn Awf had covered himself.
Not sure what "against an amān" mean, is it "in exchange for an amān"?
- Yes, changed.
[1] mentions that Ridwan's claim of being al-Malik was continued by future viziers, including the Ayyubids - seems quite notable to mention?
- Added
The terms Rayḥaniyya, Ḥāfiziyya, and Amiriyya are mentioned without explanation or link.
- It is mentioned that the last two are regiments, and I added it to the first. I really don't want to go into any further detail on these in this article, as it is really irrelevant to the main topic. At some point, hopefully soon, I'll have an article on the Fatimid army, and then I will link these names to it.

For the most part, the article is clearly written, easy to follow, and well referenced. No copyvio, neutrality, or OR issue found. Images are appropriate and freely licensed. Did a cursory search on the subject, and no major detail seems to be omitted. HaEr48 (talk) 05:04, 19 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hi HaEr48, thanks for taking this on. I think I've dealt with the issues you raised. Anything else, even beyond GA criteria? Constantine ✍ 16:59, 19 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Cplakidas, A quick comment: I think the end of the #Origin paragraph became accidentally malformed? HaEr48 (talk) 17:10, 19 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@HaEr48: Fixed it. Thanks for the catch :) Constantine ✍ 17:24, 19 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Cplakidas, Thank you. I'll pass this nomination per GA criteria. Beyond GA, I'm curious about the function of the madrasa that Ridwan founded, what kind of education is provided, and if other prominent figures (scholarly or political) was involved other than Ibn Awf. It would be also nice to know more about his origin, and his career before becoming a minister, although based on your response about family this may be difficult. A background on the position of Sunnis in the Fatimid Caliphate will be interesting too. HaEr48 (talk) 18:49, 19 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. The problem, as you can imagine, is a lack of information. At least on the position of Sunnis, I've started rewriting the main Fatimid Caliphate article, and a treatment on the various religious groups will be part of it. Cheers, Constantine ✍ 18:58, 19 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]