Fatimid Caliphate
The Fatimids (Arabic الفاطميون, DMG al - Fāṭimiyūn ) were an Ismaili dynasty that ruled 909-1171 in North Africa, that is, in the Maghreb and Egypt and in Syria.
Origin
After the split of Muslims in Sunni and Shia latter were led by imams, the descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima bint Muhammad were the. However, there came also among the Shiites to divisions, since the transition of leadership was not always without controversy. So back to the 9th century emerged the main branches of Shia Imami, Ismaili and Zaydi. The Ismailis not recognized as the rightful successor of Jafar as- Sadiq Musa al - Kazim but Ismail - hence their name. Ismail's son Muhammad plays the central role in the Ismaili system of teaching: He was regarded by his followers as the seventh Imam and should not be dead, but gone in an obscurity from which he would return in the near future as Qaim and Mahdi (ie the Messiah ).
In the middle of the 9th century Abdallah al -Akbar began to act as deputy for the Mahdi Muhammad ibn Ismail. He announced the imminent appearance of the hidden seventh imam, overthrown by the Abbasids, all religions laws abolished (next to the Christianity and Judaism and Islam ) and the cult loosely original religion should be established. The founder of a sect came with his preaching for the first time in Askar Mukram out, but then fled Basra to Salamya in Syria. He gathered a growing community around and sent to all parts of the Islamic world missionaries ( Dais ) who spread the teachings of their Grand Master, and built a network of secret Ismaili cells.
After Abdullah's death was his son Ahmad and his grandson Abu sch- Schalaghlagh Muhammad took over the leadership of the sect. Under the latter, the mission achieved great success, including the Maghreb, where Abu Abd Allah al- ʿ ski i had. Since Abu sch- Schalaghlagh had no son, designate it as the successor to his nephew Said ibn al -Husayn, who eventually revealed himself to be the true Mahdi and as a splitting of the Ismailis triggered because the Qarmatis and other groups unswervingly to the expectation of the hidden Mahdi Muhammad ibn Ismail clung.
Rule in North Africa
- Abdallah al -Mahdi ( 910-934 )
- Abu al -Qasim al - Qaim ( 934-946 )
- Ismail al - Mansur ( 946-953 )
- Abu Tamin al - Muizz ( 953-975 )
After the missionary Abu Abd Allah al- ʿ ski i had spread the doctrine of the Ismailis among the Berbers of the Maghreb, he overthrew the dynasty of Aghlabids in Ifriqiya (eastern Algeria, Tunisia, Libya). He paved the way for his fleeing from Salamya Mr. Abdallah al -Mahdi, that Said ibn al -Husayn, who founded the kingdom of the Fatimids in Ifriqiya. This lead, as an alleged descendant of Imam Jafar as- Sadiq its lineage to the Prophet 's daughter Fatima back, which is why his dynasty is known as the Fatimids.
Abdallah al -Mahdi ( 910-934 ) assumed the title of Caliph and founded the capital of al - Mahdiya south of Sousse. From the beginning of the fall of the Abbasids was sought which were from the perspective of the Fatimids usurpers. Although succeeded the subjugation of Algeria and Sicily, but failed the first conquest of Egypt as well as the campaigns in Morocco.
Under Abu al -Qasim al - Qaim ( 934-946 ), Sicily was again subjected to and the coasts of Italy and France looted by fleet expeditions. To pacify Sicily, the Kalbite were used as emirs (see also Islam in Italy). However, it came through the rebellion of Abu Yazid under Kharijite Berber ( 944-947 ) to a severe crisis, when the rebels temporarily laid siege to the capital of al - Mahdiya.
After the reorganization of the empire by Ismail al - Mansur ( 946-953 ) and Abu Tamin al - Muizz ( 953-975 ) the Fatimids under the commander Dschawar as- Siqilli indeed succeeded in the advance to the Atlantic, but could not rule over Morocco be maintained, since the focus of the Fatimid policy hosted on the conquest of Egypt.
After the conquest of Egypt
969 succeeded the conquest of Egypt and the overthrow of the Ichschididen. Caliph al- Muizz moved now 972 the capital of the empire to Cairo and set the Zirids as the viceroys in the Maghreb. So this was only a marginal area of the Fatimid Empire.
Fatimid rulers in Egypt:
- Abu Tamin al - Muizz ( 953-975 )
- Al- Aziz ( 975-995 )
- Al -Hakim (995-1021)
- Az- Zahir (1021-1036)
- Al- Mustansir (1036-1094)
- Al- Mustali (1094-1101)
- Al -Amir (1101-1130)
- Al- Hafiz (1130-1149)
- Az- Zafir (1149-1154)
- Al- Faiz (1154-1160)
- Al- Adid (1160-1171)
After yet Abu Tamin al - Muizz had founded the new imperial capital, Cairo, the Fatimid rule in Egypt was consolidated under al - Aziz. In this, in spite of the Shia Ismaili creed of the Fatimids, the Sunni Muslims tolerated. At the same time Palestine and Syria were conquered to 978 and gained control of Mecca and Medina. Thus were under the most important shrines of Islam the Fatimids.
Under the Fatimid rule the economy of Egypt adopted by the construction of roads and canals and through the promotion of trade between India and the Mediterranean region a big boost. In the 11th century the kingdom of the Fatimids had the largest economic power of the Islamic empires. Also, culture and science were supported by the Fatimids, with the founding of al -Azhar University, Sunni center today, gained in importance.
Under Al -Hakim (995-1021), the tolerant religious policy toward non-Muslims was increasingly abandoned. Thus, public processions and rites of Christians and Jews as well as the enjoyment of wine and beer forbidden. At times, even Christian churches and monasteries were ransacked to procure finances for the army and the building of mosques. So it was in 1009 to the destruction of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. To 1017 arose in Egypt a sect, who looked at al -Hakim as the incarnation of God. From this the religion of the Druze later developed.
Az- Zahir (1021-1036) successfully reproduced the pacification of the empire and the suppression of some Bedouin uprisings in Syria. The climax of the power reached the Fatimid al - Mustansir under (1036-1094) taken as Ismaili missionaries in Yemen, the power and the Abbasids in Baghdad in 1059 could be plunged briefly.
However, this extended power politics led to national bankruptcy and the decline of the dynasty. Although the Zirids in Ifriqiya could be forced back under the dominion of the Fatimids by the deportation of Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, but went Syria and Palestine in 1076 to the Seljuks lost. Inside, too, the government had to be left increasingly the commanders of the troops and the viziers.
The conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 by the Crusaders during the First Crusade and the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem could no longer prevent the Fatimids and after unsuccessful recapture experiments ( Battle of Ramla ) in 1130 they got increasingly under the influence of the Crusaders. With the successful completion of the Siege of Ascalon ( 1153 ) by King Baldwin III. of Jerusalem, the Fatimids lost the last vertex in Palestine. To forestall a conquest of Egypt by the Crusaders, led by Nur ad -Din, the ruler of Damascus, already in 1163 a campaign to Egypt, to be an officer in 1171 Saladin overthrew the Fatimids and founded the dynasty of the Ayyubids.
Important Arabic sources for the history of the Fatimids in Egypt are the two works " walk the two eyeballs to the news of the two countries" ( Nuzhat al - muqlatain fī Ahbar ad daulatain ) of Ibn at- Tuwair (d. 1220 ) and " admonition of Muslims with the news of the Fatimid Imam - Caliph " ( Itti AZ ʿ al - Hunafa ʾ bi- al -a ʾ imma Ahbar al - Fāṭimīyīn al - ḫūlafā ʾ ) of al - Maqrizi (d. 1442 ).
Religious Policy
The Fatimid empire was a clear Ismaili state oriented. At the top of the religious hierarchy was a top -da ʿ ī, who often served as top - Kadi at the same time. He held in the palace of Cairo weekly on Thursdays from public teaching sessions, known as al - Hikma madschālis ( " sessions of wisdom " ), in which the adepts were admitted after taking an oath in the Ismaili esoteric doctrine. Al -Qadi an- Nu ʿ mān who served the Fatimids to 974 in two offices, developed his own Ismaili school of the theory of norms.
Outwardly, the Fatimids continued to work towards the overthrow of the Abbasid caliphs. To this end, they sent out numerous missionaries. Her biggest success won the Fatimid mission in Yemen, where in 1047 the missionary ʿ Alī ibn Muḥammad with a new Sulaihiden the Fatimids against loyal Ismaili dynasty founded and Sanaa and Aden brought into his power.
In the country itself no opportunity was missed to emphasize the origin of the dynasty of the Prophet. For this purpose, a new festival was introduced in the 11th century at the court, namely the birthday of the Prophet. It committed him on 12 Rabī ʿ al - awwal, the actual anniversary of the death of the Prophet. The Caliph has played a central role in the festivities; it took place in public sermons and Koranic readings.
Your own Muslim subjects have the Fatimid Ismaili not forced upon the confession, but it came as a result of intensive advertising to numerous conversions. In the early 12th century, more and more Sunnis went on to influential positions in the Fatimid empire and established their own madrassas. Thus it came already at that time to a restoration of Sunni Islam in Egypt.