Draft:Abu Abdallah al-Mahdi li-Din Allah
| Abu Abdallah al-Mahdi li-Din Allah | |
|---|---|
| name | Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Qasim ibn al-Hasan al-Alawi |
| Personal details | |
| teachers | Abu al-Hasan al-Karkhi, Husayn ibn Ali al-Basri |
| religion | Islam |
Ibn Da'i Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Qasim ibn al-Hasan al-Alawi (304–359 AH), known by the honorific title al-Mahdi li-Din Allah and the kunya Abu Abdallah, was one of the scholars and jurists during the reign of Mu'izz al-Dawla who revolted and gained control over Gilan[1].
Biography
Ibn Da'i was born in Daylam. When Mu'izz al-Dawla (one of the emirs of the Buyid dynasty) was in Ahvaz, Ibn Da'i went to him[2]. He subsequently traveled to Baghdad to pursue his studies and engaged in acquiring knowledge there.
Ibn Da'i in Baghdad
In Baghdad, he raised the banner of opposition against Mu'izz al-Dawla, and a group of Daylamites joined him. Mu'izz al-Dawla arrested and imprisoned him, while his Daylamite associates were arrested, displaced, or exiled.
Ibn Da'i after Imprisonment
Mu'izz al-Dawla sent Ibn Da'i to Fars to his brother, Imad al-Dawla. Imad al-Dawla, in turn, sent him to Abu Talib al-Nubandajani, who imprisoned Ibn Da'i in the fortress of Akusan.
After a little more than a year, he was released through the intercession of a Daylamite named Ibrahim ibn Kask, on the condition that he change his attire and wear a qaba (a type of robe).
Following his release, Ibrahim took him to Kerman. There, he was arrested by Abu Ali ibn Ilyas, the ruler of Kerman. However, after a conflict between Abu Ali and Ibrahim, Ibn Da'i managed to escape and fled to Manujan in Makran. There, he succeeded in gathering the Zaydis around him. Consequently, he was arrested by the local governor, Ibn Ma'dan, and sent to Oman. In Oman, however, the Zaydis rose in support of him, forcing the ruler to exile Ibn Da'i to Basra. Even in Basra, the Gilites and Daylamites did not abandon him and rose in his support. Abu Yusuf, the governor of Basra, initially imprisoned him but later granted him a village yielding an annual revenue of 5,000 dirhams as an iqta (land grant). Ibn Da'i remained there for several years. After some time, he intended to perform the Hajj pilgrimage; having obtained permission, he traveled to Ahvaz and, via Baghdad, proceeded to the Hejaz.
Ibn Da'i's Return to Baghdad
Upon returning from his pilgrimage, he went to Baghdad and established it as his residence[3].
Teachers of Ibn Da'i
Ibn Da'i temporarily withdrew from political activities and studied fiqh and kalam under Abu al-Hasan al-Karkhi and Husayn ibn Ali al-Basri. After some time, he himself established a teaching circle and began issuing fatwas[4].
Political Activities
In Baghdad, Ibn Da'i once again joined Mu'izz al-Dawla and apparently became one of his military commanders. According to Ibn al-Athir, in a battle that took place between Mu'izz al-Dawla and Tuzun (232 AH/944 CE), Mu'izz al-Dawla was defeated, and fourteen of his army commanders, including Ibn Da'i, were captured by Tuzun (8/408–409). After this event, Ibn Da'i must have withdrawn from military and political affairs. However, it is reported that in 348 AH/959 CE, Mu'izz al-Dawla requested him to enter his service and accept the position of naqib (chief representative) of the Alids in Baghdad. Ibn Da'i initially refused, but Mu'izz al-Dawla's persistence eventually led him to accept the role. Mu'izz al-Dawla showed excessive honor to Ibn Da'i. When the ruler fell ill, he asked Ibn Da'i to recite the Quran for him; upon doing so, Mu'izz al-Dawla kissed his hand[5]. Furthermore, he granted him a portion of the Sawad region, with an annual revenue of approximately 5,000 dirhams, as an iqta. Ibn Da'i justified accepting this grant by stating that it was the right of the Alids from the Bayt al-mal (public treasury)[6].
Ibn Da'i continued to live in Baghdad with respect until gradually a large group of Alids, as well as Daylamites, pledged allegiance (bay'ah) to him and encouraged him to revolt. However, he feared Mu'izz al-Dawla and did not initiate his uprising while the latter remained in Baghdad. Until 352 AH, he remained close to Mu'izz al-Dawla. In that year, at Ibn Da'i's recommendation, Ibn Abi al-Shawarib, the incompetent and corrupt judge of Baghdad, was dismissed from office[7].
The Revolt of Ibn Da'i
In 353 AH, Mu'izz al-Dawla marched towards Mosul to fight Ibn Hamdan. Seizing the opportunity, Ibn Da'i fabricated a pretext before Izz al-Dawla, the son of Mu'izz al-Dawla who was acting as regent in his father's absence. Protesting angrily, he left Baghdad with a small group of followers, leaving his family behind. In the latter part of Shawwal 353 AH, he set out for Daylam. After some time, he reached Hawsam in Rudsar, where he openly declared his revolt[8].
Ibn Da'i and the Claim to the Imamate
When he arrived in Hovsam, a large number of Daylamites joined him and pledged allegiance to him as Imam. Ibn Da'i adopted an ascetic lifestyle there, always wearing a garment of white wool and carrying an open Qur'an hanging from his chest. At this time, he bore the epithet "al-Mahdi li-Din Allah, al-Qa'im li-Haqq Allah." He subsequently gathered a substantial army and set out to conquer surrounding regions[9]. When his forces reached ten thousand men, he marched against Ibn Nasir al-Alawi, who fled before him. Ibn Da'i thereafter eliminated one of Vushmgir's prominent commanders[10]. This event occurred in 354 AH/965 CE. The uprising of Ibn Da'i gradually expanded over a vast territory, to the extent that he wrote to Rukn al-Dawla and Mu'izz al-Dawla, summoning them to obedience. Rukn al-Dawla accepted his imamate and apologized for not having previously supported him[11]. In 355 AH, Ibn Da'i fought against Ibn Vushmgir and captured many of his companions and generals; however, due to a revolt led by an Alid named Mir Kiya ibn Abi al-Fadl al-Tha'ir, he was compelled to retreat. He then dispatched a letter to Iraq, calling the people to jihad[12]. Mir Kiya, who had previously opposed him, rose to suppress him, seized control of Hovsam, captured Ibn Da'i, and imprisoned him in a fortress. The Daylamites became enraged, and the Hanbalis of the region also rose in their support. Unable to withstand the resistance, Mir Kiya released him. This incident occurred in 358 AH/969 CE; subsequently, Mir Kiya gave his sister in marriage to Abu Abdullah. Several months passed after this event, and Ibn Da'i regained his former position in Hovsam.
Death
He continued to reside in Hovsam until his death there in 359 AH. It has been reported that Mir Kiya sent poison to his sister to administer to Ibn Da'i; Ibn Da'i died after consuming the poison and was buried in the same city[13].
Children
He had two sons named Abu al-Hasan Ali and Abu al-Husayn Ahmad; Ahmad died during his father's lifetime[14].
Footnotes
- ↑ Ibn Da'i
- ↑ Ibn Inaba, p. 84
- ↑ Ibn Inaba, Ahmad, 'Umdat al-Talib, vol. 1, pp. 84–85
- ↑ Al-Dhahabi, vol. 16, p. 115; Ibn Inaba, Ahmad, 'Umdat al-Talib, vol. 1, pp. 84–85
- ↑ Ibid., p. 85
- ↑ Ibid., p. 85
- ↑ Al-Hamdani, pp. 183–184
- ↑ Miskawayh, vol. 6, p. 207; Ibn al-Athir, vol. 8, p. 555; Al-Dhahabi, vol. 16, p. 116; Ibn Inaba, p. 86
- ↑ Miskawayh, vol. 6, p. 209; Ibn al-Athir, vol. 8, p. 574
- ↑ Miskawayh, vol. 6, p. 207
- ↑ Al-Dhahabi, vol. 16, p. 116
- ↑ Miskawayh, vol. 6, p. 216; Ibn al-Athir, vol. 8, p. 574; Madelung, vol. 4, p. 191
- ↑ Ibn Inabah, p. 87; Hamadani, p. 189
- ↑ Ibn Inabah, p. 87