Al-Muqtadir

al-Muqtadir المقتدر بالله
Caliph Commander of the Faithful
Gold dinar of al-Muqtadir with the names of his heir Abu'l-Abbas and the vizier Amid al-Dawla
18th Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate
Reign	13 August 908 – 28 February 929
Predecessor	al-Muktafi
Successor	al-Qahir
Reign	2 March 929 – 31 October 932 (second period)
Born	13 November 895 Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate
Died	31 October 932 (aged 36) Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate
Burial	Baghdad
Consort	Hurra bint Badr Zalum Khalub Dimna Mash'ala Khamrah
Issue	al-Radi al-Muttaqi al-Muti' Harun Ishaq[1] Isa Ibrahim
Names Abu'l-Fadl Ja'far ibn Ahmad al-Mu'tadid al-Muqtadir bi-Allah
Dynasty	Abbasid
Father	al-Mu'tadid
Mother	Shaghab
Religion	Sunni Islam

Abu’l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Ahmad al-Muʿtaḍid (Arabic: أبو الفضل جعفر بن أحمد المعتضد) (895 – 31 October 932 AD), better known by his regnal name al-Muqtadir bi-llāh (Arabic: المقتدر بالله, "Mighty in God"^[2]), was the eighteenth caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 908 to 932 AD (295–320 AH), with the exception of a brief deposition in favour of al-Qahir in 929.

He came to the throne at the age of 13, the youngest Caliph in Abbasid history, as a result of palace intrigues. His accession was soon challenged by the supporters of the older and more experienced Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz, but their attempted coup in December 908 was quickly and decisively crushed. Al-Muqtadir enjoyed a longer rule than any of his predecessors, but was uninterested in government. Affairs were run by his officials, although the frequent change of viziers—fourteen changes of the head of government are recorded for his reign—hampered the effectiveness of the administration. The Abbasid harem, where his mother, Shaghab, exercised total control, also exercised a frequently decisive influence on affairs, and especially on the advancement or dismissal of officials. After a period of consolidation and recovery under his father al-Mu'tadid and older half-brother al-Muktafi, al-Muqtadir's reign marks the onset of rapid decline. The full treasury inherited by al-Muqtadir was quickly emptied, and financial difficulties would become a persistent feature of the caliphal government. Ifriqiya fell to the Fatimids, although the commander-in-chief Mu'nis al-Muzaffar was able to repel their attempts to conquer Egypt as well. Nearer to Iraq, the Hamdanids became autonomous masters of the Jazira and the Qarmatians re-emerged as a major threat, culminating in their capture of Mecca in 929. The forces of the Byzantine Empire, under John Kourkouas, began a sustained offensive into the borderlands of the Thughur and Armenia. As a result, in February 929 a palace revolt briefly replaced al-Muqtadir with his brother al-Qahir. The new regime failed to consolidate itself, however, and after a few days al-Muqtadir was restored. The commander-in-chief, Mu'nis al-Muzaffar, was by then a virtual dictator. Urged by his enemies, al-Muqtadir attempted to get rid of him in 932, but Mu'nis marched with his troops on Baghdad, and in the ensuing battle on 31 October 932 al-Muqtadir was killed.