🕌 Al-Mutawakkil: The Controversial Abbasid Caliph

Al-Mutawakkil 🏺: The Tenth Abbasid Caliph

Comprehensive Definition:

Al-Mutawakkil (full name: Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Mu’tasim) was the tenth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 847 to 861 CE. He is historically significant for ending the Mihna, or Islamic inquisition, and his patronage of Sunni Islamic traditions. However, al-Mutawakkil is also remembered for persecuting the Mu’tazili theologians, Shi’is, and non-Muslims, alongside his failing attempts to restrain the rising influence of Turkish soldiers within the military, which eventually led to his assassination.

Etymology:

The name “Al-Mutawakkil” means “one who relies on God” or “the God-trusting.” It derives from the Arabic root w-k-l (و-ك-ل), signifying trust or reliance.

Historical Background:

• Early Background: Al-Mutawakkil was born in 822 in either Baghdad or Samarra. He was a son of the previous caliph, al-Mu’tasim.
• Ascension to Power: After the death of his half-brother, caliph al-Wathiq, al-Mutawakkil ascended to the caliphate in 847 CE.
• Ending the Mihna: Al-Mutawakkil is famously known for halting the Mihna—an inquisition initiated by caliph al-Ma’mun—to enforce the doctrine that the Qur’an was a created entity as opposed to uncreated.
• Increased Sectarian Suppression: He staunchly supported Sunni orthodoxy and made systematic efforts to suppress the Shi’is, the Mu’tazili theologians, and other heterodox groups.

Historical Facts and Dates:

• 847 CE: Al-Mutawakkil becomes the caliph.
• 848 CE: Officially ends the Mihna.
• 850s: Begins persecuting the Mu’tazili scholars and Shi’is intensely.
• 861 CE: Assassinated by his Turkish guards.

Cultural Differences and Similarities:

• Al-Mutawakkil’s policies drew a clear line between the central Sunni doctrine and other forms of Islamic practice.
• His suppression of non-Muslims and certain Muslim sects emphasized the cultural and religious orthodoxy which parallels certain orthodox policies seen in other religious traditions through history.

Synonyms:

• Caliph al-Mutawakkil
• Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Mu’tasim

Antonyms:

• Al-Ma’mun (with his contrasting policies)
• Al-Wathiq

Related Terms:

• Mihna: The religious inquisition of the Abbasid period.
• Mu’tazilism: A rationalist school of Islamic theology that al-Mutawakkil persecuted.
• Abbasid Caliphate: The third of the Islamic caliphates which al-Mutawakkil belonged to.

Exciting Facts:

• Al-Mutawakkil is often compared to other historical figures who shifted governmental policies from one extreme to another.
• His reign marked one of the few times the Abbasid caliphs exerted massive Sunni orthodoxy not since seen until modern Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabism.

Quotations:

• “The legacy of Al-Mutawakkil is one written in the ink of orthodoxy and the blood of divergence.” — Ibn Khaldun, Historian.

Recommended Literature:

• “The History of Al-Tabari Volume 34: Incipient Decline” by Al-Tabari.
• “Islamic Historiography: The Histories of Al-Masudi” by Khaled El-Rouayheb.

Quizzes: 📚🧠

🌟 Inspirational Farewell:

“In the annals of history, the impact of Al-Mutawakkil stands as both a pillar of orthodoxy and a reminder of the delicate balance between power and faith. Seek not just to understand, but to learn from the past.”

— Tariq Al-Mansur, 2023