Al-Muqtadir Billah began his caliphate with his vizier deciding to depose him and pledge allegiance to his cousin.. but al-Muqtadir's mother had a bit of experience with what goes on in the Abbasid court.. and she was an extremely clever and level-headed lady.. so she sends the vizier a couple of coins.. and he decides to leave him as caliph just as he is.
But after that, the senior Abbasids come along and decide to depose the caliph and appoint "Abd Allah ibn al-Mu'tazz Billah" in his place.. and they decide to storm the caliph's palace.. install "Abd Allah" as caliph.. and kill "al-Muqtadir".
But al-Muqtadir's mother was cleverer than necessary.. so they find themselves in a tight ambush.. and they find themselves surrounded by the guard.. who kill them and take them all prisoner.. and "al-Muqtadir" seizes "Abd Allah ibn al-Mu'tazz", whom they had been pestering him with since the day he took office.. and kills him.
At the same time, "al-Muqtadir" appoints a man named "Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hayja", known as "Nasir al-Dawla al-Hamdani", over Mosul.. so he makes himself independent in Mosul and declares it a Shiite caliphate.. and for the first time "the Hamdanid State" appears on the scene.
And one year later.. another group of Shiites appears, saying, no.. it's true the Abbasids are of the Prophet's household and all that.. but we have a better claim to the caliphate.. we are descended directly from Imam "Ali ibn Abi Talib" and Lady "Fatima al-Zahra", may God be pleased with them.. and therefore the caliphate is ours, because our lineage is pure and unbroken back to the house of prophethood.. and this lot called themselves the "Fatimids".. and as usual.. they began gathering together and forming blocs.. and they made an army.. the Abbasid state fought it at first.. but it decided to keep away from it until it grew strong and spread.. so it found what it was looking for in the provinces far from Abbasid rule.. so they entered the Maghreb after winning over the Berber tribes.. and declared the Fatimid Caliphate.
At the same time there was the chief eunuch in the Abbasid court.. and he was a Turkish man who rose from being merely a servant to commander of the army.. and he called himself "al-Muzaffar al-Mu'tadidi". "Al-Muqtadir" decided to dismiss him from his post, so "al-Muzaffar" began to fight "al-Muqtadir Billah" and tried to raise his brother "al-Qahir" to the seat of the caliphate instead of him.. and indeed "al-Muzaffar" kills Caliph "al-Muqtadir".. and raises his brother "al-Qahir" to the throne in his place.. and two years later.. he turns against "al-Qahir" himself.. and gouges out his eyes and imprisons him until his death.
And with the flabbiness of the Abbasid state.. a man named "Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn Buwayh ibn Fana Khusraw" emerges.. he calls himself "Rukn al-Dawla".. and he makes himself independent in parts of Persia and Iraq.. and he creates something called "the Buyid State".
This era in the life of the Abbasid state is called "the era of the Turkish guard".. the Turks intervened in governance and controlled the reins of power.. and that led to failure after failure for the Abbasid state.. and a man emerges in Khorasan named "al-Hasan ibn Zayd", calling himself "the Caller to the Truth", and decides to appoint himself caliph.. so he makes himself independent with it and founds a state called "the Tahirid State".
And the wars begin between the Abbasids, the Buyids, the Hamdanids and the Turkish troops.
And a new enemy appears on the scene: the "Ismaili Shiites".. and they fight the Abbasid state - even though they are supposedly the Shiites of the Prophet's household, and it is the state of the Prophet's household! - but that is what happened.
And in Egypt "Ahmad ibn Tulun" dies.. and he bequeaths the oath of allegiance to his son "Khumarawayh" after him.. but "Khumarawayh" was much weaker than "Ibn Tulun".. so the system "Ahmad Tulun" put in place begins to dissolve slowly.. and "Khumarawayh" begins to bring his Berber supporters close to him and give them the final say over the army.. so the army consequently begins to fall apart quickly.. and in the end.. while he was at a debauched drinking party in Damascus.. a group of his servants, from the Shiites, pounce on him.. and kill him.. because he was a drunkard.. and "Judgment belongs to God alone", as you well know.
And with the death of "Khumarawayh", along with his reckless tampering before his death with the constants of the Tulunid state.. the Tulunid state begins to dissolve at an astonishing speed.. as if it were a sandcastle a child built on the shore on a windy day.. and chaos strikes Egypt and it weakens.. and withers.
And the Fatimids in the Maghreb begin to drool over the great apple left exposed with no protection in front of them.. and likewise the governor of Palestine "Muhammad ibn Tughj" begins to drool.. so he comes to Egypt and tells the people "the Abbasid caliph appointed me ruler over you".. and a world war almost breaks out on the soil of Egypt.. had it not been that "al-Radi Billah" had reached the seat of the Abbasid caliphate.. so he sent his vizier "al-Fadl ibn Ja'far" to patch things up and appoint a governor.
And "al-Fadl ibn Ja'far" arrives and is surprised that there is a man by the name of "Ahmad ibn Kijlaj" who has appointed his own self as caliph.. and he discovers further that "Ibn Kijlaj" is merely a puppet.. ruled from behind by a Turkish man named "Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara'i".. so he goes back to the Abbasid state.. and decides to appoint over Egypt "Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid".. and he was a brilliant Turkish military commander.. he sets off toward Egypt on a military campaign by land and sea.. and after fierce fighting he succeeds in taking control of things there.. and "Ahmad ibn Kijlaj" surrenders.. and "al-Madhara'i" flees to an unknown destination.
Things do not settle at that, because "al-Madhara'i" and his followers write to the Fatimids, inviting them to invade Egypt.. and they persuade the Fatimid caliph "al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah" that the matter is easy and that they will show them the ways and means and paths that nobody knows, so he can slip his forces into the country.. so he agrees and sends them an army to occupy Egypt.
But before the Fatimid army arrives.. "Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid" reaches the whereabouts of "al-Madhara'i" and his men.. and sends an army against them that finishes them off completely.. and consequently.. the Fatimid campaign returns empty-handed.. watching for a new opportunity.
And following the method of "Ibn Tulun", "Ibn Tughj" begins to strengthen his army and to set Egypt back on its feet.. but unfortunately there were no Egyptian soldiers and not enough commanders.. so he calls on the Turks.. and forms an army from among them.. and then he takes control of Syria.. and declares Egypt and Syria the "Ikhshidid Emirate".. and declares himself for the first time an independent ruler over them.. and a new state appears on the scene.
"The Ikhshidid State".
And here the Fatimids attack him.. but he truly proves his worth and repels them.. and they come back a second time defeated.
And it was in the interest of the Abbasid state that Egypt should remain subject to it.. and that no other man should rise in it to repeat the deed of "Ahmad ibn Tulun".. so it pays off the Ikhshid with a military man named "Muhammad ibn Ra'iq".. who takes charge of Aleppo.. and curbs the Ikhshid's ambitions.
But "Ibn Ra'iq" himself.. begins to covet all of Syria.. so he marches on Homs and Damascus.. and wins Syria.. and then he marches toward al-Arish.. and his ambitions had expanded to include Egyptian territory itself.. and indeed the Ikhshidid army meets the Syrian army at al-Arish.. and the Syrian army wins.. and encamps there. And after long events and skirmishes.. peace is concluded between the two sides.. on the basis that the Ikhshid holds all of Egypt up to Ramla.. and "Ibn Ra'iq" rules Syria.. and "Muhammad ibn Tughj" marries his daughter "Fatima" to the son of "Ibn Ra'iq".. "Mazahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ra'iq".
And on 10 April 932 AD.. "Nasir al-Dawla al-Hamdani" slaughters his brother "Muhammad ibn Ra'iq" in Mosul.. and throws his body into the Tigris.. so a great opportunity opens up for the Ikhshidids.. and they enter Syria a second time.
And on 25 July 956, "Muhammad ibn Tughj" dies.. and the Abbasid caliph had preceded him, with their beloved pastime, in that he died of poison.. the caliph "Ibrahim al-Muttaqi Billah".. and before he died "Ibn Tughj" had a Habashi servant whom he loved very much.. and he kept promoting him until he became his adviser and the one responsible for his sons' affairs.. and "Ibn Tughj" entrusts to his son "Abu al-Qasim Unujur" the governorship of Egypt and Syria after him.
And this Habashi servant was the guardian of "Unujur ibn Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid".. so an opportunity opens up for him to monopolize power.. and truly rule Egypt.
And this Habashi servant's name was "Kafur".
"Abu al-Misk Kafur", whom we know as "Kafur al-Ikhshidi".. and who was destined to rule Egypt for 23 years.. and leave it prosperous and at the very height of power.
And that is a subject we will talk about later.
And there is more to the story.