The son of Al-Rashid of "The Arabian Nights" and a great grandson of Al-Mansur, founder of Baghdad and the architect of the Abbasid state, Al-Mu'tasim was destined to succeed to the caliphate. Inheriting a troubled and fragmented empire, Al-Mu'tasim was to be the last caliph of the illustrious Abbasid dynasty, which could be traced to Abbas, the Prophet Muhammed's uncle, to exercise such absolute - and inherited - power. Following his reign the power of the caliph dwindled as various military generals gained the ascendancy. After civil war between Al-Mu'tasim's brothers Al-Amin and Al-Ma'mun divided the caliphate into two, Al-Ma'mun's policy of doctrinal intolerance shook the foundations of the Abbasid Caliphate and further weakened the state. Thus coming to power during a critical period, Al-Mu'tasim also had to contend with serious rebellion at home and a growing threat from Byzantium. His reign was, perhaps inevitably, a military one, and his widely-acknowledged valour and genius as a commander stood him in good stead. His garrison capital, Samarra, on the banks of the Tigris in present-day Iraq, is now a pilgrimage destination for many.
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Professor Osman Sayyid Ismail Al-Bili has a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and is a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge. Formerly the Minister of Education and Chairman of C.H. Education in Sudan and a member of the Executive board of UNESCO, Professor Ismail Al-Bili has held various senior academic posts in the UK, Nigeria and Qatar. Presently a professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic history and general supervisor of the Center of Muslim Contribution to Civilization, he has to his name many published books and articles in his field.
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