Al-Qa'im (caliph)
Encyclopedia
Al-Qa'im (died 1075) was the Abbasid
Caliph
in Baghdad
from 1031 to 1075. He was the son of the previous Caliph al-Qadir
. During the first half of al-Qa'im's long reign, hardly a day passed in the capital without turmoil. Frequently the city was left without a ruler; the Buwayhid
ruler was often forced to flee the capital. Meanwhile the Seljuk dynasty arose.
Toghrül overran Syria
and Armenia
. He then cast an eye upon Baghdad
. It was at a moment when the city was in the last agony of violence and fanaticism. Toghrül, under cover of intended pilgrimage to Mecca
, entered Iraq with a heavy force, and assuring the Caliph of pacific views and subservience to his authority, begged permission to visit the Capital. The Turks and Buwayhids were unfavorable, but Toghrül was acknowledged as Sultan by the Caliph in the public prayers. A few days after, Toghrül himself, — having sworn to be true not only to the Caliph, but also to the Buwayhid, Malik Rahim, made his entry into the Capital, where he was well received both by chiefs and people.
During this and the previous Caliphs' period, literature, especially Persian
literature, flourished under the patronage of the Buwayhids. The Persian (Soghdian) philosopher al-Farabi
died in 950; Al-Mutanebbi, acknowledged in the East as the greatest of Arabic poets, and himself an Arab, in 965; and the greatest of all, the Iranian Abu Ali Husain ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (Avicenna
) in 1037.
In 1058 in Bahrain
, a dispute over the reading of the khutba
in Al-Qa'im's name between members of the Abd al-Qays tribe and the millenarian Ismaili
Qarmatian state prompted a revolt led by Abu al-Bahlul al-Awwam
that threw off Qarmatian rule and led to the unravelling of the Qarmatian state which finally collapsed in Al-Hasa
in 1067.
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
from 1031 to 1075. He was the son of the previous Caliph al-Qadir
Al-Qadir
Al-Qadir was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 991 to 1031. Grandson of al-Muqtadir, he was chosen in place of the deposed Caliph, at-Taʾi, his cousin. Banished from the Capital earlier, he was now recalled and appointed to the office he had long desired. He held the Caliphate for 40 years...
. During the first half of al-Qa'im's long reign, hardly a day passed in the capital without turmoil. Frequently the city was left without a ruler; the Buwayhid
Buwayhid
The Buyid dynasty, also known as the Buyid Empire or the Buyids , also known as Buwaihids, Buyahids, or Buyyids, were a Shī‘ah Persian dynasty that originated from Daylaman in Gilan...
ruler was often forced to flee the capital. Meanwhile the Seljuk dynasty arose.
Toghrül overran Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. He then cast an eye upon Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. It was at a moment when the city was in the last agony of violence and fanaticism. Toghrül, under cover of intended pilgrimage to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, entered Iraq with a heavy force, and assuring the Caliph of pacific views and subservience to his authority, begged permission to visit the Capital. The Turks and Buwayhids were unfavorable, but Toghrül was acknowledged as Sultan by the Caliph in the public prayers. A few days after, Toghrül himself, — having sworn to be true not only to the Caliph, but also to the Buwayhid, Malik Rahim, made his entry into the Capital, where he was well received both by chiefs and people.
During this and the previous Caliphs' period, literature, especially Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
literature, flourished under the patronage of the Buwayhids. The Persian (Soghdian) philosopher al-Farabi
Al-Farabi
' known in the West as Alpharabius , was a scientist and philosopher of the Islamic world...
died in 950; Al-Mutanebbi, acknowledged in the East as the greatest of Arabic poets, and himself an Arab, in 965; and the greatest of all, the Iranian Abu Ali Husain ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (Avicenna
Avicenna
Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
) in 1037.
In 1058 in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, a dispute over the reading of the khutba
Khutba
Khutbah serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition.Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition can be formally at the dhuhr congregation prayer on Friday...
in Al-Qa'im's name between members of the Abd al-Qays tribe and the millenarian Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
Qarmatian state prompted a revolt led by Abu al-Bahlul al-Awwam
Abu al-Bahlul al-Awwam
Abu al-Bahlul al-Awwam was a Shia member of the Abd al-Qays tribe in Bahrain who overthrew Qarmatian rule in the islands around 1058.Along with his brother, Abu’l-Walid Muslim, he had called for the khutba in Bahrain to be read in the name of the Abbasid caliph al-Qaim, a common way of expressing...
that threw off Qarmatian rule and led to the unravelling of the Qarmatian state which finally collapsed in Al-Hasa
Al-Hasa
Al-Ahsa is the largest governorate in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, named after Al-Ahsa oasis. The name Al-Ahsa is also given to the biggest city in the region, Hofuf. In classic Arabic, Ahsa means the sound of water underground. It has one of the largest oases in the world with Date Palms of...
in 1067.