Munafiqun, al-
Munafiqun, al-. Term used in the Qur’an. It is usually translated as “hypocrites,” “doubters,” or “waverers,” but the term is usually stronger and covers a wide semantic range, such as apostates, those who will never be forgiven and will be punished by eternal hellfire, against whom Holy War is to be waged and who are to be killed. In Sura 63, which is named after them, they are berated in the strongest terms. “Dissenters” comes nearest to the totality of the use of the term in the Qur’an, whereas “hypocrites” most closely fits post-Qur’anic Muslim usage of the term.
Surat Al-Munāfiqūn (The Hypocrites) is the 63rd Sura of the Qur'an and contains 11 ayat.
The Hypocrites see Munafiqun, al-.
The Dissenters see Munafiqun, al-.
Munafiqun, al-. Term used in the Qur’an. It is usually translated as “hypocrites,” “doubters,” or “waverers,” but the term is usually stronger and covers a wide semantic range, such as apostates, those who will never be forgiven and will be punished by eternal hellfire, against whom Holy War is to be waged and who are to be killed. In Sura 63, which is named after them, they are berated in the strongest terms. “Dissenters” comes nearest to the totality of the use of the term in the Qur’an, whereas “hypocrites” most closely fits post-Qur’anic Muslim usage of the term.
Surat Al-Munāfiqūn (The Hypocrites) is the 63rd Sura of the Qur'an and contains 11 ayat.
The Hypocrites see Munafiqun, al-.
The Dissenters see Munafiqun, al-.
Munajjim, Banu’l
Munajjim, Banu’l (Banu l’Munajjim). Name of an extensive family, whose members were active at the ‘Abbasid court as scholars, literati and courtiers for six or seven generations from around 750 to about 950. Eleven members of the family are mentioned as being of importance.
Banu l'Munajjim see Munajjim, Banu’l
Munajjim, Banu’l (Banu l’Munajjim). Name of an extensive family, whose members were active at the ‘Abbasid court as scholars, literati and courtiers for six or seven generations from around 750 to about 950. Eleven members of the family are mentioned as being of importance.
Banu l'Munajjim see Munajjim, Banu’l
Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al- (‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-Munawi) (`Abd al-Ra`uf Muhammad al-Munawi) (al-Manawi) (1545-1621). Egyptian religious scholar and mystic. His numerous works enjoyed a great success in his own time, and are still often cited today.
`Abd al-Ra`uf Muhammad al-Munawi was an Ottoman period Islamic scholar of Cairo, known for his works on the early history of Islam and the history of Sufism in Egypt. He was a disciple of al-Sha`rani.
The major work of 'Abd al-Ra'uf Muhammad al-Munawi is entitled Fayd al-Qadir Sharh al-Jami` al-Saghir. It is a commentary on the Jami` by Imam al-Suyuti
'Abd al-Ra'uf al-Munawi
see Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
`Abd al-Ra`uf Muhammad al-Munawi see Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
Munawi, 'Abd al-Ra'uf Muhammad al- see Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
Manawi, al- see Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al- (‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-Munawi) (`Abd al-Ra`uf Muhammad al-Munawi) (al-Manawi) (1545-1621). Egyptian religious scholar and mystic. His numerous works enjoyed a great success in his own time, and are still often cited today.
`Abd al-Ra`uf Muhammad al-Munawi was an Ottoman period Islamic scholar of Cairo, known for his works on the early history of Islam and the history of Sufism in Egypt. He was a disciple of al-Sha`rani.
The major work of 'Abd al-Ra'uf Muhammad al-Munawi is entitled Fayd al-Qadir Sharh al-Jami` al-Saghir. It is a commentary on the Jami` by Imam al-Suyuti
'Abd al-Ra'uf al-Munawi
see Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
`Abd al-Ra`uf Muhammad al-Munawi see Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
Munawi, 'Abd al-Ra'uf Muhammad al- see Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
Manawi, al- see Munawi, ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-
Mundhir ibn Muhammad, al-
Mundhir ibn Muhammad, al- (842/844-888). Umayyad amir of Cordoba. His reign was mainly devoted to the war against the rebel ‘Umar ibn Hafsun.
Al-Mundhir was Emir of Córdoba from 886 to 888. He was a member of the Umayyad dynasty of Al-Andalus (Moorish Iberia), the son of Muhamad bin Abd al-Rahman.
Born in Córdoba, during the reign of his father, al-Mundhir commanded the military operations against the neighboring Christian kingdoms and the Muladi rebellions. In 865, he led the partially failed campaign against King Ordoño I of Asturias, in the Duero valley. On his way back to Córdoba, he defeated at Burgos Rodrigo, count of Castile, pushing the Cordoban frontier northwards in Iberia. He also tried to conquer León, but he was defeated in 878 at Valdemora, by king Alfonso III of Asturias.
Al-Mundhir launched an expedition against the Banu Qasi Muladi family, who had allied with Alfonso III, but was also defeated in 883. The following year he was, however, able to expel the rebel emir Ibn Marwan from Badajoz.
In 886, at his father's death, al-Mundhir inherited the throne of Córdoba. During the two years of reign al-Mundhir continued the fight against the rebel Umar ibn Hafsun. He died in 888 at Bobastro, likely murdered by his brother Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Umawi, who succeeded him.
Mundhir ibn Muhammad, al- (842/844-888). Umayyad amir of Cordoba. His reign was mainly devoted to the war against the rebel ‘Umar ibn Hafsun.
Al-Mundhir was Emir of Córdoba from 886 to 888. He was a member of the Umayyad dynasty of Al-Andalus (Moorish Iberia), the son of Muhamad bin Abd al-Rahman.
Born in Córdoba, during the reign of his father, al-Mundhir commanded the military operations against the neighboring Christian kingdoms and the Muladi rebellions. In 865, he led the partially failed campaign against King Ordoño I of Asturias, in the Duero valley. On his way back to Córdoba, he defeated at Burgos Rodrigo, count of Castile, pushing the Cordoban frontier northwards in Iberia. He also tried to conquer León, but he was defeated in 878 at Valdemora, by king Alfonso III of Asturias.
Al-Mundhir launched an expedition against the Banu Qasi Muladi family, who had allied with Alfonso III, but was also defeated in 883. The following year he was, however, able to expel the rebel emir Ibn Marwan from Badajoz.
In 886, at his father's death, al-Mundhir inherited the throne of Córdoba. During the two years of reign al-Mundhir continued the fight against the rebel Umar ibn Hafsun. He died in 888 at Bobastro, likely murdered by his brother Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Umawi, who succeeded him.
Mundhir ibn Sawa, al-
Mundhir ibn Sawa, al- (Sawi) (Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi). Chief of the tribal division of Darim of Tamim, who were in close relations with the Persians during the seventh century. The Prophet is said to have sent a letter to al-Mundhir summoning him to embrace Islam. He played an important role in the Islamization of Bahrain.
Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi was the ruler of Bahrain and Qatar during the age of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In the 7th century, when Muhammad and his companions started preaching Islam throughout the world, the message of Islam was sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi.
Prior to Islam, the inhabitants of Qatar and Bahrain were idol worshippers. They worshipped idol gods such as Awal. Islam swept the entire Arabian region in the 7th century, overturning the idol worshippers. Muhammad sent his first envoy Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami to Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi, the ruler of Bahrain, which in those days, extended the coast from Kuwait to the south of Qatar including Al Hasa and Bahrain Islands, in the year 628, inviting him to Islam. Munzir, responding to Muhammad’s call announced his conversion to Islam and all the Arab inhabitants of Bahrain and Qatar including some Persians living in Qatar also became Muslim, heralding the beginning of the Islamic era in Bahrain and Qatar. Consequently, Al Ala Al-Hadrami was appointed by Muhammad as his representative in Bahrain to collect the Jizya (religious tax).
The letter from Muhammad is preserved and can be seen at Beit Al Qur'an museum in Hoora, Bahrain, with the seal of Muhammad still intact.
Sawi see Mundhir ibn Sawa, al-
Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi see Mundhir ibn Sawa, al-
Mundhir ibn Sawa, al- (Sawi) (Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi). Chief of the tribal division of Darim of Tamim, who were in close relations with the Persians during the seventh century. The Prophet is said to have sent a letter to al-Mundhir summoning him to embrace Islam. He played an important role in the Islamization of Bahrain.
Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi was the ruler of Bahrain and Qatar during the age of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In the 7th century, when Muhammad and his companions started preaching Islam throughout the world, the message of Islam was sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi.
Prior to Islam, the inhabitants of Qatar and Bahrain were idol worshippers. They worshipped idol gods such as Awal. Islam swept the entire Arabian region in the 7th century, overturning the idol worshippers. Muhammad sent his first envoy Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami to Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi, the ruler of Bahrain, which in those days, extended the coast from Kuwait to the south of Qatar including Al Hasa and Bahrain Islands, in the year 628, inviting him to Islam. Munzir, responding to Muhammad’s call announced his conversion to Islam and all the Arab inhabitants of Bahrain and Qatar including some Persians living in Qatar also became Muslim, heralding the beginning of the Islamic era in Bahrain and Qatar. Consequently, Al Ala Al-Hadrami was appointed by Muhammad as his representative in Bahrain to collect the Jizya (religious tax).
The letter from Muhammad is preserved and can be seen at Beit Al Qur'an museum in Hoora, Bahrain, with the seal of Muhammad still intact.
Sawi see Mundhir ibn Sawa, al-
Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi see Mundhir ibn Sawa, al-
Munejjim Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede
Munejjim Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede (Derwish Ahmed Dede Munejjim Bashi) (d. 1702). Turkish scholar, Sufi poet and, above all, historian. He is the author of a celebrated and important general history in Arabic.
Derwish Ahmed Dede Munejjim Bashi see Munejjim Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede
Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede Munejjim see Munejjim Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede
Munejjim Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede (Derwish Ahmed Dede Munejjim Bashi) (d. 1702). Turkish scholar, Sufi poet and, above all, historian. He is the author of a celebrated and important general history in Arabic.
Derwish Ahmed Dede Munejjim Bashi see Munejjim Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede
Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede Munejjim see Munejjim Bashi, Derwish Ahmed Dede
Munif Pasha
Munif Pasha (1828-1910). Ottoman statesman and educational reformer. Already in 1862, he pleaded for the reform of the Arabic script.
Munif Pasha (1828-1910). Ottoman statesman and educational reformer. Already in 1862, he pleaded for the reform of the Arabic script.
Mu’nis
Mu’nis (Shir Muhammad Mirab) (1778-1829). Historian, poet and translator from Khiva. He was one of the first writers who belonged to the period of the flourishing Chagatay literature in Khiva.
Shir Muhammad Mirab see Mu’nis
Mu’nis (Shir Muhammad Mirab) (1778-1829). Historian, poet and translator from Khiva. He was one of the first writers who belonged to the period of the flourishing Chagatay literature in Khiva.
Shir Muhammad Mirab see Mu’nis
Mu’nis al-Muzaffar
Mu’nis al-Muzaffar (Mu’nis al-Khadim) (d. 933). ‘Abbasid general (908-933), and latterly virtual dictator. His example of depriving the caliph of real power was to be followed all too soon by the series of amirs, who were to dominate the successors of the Caliph al-Qahir bi-‘llah.
Mu’nis al-Khadim see Mu’nis al-Muzaffar
Khadim, Mu’nis al- see Mu’nis al-Muzaffar
Mu’nis al-Muzaffar (Mu’nis al-Khadim) (d. 933). ‘Abbasid general (908-933), and latterly virtual dictator. His example of depriving the caliph of real power was to be followed all too soon by the series of amirs, who were to dominate the successors of the Caliph al-Qahir bi-‘llah.
Mu’nis al-Khadim see Mu’nis al-Muzaffar
Khadim, Mu’nis al- see Mu’nis al-Muzaffar
Munqidh, Banu
Munqidh, Banu (Banu Munqidh). Clan prominent in Syrian (and Egyptian) affairs (c.1050-c.1300). Many of them perished when in 1157 a massive earthquake destroyed the citadel of Shayzar, northwest of Hamat. A prominent member of the clan was Usama ibn Murshid ‘Ali, known as Usama ibn Munqidh.
Banu Munqidh see Munqidh, Banu
Munqidh, Banu (Banu Munqidh). Clan prominent in Syrian (and Egyptian) affairs (c.1050-c.1300). Many of them perished when in 1157 a massive earthquake destroyed the citadel of Shayzar, northwest of Hamat. A prominent member of the clan was Usama ibn Murshid ‘Ali, known as Usama ibn Munqidh.
Banu Munqidh see Munqidh, Banu
Muntafiq, al-
Muntafiq, al-. Section of the Arab tribe of the Banu ‘Uqayl, which in turn is a subdivision of the great group of the ‘Amir ibn Sa‘sa‘a. Mentioned in the history of pre-Islamic Arabia, they appear as ambassadors of the Banu ‘Uqayl to the Prophet. In recent times, they dominated the area from Baghdad to Basra between the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Their might declined through increasingly centralizing Ottoman policy.
Al-Muntafiq is a large Arab tribal confederation of southern and central Iraq. The tribe is divided into three main branches: Bani Malik, al-Ajwad, and Bani Sa'id. Most of the tribe traces its genealogy to the tribe of Banu 'Uqayl of the large and ancient Banu 'Amir confederation of Nejd. However, the tribe's traditional leaders are the Al Saadun ("the house of Saadun"), who are said to be Sharifs originating from Mecca, while the al-Ajwad branch is said to originate from the ancient Arab tribe of Tayy.
The tribe begins to appear in the Iraqi deserts in the late Abbasid era, and was once one of the most powerful Bedouin tribes of Iraq. In Ottoman times, the tribe held control over the region of Basrah under Ottoman suzerainty. In 1521, they successfully occupied al-Ahsa and al-Qatif (eastern Saudi Arabia today) on the Ottomans' behalf, before being expelled by Banu Khalid.
During the Ottoman era, most of the tribe settled into sedentary life and took up agriculture in southern and western Iraq. During the Ottoman era from the late 18th century and onwards, al-Muntafiq converted to Shia Islam. The city of Nasiriya in southern Iraq was named after one of the tribe's sheikhs, and the surrounding province was known as "Al-Muntafiq Province" until 1976. Those who remained Bedouin were herders of small animals such as sheep and goat, rather than camels, and this made them less mobile and less competent as a fighting force compared to the camel-herding tribes of inner Arabia.
Although the tribe's nominal leaders, the Al Saadun, are Sunnis, most of the tribe's members follow the Shi'ite sect of Islam. After many decades of sedentarization, the tribal bond has weakened and the leadership of the Al Saadun is largely nominal.
Muntafiq, al-. Section of the Arab tribe of the Banu ‘Uqayl, which in turn is a subdivision of the great group of the ‘Amir ibn Sa‘sa‘a. Mentioned in the history of pre-Islamic Arabia, they appear as ambassadors of the Banu ‘Uqayl to the Prophet. In recent times, they dominated the area from Baghdad to Basra between the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Their might declined through increasingly centralizing Ottoman policy.
Al-Muntafiq is a large Arab tribal confederation of southern and central Iraq. The tribe is divided into three main branches: Bani Malik, al-Ajwad, and Bani Sa'id. Most of the tribe traces its genealogy to the tribe of Banu 'Uqayl of the large and ancient Banu 'Amir confederation of Nejd. However, the tribe's traditional leaders are the Al Saadun ("the house of Saadun"), who are said to be Sharifs originating from Mecca, while the al-Ajwad branch is said to originate from the ancient Arab tribe of Tayy.
The tribe begins to appear in the Iraqi deserts in the late Abbasid era, and was once one of the most powerful Bedouin tribes of Iraq. In Ottoman times, the tribe held control over the region of Basrah under Ottoman suzerainty. In 1521, they successfully occupied al-Ahsa and al-Qatif (eastern Saudi Arabia today) on the Ottomans' behalf, before being expelled by Banu Khalid.
During the Ottoman era, most of the tribe settled into sedentary life and took up agriculture in southern and western Iraq. During the Ottoman era from the late 18th century and onwards, al-Muntafiq converted to Shia Islam. The city of Nasiriya in southern Iraq was named after one of the tribe's sheikhs, and the surrounding province was known as "Al-Muntafiq Province" until 1976. Those who remained Bedouin were herders of small animals such as sheep and goat, rather than camels, and this made them less mobile and less competent as a fighting force compared to the camel-herding tribes of inner Arabia.
Although the tribe's nominal leaders, the Al Saadun, are Sunnis, most of the tribe's members follow the Shi'ite sect of Islam. After many decades of sedentarization, the tribal bond has weakened and the leadership of the Al Saadun is largely nominal.
Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al- (Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi) (Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi) (al-Maqdisi) (al-Mukaddasi) (al-Bashshari) (c. 945/946-1000). Author of the most original and one of the most valuable geographical treatises in Arabic literature during the tenth century. The work is called The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions. Its object is to treat only the Islamic world, made up of the Arab world and non-Arab world, and that afte a division into regions (in Arabic, aqalim; in singular form, iqlim), individualized through their physical characteristics.
Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din Al-Muqaddasi was a notable medieval Arab geographer, author of Ahsan at-Taqasim fi Ma`rifat il-Aqalim (The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions).
Al-Muqaddasi, "the Hierosolomite" was born in Jerusalem. He had the advantage of an excellent education and after having made the Pilgrimage to Mecca (Mekka) in his twentieth year, determined to devote himself to the study of geography. For the purpose of acquiring the necessary information he undertook a series of journeys which lasted over a score of years, and carried him in turn through all the countries of Islam. It was only in 985 that he set himself to write his book, which gives us a systematic account of all the places and regions he had visited.
Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Maqdisi, al- see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Mukaddasi, al- see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Bashshari, al- see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
The Hierosolomite see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al- (Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi) (Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi) (al-Maqdisi) (al-Mukaddasi) (al-Bashshari) (c. 945/946-1000). Author of the most original and one of the most valuable geographical treatises in Arabic literature during the tenth century. The work is called The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions. Its object is to treat only the Islamic world, made up of the Arab world and non-Arab world, and that afte a division into regions (in Arabic, aqalim; in singular form, iqlim), individualized through their physical characteristics.
Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din Al-Muqaddasi was a notable medieval Arab geographer, author of Ahsan at-Taqasim fi Ma`rifat il-Aqalim (The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions).
Al-Muqaddasi, "the Hierosolomite" was born in Jerusalem. He had the advantage of an excellent education and after having made the Pilgrimage to Mecca (Mekka) in his twentieth year, determined to devote himself to the study of geography. For the purpose of acquiring the necessary information he undertook a series of journeys which lasted over a score of years, and carried him in turn through all the countries of Islam. It was only in 985 that he set himself to write his book, which gives us a systematic account of all the places and regions he had visited.
Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Maqdisi, al- see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Mukaddasi, al- see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Bashshari, al- see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
The Hierosolomite see Muqaddasi, Shams al-Din al-
Muqanna, al-
Muqanna, al- (al-Muqanna') (Hashim ibn Hakim) (d. 779). Epithet (meaning “the veiled one”) of the leader of a religious-political revolt against Abbasid rule in Transoxiana in the eighth century of the Christian calendar. Al-Muqanna’s insurrection received support from villagers in the Zeravshan and Kashkadarya valleys, the surrounding Turkish tribes, and even the Bukhar-Khuda Bunyat. It probably reflected resentment about Arab colonization, taxation, and efforts to bring this remote area under the control of the central administration. Al-Muqanna allegedly taught heterodox doctrines (such as metempsychosis), permitted antinomian practices (including the common possession of women), and used deceptions, such as causing a false moon to rise from a well, to persuade people of his own divinity. The revolt was crushed, and al-Muqanna killed, in 779-780. A sect known as the White Raiments survived and awaited the messianic return of al-Muqanna to rule.
Al-Muqanna‘, the "veiled one", was a Persian man who claimed to be a prophet and is viewed as a heretic by mainstream Muslims.
Al-Muqanna‘ was an ethnic Persian from Merv named Hashim ibn Hakim, originally a clothes pleater. He became a commander for Abū Muslim of Khorasan. After Abū Muslim's murder, al-Muqanna‘ claimed to be an incarnation of God, a role, he insisted, passed to him from Abū Muslim, who received it via ‘Alī from the Prophet Muhammad.
Al-Muqanna‘ was reputed to wear a veil in order to cover up his beauty; however, the Abbasids claimed that he wore it to hide his ugliness, being one-eyed and bald. His followers wore white clothes in opposition to the Abbasids' black. He is reputed to have engaged in magic and quackery to impress his followers as a maker of miracles.
Al-Muqanna‘ was instrumental to the formation of the Khurramiyya, a sect that claimed Abū Muslim to be the Mahdi and denied his death.
When Al-Muqanna‘'s followers started raiding towns and mosques of other Muslims and looting their possessions, the Abbasids sent several commanders to crush the rebellion. Al-Muqanna‘ poisoned himself rather than surrender to the Abbasids, who set fire to his house when he was on the verge of being captured.
After his death, the sect continued to exist until the 12th century, waiting for al-Muqanna‘ to return again.
The first poem in Lalla Rookh (1817) by Thomas Moore is titled The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan, and the character Mokanna is modeled loosely on al-Muqanna‘.
St. Louis, Missouri, businessmen referenced Moore's poem in 1878 when they created the Veiled Prophet Organization and concocted a legend of Mokanna as its founder. For many years the organization put on an annual fair and parade called the "Veiled Prophet Fair," which was renamed Fair Saint Louis in 1992. The organization also gives a debutante ball each December called the Veiled Prophet Ball.
The Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophet of the Enchanted Realm (founded 1889), a social group with membership restricted to Master Masons, and its related organization, The Daughters of Mokanna (founded 1919), also take their names from Thomas Moore's poem.
Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges used a fictionalized al-Muqanna‘ as the central character of The Masked Dyer, Hakim of Merv, a 1934 short story, and in another story fifteen years later, The Zahir, as a past avatar of the titular object.
Hashim ibn Hakim see Muqanna, al-
The Veiled One see Muqanna, al-
Muqanna, al- (al-Muqanna') (Hashim ibn Hakim) (d. 779). Epithet (meaning “the veiled one”) of the leader of a religious-political revolt against Abbasid rule in Transoxiana in the eighth century of the Christian calendar. Al-Muqanna’s insurrection received support from villagers in the Zeravshan and Kashkadarya valleys, the surrounding Turkish tribes, and even the Bukhar-Khuda Bunyat. It probably reflected resentment about Arab colonization, taxation, and efforts to bring this remote area under the control of the central administration. Al-Muqanna allegedly taught heterodox doctrines (such as metempsychosis), permitted antinomian practices (including the common possession of women), and used deceptions, such as causing a false moon to rise from a well, to persuade people of his own divinity. The revolt was crushed, and al-Muqanna killed, in 779-780. A sect known as the White Raiments survived and awaited the messianic return of al-Muqanna to rule.
Al-Muqanna‘, the "veiled one", was a Persian man who claimed to be a prophet and is viewed as a heretic by mainstream Muslims.
Al-Muqanna‘ was an ethnic Persian from Merv named Hashim ibn Hakim, originally a clothes pleater. He became a commander for Abū Muslim of Khorasan. After Abū Muslim's murder, al-Muqanna‘ claimed to be an incarnation of God, a role, he insisted, passed to him from Abū Muslim, who received it via ‘Alī from the Prophet Muhammad.
Al-Muqanna‘ was reputed to wear a veil in order to cover up his beauty; however, the Abbasids claimed that he wore it to hide his ugliness, being one-eyed and bald. His followers wore white clothes in opposition to the Abbasids' black. He is reputed to have engaged in magic and quackery to impress his followers as a maker of miracles.
Al-Muqanna‘ was instrumental to the formation of the Khurramiyya, a sect that claimed Abū Muslim to be the Mahdi and denied his death.
When Al-Muqanna‘'s followers started raiding towns and mosques of other Muslims and looting their possessions, the Abbasids sent several commanders to crush the rebellion. Al-Muqanna‘ poisoned himself rather than surrender to the Abbasids, who set fire to his house when he was on the verge of being captured.
After his death, the sect continued to exist until the 12th century, waiting for al-Muqanna‘ to return again.
The first poem in Lalla Rookh (1817) by Thomas Moore is titled The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan, and the character Mokanna is modeled loosely on al-Muqanna‘.
St. Louis, Missouri, businessmen referenced Moore's poem in 1878 when they created the Veiled Prophet Organization and concocted a legend of Mokanna as its founder. For many years the organization put on an annual fair and parade called the "Veiled Prophet Fair," which was renamed Fair Saint Louis in 1992. The organization also gives a debutante ball each December called the Veiled Prophet Ball.
The Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophet of the Enchanted Realm (founded 1889), a social group with membership restricted to Master Masons, and its related organization, The Daughters of Mokanna (founded 1919), also take their names from Thomas Moore's poem.
Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges used a fictionalized al-Muqanna‘ as the central character of The Masked Dyer, Hakim of Merv, a 1934 short story, and in another story fifteen years later, The Zahir, as a past avatar of the titular object.
Hashim ibn Hakim see Muqanna, al-
The Veiled One see Muqanna, al-
Muqatila
Muqatila. Term refers to a tribal army.
Muqatila. Term refers to a tribal army.
Muqawqis, al-
Muqawqis, al-. Individual who in Arab tradition played the leading part on the side of the Copts and Greeks during the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 640.
Al-Muqawqis is mentioned in Islamic history as a ruler of Egypt, who corresponded with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is often identified with Cyrus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who administered Egypt on behalf of the Byzantine Empire. However, this identification is challenged as being based on untenable assumptions. An alternative view identifies al-Muqaqis with the Sassanid governor of Egypt.
Ibn Ishaq and other Muslim historians record that some time between February 628 and 632, Muhammad sent out letters to Arabian and non-Arabian leaders, including to al-Muqawqis.
The letter that Muhammad sent to al-Muqawqis was written sometime in between February 628 and July 629.
Muhammad's letter to Muqawqis, was eventually preserved in the Christian monastery of Akhmim in Egypt. There a recluse pasted it on his Bible. The letter was written on a parchment. From there a French orientalist obtained it and sold it to Sultan Abdülmecid of Turkey, for a consideration of 300 pounds. The Sultan had the letter fixed in a golden frame and had it preserved in the treasury of the royal palace, along with other sacred relics. Some Muslim scholars have affirmed that the letter was written by Abu Bakr.
Muqawqis, al-. Individual who in Arab tradition played the leading part on the side of the Copts and Greeks during the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 640.
Al-Muqawqis is mentioned in Islamic history as a ruler of Egypt, who corresponded with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is often identified with Cyrus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who administered Egypt on behalf of the Byzantine Empire. However, this identification is challenged as being based on untenable assumptions. An alternative view identifies al-Muqaqis with the Sassanid governor of Egypt.
Ibn Ishaq and other Muslim historians record that some time between February 628 and 632, Muhammad sent out letters to Arabian and non-Arabian leaders, including to al-Muqawqis.
The letter that Muhammad sent to al-Muqawqis was written sometime in between February 628 and July 629.
Muhammad's letter to Muqawqis, was eventually preserved in the Christian monastery of Akhmim in Egypt. There a recluse pasted it on his Bible. The letter was written on a parchment. From there a French orientalist obtained it and sold it to Sultan Abdülmecid of Turkey, for a consideration of 300 pounds. The Sultan had the letter fixed in a golden frame and had it preserved in the treasury of the royal palace, along with other sacred relics. Some Muslim scholars have affirmed that the letter was written by Abu Bakr.
Muqtadir bi-‘llah, al-
Muqtadir bi-‘llah, al- (895-932). ‘Abbasid caliph. His reign was marked by a gradual decline, and it inaugurated a period of unparalleled impotence and disaster for the central power of the caliphate.
Al-Muqtadir was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 908 to 932. After the previous Caliph, al-Muktafi, was confined for several months to his sick-bed, intrigue was made for some time as to his successor. The choice was between al-Muktafi's minor brother whom the Caliph himself favored, and a descendant of al-Mu'tazz who was only thirteen at the time. The Vazir, hoping for more power, chose the minor. The boy assumed the title of al-Muqtadir, Mighty by the help of the Lord, a sad misnomer; for even in manhood he was but a weak hedonist in the hands of women of the Court, and of their favorites. His twenty-five year reign is the constant record of his thirteen Vazirs, one rising on the fall, or on the assassination, of another.
The stand made during the last three Abbasid reigns to stay downward progress at last came to an end. From al-Muqtadir onward, the Abbasid caliphate continued its decline. At the same time many names famous in the world of literature and science fell under this and the following reigns. Among the best known are: Ishaq ibn Hunain (d. 911) (son of Hunain ibn Ishaq), the physician and translator of Greek philosophical works into Arabic; Ibn Fadlan, the explorer; al Battani (d. 923), astronomer; Tabari (d. 923), historian and theologian; al-Razi (d. 930), philosopher who made fundamental and lasting contributions to the fields of medicine and chemistry; al-Farabi (d. 950), chemist and philosopher; Abu Nasr Mansur (d. 1036), mathematician; Alhazen (d. 1040), mathematician; al-Biruni (d. 1048), mathematician, astronomer, physicist; Omar Khayyám (d. 1123), poet, mathematician, and astronomer; and Mansur Al-Hallaj a mystic, writer and teacher of Sufism most famous for his apparent, but disputed, self-proclaimed divinity, his poetry and for his execution for heresy by Caliph Al-Muqtadir.
There had been war for some years between the Muslims and the Greeks in Asia, with heavy loss for the most part on the side of the Muslims, of whom great numbers were taken prisoners. The Byzantine frontier, however, began to be threatened by Bulgarian hordes; and so the Empress Zoe Karbonopsina sent two ambassadors to Baghdad with the view of securing an armistice, and arranging for the ransom of the Muslim prisoners. The embassy was graciously received and peace restored. A sum of 120,000 golden pieces was paid for the freedom of the captives. All this only added to the disorder of the city. The people, angry at the success of the "Infidels" in Asia Minor and at similar losses in Persia, cast it in the Caliph's teeth that he cared for none of these things, but, instead of seeking to restore the prestige of Islam, passed his days and nights with slave-girls and musicians. Uttering such reproaches, they threw stones at the Imam, as in the Friday service he named the Caliph in the public prayers.
Some twelve years later, al-Muqtadir was a second time subjected to the indignity of deposition. The leading courtiers having conspired against him, he was forced to abdicate in favor of his brother al-Qahir, but, after a scene of rioting and plunder, and loss of thousands of lives, the conspirators found that they were not supported by the troops; and so al-Muqtadir, who had been kept in safety, was again placed upon the throne. The finances fell after this outbreak into so wretched a state that nothing was left with which to pay the city guards. Al-Muqtadir was eventually slain outside the city gate in 932.
The long reign of al-Muqtadir brought the Empire to the lowest ebb. External losses were of secondary moment. Even so, Africa was lost, and Egypt nearly. Mosul had thrown off its dependence, and the Greeks could make raids at pleasure on the helpless border. Yet in the East there still was kept up a formal recognition of the Caliphate, even by those who virtually claimed their independence; and nearer home, the terrible Carmathians had been for the time put down. In Baghdad, al-Muqtadir, the mere tool of a venal court, was at the mercy of foreign guards, which, commanded for the most part by Turkish and other officers of foreign descent, were frequently breaking out into rebellion. Thus, abject and reduced, twice dethroned, and at last slain in opposing a loyal officer whom he had called to his support, the prestige which his immediate predecessors had regained was lost, and that the throne became again the object of contempt at home, and a tempting prize for attack from abroad.
Mighty by the Help of the Lord see Muqtadir bi-‘llah, al-
Muqtadir bi-‘llah, al- (895-932). ‘Abbasid caliph. His reign was marked by a gradual decline, and it inaugurated a period of unparalleled impotence and disaster for the central power of the caliphate.
Al-Muqtadir was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 908 to 932. After the previous Caliph, al-Muktafi, was confined for several months to his sick-bed, intrigue was made for some time as to his successor. The choice was between al-Muktafi's minor brother whom the Caliph himself favored, and a descendant of al-Mu'tazz who was only thirteen at the time. The Vazir, hoping for more power, chose the minor. The boy assumed the title of al-Muqtadir, Mighty by the help of the Lord, a sad misnomer; for even in manhood he was but a weak hedonist in the hands of women of the Court, and of their favorites. His twenty-five year reign is the constant record of his thirteen Vazirs, one rising on the fall, or on the assassination, of another.
The stand made during the last three Abbasid reigns to stay downward progress at last came to an end. From al-Muqtadir onward, the Abbasid caliphate continued its decline. At the same time many names famous in the world of literature and science fell under this and the following reigns. Among the best known are: Ishaq ibn Hunain (d. 911) (son of Hunain ibn Ishaq), the physician and translator of Greek philosophical works into Arabic; Ibn Fadlan, the explorer; al Battani (d. 923), astronomer; Tabari (d. 923), historian and theologian; al-Razi (d. 930), philosopher who made fundamental and lasting contributions to the fields of medicine and chemistry; al-Farabi (d. 950), chemist and philosopher; Abu Nasr Mansur (d. 1036), mathematician; Alhazen (d. 1040), mathematician; al-Biruni (d. 1048), mathematician, astronomer, physicist; Omar Khayyám (d. 1123), poet, mathematician, and astronomer; and Mansur Al-Hallaj a mystic, writer and teacher of Sufism most famous for his apparent, but disputed, self-proclaimed divinity, his poetry and for his execution for heresy by Caliph Al-Muqtadir.
There had been war for some years between the Muslims and the Greeks in Asia, with heavy loss for the most part on the side of the Muslims, of whom great numbers were taken prisoners. The Byzantine frontier, however, began to be threatened by Bulgarian hordes; and so the Empress Zoe Karbonopsina sent two ambassadors to Baghdad with the view of securing an armistice, and arranging for the ransom of the Muslim prisoners. The embassy was graciously received and peace restored. A sum of 120,000 golden pieces was paid for the freedom of the captives. All this only added to the disorder of the city. The people, angry at the success of the "Infidels" in Asia Minor and at similar losses in Persia, cast it in the Caliph's teeth that he cared for none of these things, but, instead of seeking to restore the prestige of Islam, passed his days and nights with slave-girls and musicians. Uttering such reproaches, they threw stones at the Imam, as in the Friday service he named the Caliph in the public prayers.
Some twelve years later, al-Muqtadir was a second time subjected to the indignity of deposition. The leading courtiers having conspired against him, he was forced to abdicate in favor of his brother al-Qahir, but, after a scene of rioting and plunder, and loss of thousands of lives, the conspirators found that they were not supported by the troops; and so al-Muqtadir, who had been kept in safety, was again placed upon the throne. The finances fell after this outbreak into so wretched a state that nothing was left with which to pay the city guards. Al-Muqtadir was eventually slain outside the city gate in 932.
The long reign of al-Muqtadir brought the Empire to the lowest ebb. External losses were of secondary moment. Even so, Africa was lost, and Egypt nearly. Mosul had thrown off its dependence, and the Greeks could make raids at pleasure on the helpless border. Yet in the East there still was kept up a formal recognition of the Caliphate, even by those who virtually claimed their independence; and nearer home, the terrible Carmathians had been for the time put down. In Baghdad, al-Muqtadir, the mere tool of a venal court, was at the mercy of foreign guards, which, commanded for the most part by Turkish and other officers of foreign descent, were frequently breaking out into rebellion. Thus, abject and reduced, twice dethroned, and at last slain in opposing a loyal officer whom he had called to his support, the prestige which his immediate predecessors had regained was lost, and that the throne became again the object of contempt at home, and a tempting prize for attack from abroad.
Mighty by the Help of the Lord see Muqtadir bi-‘llah, al-
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