al-Fadl ibn Sahl

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Coin of al-Mamun with the name Fadl ibn Sahl

Abu l-Abbas al-Fadl ibn Sahl ibn Zadanfarruch as-Sarachsi ( Arabic أبو العباس الفضل بن سهل بن زادانفروخ السرخسي, DMG Abu 'l-ʿAbbās al-Faḍl b. Sahl b. Zādānfarrūḫ as-Saraḫsī ; † 818 ) was a high civil servant of Persian origin under the Abbasids and later vizier of the caliph al-Mamun (al-Ma'mūn, ruled 813-833).

biography

His father Sahl was a Zoroastrian from the Kufa area in Iraq who later converted to Islam and joined the Barmakids . At the urging of the barmakid Yahya ibn Chalid (Yaḥyā b. Ḫālid, d. 805), Fadl also converted to Islam, probably in 806, and entered the service of the caliph Hārūn ar-Raschīd (Hārūn ar-Rašīd, r. 786-809) and his son al-Mamun.

Fadl recognized very early on that there would be disputes over the throne between his sons after Harun al-Raschid's death, and urged al-Mamun, the son of a Persian concubine, to accompany his father to Khorasan (Ḫorāsān) to find a new one for himself Secure power base. When events turned out exactly as Fadl had predicted, al-Mamun made him his main adviser and right-hand man during the civil war with his brother al-Amin (al-ʾAmīn, r. 809-813).

Political career

After the victory over al-Amin, al-Mamun was appointed the new caliph in the entire east of the Islamic world, primarily the Iranian countries, and Fadl became vizier and emir of these areas. Because of his role there as a civilian and military leader, he received the title of honor from the caliphذو الرئاستين, DMG Ḏu 'r-Riʾāsatain , “the one with double authority”. In addition, he was rewarded with immense fortunes and an inheritable estate.

Al-Mamun continued to grapple with several uprisings and considerable resistance from the Arab aristocracy, especially in Baghdad and Syria. According to reports from al-Azraqi (al-Azraqī, d. 837) and Ibn Babuya (Ibn Bābūya, d. 991), Fadl subsequently led several campaigns on behalf of al-Mamun in Khorasan and the neighboring areas and was able to convince the local rulers there Bringing defeats, including the Qarluq Turks (whose leaders had to flee) and the Kabul Shahs . The importance of these victories can hardly be underestimated, as they not only secured the eastern flank of the empire, but also ensured the influx of new mercenaries and military slaves for al-Mamun's army. According to the historian at-Tabari (aṭ-Ṭabarī, d. 923), al-Mamun had just considered fleeing to the “ Chaqan of the Turks” in view of his precarious situation, but Fadl was able to change his mind .

Not much is known about Fadl's further activities in politics, except that his brother Hasan (al-Ḥasan b. Sahl, d. 850) was appointed finance minister.

The appointment of the Shiite imam Ali ar-Rida (ʿAlī ar-Riḍā, d. 818) as al-Mamun's successor represented a significant turning point . The position of the two Sahl brothers in this regard is unclear, but sources show that they are the Doubted the wisdom of the caliph in this decision and - rightly, as it turned out later - feared that they would be held responsible for the resulting riot. The appointment of Ali al-Rida as his successor, the caliph's general pro-Chiite attitude and the fact that al-Mamun continued to reside in the (Persian) Marw and not in the (Arab) heartland of the caliphate, allowed the caliph's opponents, him and his, to do so To brand consultants as "persophile" and "anti-Arabic". Fadl was accused of secretly planning a Shiite takeover of the caliphate and ultimately the restoration of the Persian Sassanid Empire . According to the sources, Fadl submitted his retirement from politics to the caliph (he is said to have refused a large sum of money in order to be able to lead a quiet and ascetic life), but was changed by al-Mamun with the promise that he would do nothing, without specifically listening to Fadl's advice beforehand.

His murder

On February 13, 818, Fadl was mysteriously murdered in a hammam in Sarachs (Saraḫs), in the north of Khorasan. According to various reports, he was between 41 and 60 years old. Rumors arose very early that the caliph himself had ordered his murder. With the assassination of Ali ar-Rida, which took place only a short time later, al-Mamun's pro-Chiite politics also came to an end. Today it is considered certain that al-Mamun sacrificed both men to the politics and unity of the caliphate, despite his deep friendship and solidarity with them (to whom he was related through marriage).

Fadl was seen as a dynamic, authoritarian and partly violent politician, but free from egoism and greed. Among the early Abbasid state officials, Fadl is considered to be the “most Persian” because of his attitude towards politics and the position of the vizier, deeply rooted in old Iranian traditions, some of which he was able to transfer successfully to the caliphate. While many of the allegations against him were unfounded, there is no doubt that he was in favor of a policy in favor of the Persian Mawālī ( Arabic موالي, DMG Mawālī , "clients") and ultimately this was the reason why he was attacked by the Arab aristocracy. His concept of the Persian vizier, especially with regard to the power and authority of the vizier, was considerably weakened as a result of al-Mamun.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Bosworth 1999
  2. ↑ a b Sourdel 1991
  3. ↑ cf. MS Gordon: Breaking of a Thousand Swords the: A History of the Turkish Military of Samarra (AH 200-275 / 815-889 CE) . State University of New York Press, New York 2000, ISBN 978-0-7914-4796-3 . P. 30.
personal data
SURNAME Fadl ibn Sahl, al-
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Abu l-Abbas al-Fadl ibn Sahl ibn Zadanfarruch as-Sarachsi; أبو العباس الفضل بن سهل بن زادانفروخ السرخسي (Arabic)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Abbasid civil servant and vizier
DATE OF BIRTH 8th century
DATE OF DEATH 818