Al-Muntasir
Abu Ja'far Muhammad (Arabic: أبو جعفر محمد; November 837 – 7 June 862), better known by his regnal title al-Muntasir bi-llah (المنتصر بالله, "He who triumphs in God") was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 861 to 862, during the "Anarchy at Samarra". The power struggle between al-Muntasir and his brother, al-Mu'tazz, backed by different factions, climaxed with the Turkic leaders plotting the murder of his father al-Mutawakkil. Following the assassination in 861, al-Muntasir assumed the caliphate with Turkic support.
| al-Muntasir bi-llah المنتصر بالله | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caliph Commander of the Faithful | |||||
| 11th Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate | |||||
| Reign | 11 December 861 – 7 June 862 | ||||
| Predecessor | al-Mutawakkil | ||||
| Successor | al-Musta'in | ||||
| Born | November 837 Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate | ||||
| Died | 7 June 862 (aged 24) Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate | ||||
| Burial | Samarra, now Saladin Governorate, Iraq | ||||
| Issue | Ahmad Abd al-Wahab Ubaydullah | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Abbasid | ||||
| Father | al-Mutawakkil | ||||
| Mother | Hubshiya | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
His reign, lasting only six months, saw a shift in policies, including a more favorable stance towards the House of ʻAlī and the lifting of the ban on pilgrimage to the tombs of Hassan and Hussayn. Al-Muntasir engaged in military actions against the Byzantines, led by his general Wasif al-Turki, but his sudden death in June 862 resulted in a change of leadership, and al-Musta'in succeeded him as caliph. The military campaign continued briefly, with Wasif achieving success before returning to Samarra due to the change in government.