The Caliph, al-Muktafi, having been confined for several months to his sickbed, intrigue has been made for some time as to his successor.
The choice is between a younger brother of al-Muktafi's, whom the Caliph himself favors, and Abu 'l-Fadl Ja'far ibn Ahmad al-Mu'tadid, who is only thirteen at the time.
Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz, born to privilege as the great-great-grandson of Harun al-Rashid, had had a tragic childhood in the intrigues of the Abbasid caliphate.
His grandfather, the caliph al-Mutawakkil, had been assassinated when Ibn al-Mu'tazz was only six weeks old, and eight years later his father, Caliph al-Mu'tazz was also murdered.
The boy had been spared the purge of the palace by fleeing to Mecca with his grandmother.
Upon returning to Baghdad soon after, he had distanced himself from politics and lived the hedonistic life of a young prince.
It was during this time that he wrote his poetry, devoted to the pleasures with which he ias so familiar.
His Kitab al-Badi, which was also composed at this time, laid the groundwork for future studies of poetry by Arabic scholars.
Despite his reluctance, Ibn al-Mu'tazz is persuaded to assume the caliphate following the death of his cousin al-Muktafi.
It is hoped that he will put an end to the intrigues that have plagued the dynasty for decades.
The Vizier, however, favors another Al-Muqtadir to assume the throne.
Ibn al-Mu'tazz is forced from the palace and strangled.
Almost prophetically, he had once written as a poet:
A wonderful night, but so short
I brought it to life, then strangled it.
The new caliph assumes the title of al-Muqtadir, “Mighty by the help of the Lord”.
