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Biography of Abdallah al- Mamun
Name: Abdallah al- Mamun
Birth Date: 786
Death Date: 833
Place of Birth: N/A
Nationality: Islamic
Gender: Male
Occupations: emperor
Abdallah al- Mamun
Abdallah al-Mamun (786-833) was the seventh caliph, or ruler of the Islamic Empire, of the Abbasid dynasty. During his reign he encouraged the study of Greek thought, and the balance of power within the caliphate shifted from the Arabs to the non-Arabs.Al-Mamun was the son of Harun al-Rashid and a Persian slave girl, Marajil. Born about May 786, he was slightly older than his half brother Amin, son of the Arab Zubayda, but Amin was first heir to the caliphate and al-Mamun second. Al-Mamun, however, became governor of the eastern provinces, with Fadl ibn-Sahl as vizier. When Harun died in March 809, al-Mamun recognized Amin as caliph but kept his position in the eastern provinces. Tension between the half brothers led to war in 811, which ended in September 813 with the fall of Baghdad and the death of Amin.Al-Mamun became caliph but continued to reside in the East despite disturbances in Iraq, …showed first 150 words…
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…showed last 150 words…tensions. The stimulation of interest in Greek works influenced the whole subsequent course of Islamic thought.In accordance with Mutazilite teaching, al-Mamun established toward the end of his reign (perhaps in 827) the Inquisition, or Mihna. All higher officials had publicly to profess that they believed the Koran to be the created, not the uncreated, speech of God. This was not mere theological hairsplitting but the basis of a hoped-for compromise between opposing forces. Most officials made the required declaration, but a leading jurist, Ahmad ibn-Hanbal, refused and was prevented from lecturing. The Inquisition lasted until about 850. Further Reading There is no full-length study of al-Mamun in English, although there is a chapter on him in Philip K. Hitti, Makers of Arab History (1968). Walter M. Patton, Ahmed ibn Hanbal and the Mihna (1897), is concerned in part with the Inquisition under al-Mamun. He is mentioned briefly in general histories of the period.
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