  al-muttaqi (908 â july 968) () was the abbasid caliph in baghdad from 940 to 944. of such little importance the caliphate had become by now that when the previous caliph al-radi died, bajkam, amir al-umara (amir of amirs), contented himself with despatching to baghdad his secretary, who assembled the chief men to elect a successor. the choice fell on the deceased caliph's brother al-muttaqi, who assumed the office after it had been some days vacant; and whose first act was to send a banner and dress of honor to bajkam, a needless confirmation of his rank. bajkam, before returning to wasit, where he now held his court, went out on a hunting party, and met his death at the hands of a band of marauding kurds. the capital again became the scene of renewed anarchy. ibn ra'iq, caliph's amir al-umara, persuaded the caliph to flee with him to mosul. al-muttaqi was welcomed there by the hamdanid princes, who organized a campaign to restore him to the capital. but their ends were purely selfish; they assassinated ibn ra'iq, and having added his syrian government to their own, turned their ambition towards baghdad. the hamdanid chief, with the title of nasir al-dawla, advanced on baghdad with the caliph. but however powerful the hamdanid chiefs were at home amongst their arab brethren, and splendid their victories over the greeks, they found it a different thing to rule at baghdad, due to foreign mercenaries and the well-organised turkish forces in the city. and so in less than a year, the hamdanid chieftains had to return to mosul; for a turkish general called tuzun, entered baghdad in triumph, and was saluted as amir al-umara. but fresh proceedings against his enemy obliged tuzun to quit the capital; and during his absence a conspiracy broke out which placed the caliph in danger, and obliged him again to appeal to the hamdanid prince for help. troops sent in response enabled him to escape; he fled to mosul and after that to nasibin. shortly after, peace being restored between tuzun and the hamdanid chiefs, al-muttaqi took up his residence at al-raqqah â a fugitive in the city which had so often been the proud court of his illustrious ancestors. latter al-muttaqi threw himself into the hands of tuzun, who swore with the most sacred oaths that he would render true and faith
10th-century_Abbasid_caliphs 944_deaths Abbasid_caliphs