Abû Ahmad ʿAlî ibn Ahmad al-Muʿtamid , better known by his regnal name al-Muktafi bi-Allah, was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 902 to 908.
Background
He was the son of the previous Caliph, al-Mu"tadid, by a Turkish slave-girl. In command of ar-Raqqah at the time of his father"s death, he at once returned to the Capital, where he became a favorite of the people for his generosity, and for abolishing his father"s secret prisons, the terror of Baghdad.
Career
During his reign of nearly seven years, the Empire was threatened by various dangers which he bravely met and overcame. Chief was that from the Carmathians, a race of fanatics which had sprung up during the late reign. Hostilities prevailed more or less with the Byzantine Greeks, who were not slow to take advantage of the difficulties of the Caliphate.
In 285 Animal Husbandry (898 AD) a Byzantine fleet was set on fire, and 3000 sailors decapitated.
But there were reverses also. Tarsus was closely besieged by the Greeks, and the governor taken prisoner.
In consequence the Greeks were able to ravage the coasts at pleasure, both by land and sea, carrying vast numbers away captive. War was kept up with various fortune.
In 903, his forces under the command of Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Katib scored a crushing victory over the Carmathians of the Syrian desert.
In 904, taking advantage of the feebleness of the Tulunids in Egypt, Muhammad ibn Sulayman invaded Syria and Egypt and ended the Tulunid regime, fully reincorporating these territories into the Caliphate. Thus, after a stormy reign of between six and seven years, al-Muktafi could look around and find the Caliphate more secure than it had been since the days of al-Mu"tasim. In 295 Animal Husbandry (908 AD), he died at the early age of thirty-three, and left the throne to a minor brother, Abdallah ibn al-Mu"tazz.