Muhammad al-Amin

Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin ( Arabic да аш ит ит ит ского ского ского ского ского ского ского و و و و و و وأ )

Harun al-Rashid appointed him his heir under the name al-Amin (Arabic, faithful, honest). In 799, his elder brother (the son of an Iranian concubine), al-Mamun, was appointed the next heir after al-Amin. The eastern regions of the Caliphate , where the Iranian population prevailed, were transferred to the administration of al-Mamun. In 802 during the Hajj in Mecca, at the Ka'ba, Harun al-Rashid took an oath from the brothers to abide by his decision to inherit the throne.

After the death of his father on March 24, 809, al-Amin took the throne in Baghdad . The greatest influence on the policies of the young caliph was rendered by the vizier Fadl ibn Rabi . Al-Amin neglected public affairs, indulged in entertainment, for which he was not popular among the people; suspected of homosexual inclinations. Khalif patronized the famous poet Abu Nuwas , but for violating the Muslim norms of behavior, al-Amin still put the poet in prison.

Fadl ibn Rabi convinced al-Amin to proclaim his young son Musa the heir to the throne, which led to a conflict with his brother al-Mamun. The contradictions between the brothers intensified in connection with the refusal of al-Ma'mun to return to Baghdad, under the control of al-Amin, the army of Emir Kharsamy, who had previously suppressed the Rafi i Lays rebellion in Samarkand (809-811). Between the brothers began a civil war, known as the " Fourth Fitna ." Al-Amin sent a large army against Al-Mamun (ca. 50,000) under the command of Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan. Al-Mamun did not have time to assemble a large army and put up against his brother's army a few regiments (up to 10 thousand) under the leadership of Tahir ibn Hussein and Harsam to detain the army of the Caliph. In the battle of May 1, 811, Tahir defeated the superior army of al-Amin and marched on Iraq. In 811-813 Al-Mamun’s commanders captured most of Iraq and besieged Baghdad in 812. The siege lasted about a year. Supporters of al-Amin stubbornly resisted, defending every inch of land in the city. For the population of Baghdad, the army of al-Mamun seemed alien, since it consisted mainly of Iranians and Turks, so the war was inter-ethnic. Under the blockade, famine began in the city; By the autumn of 813, the soldiers of al-Ma'mun gradually seized a number of important defense centers. Under these conditions, al-Amin fled, attempting to sail in a boat, but was captured by officers of Tahir and executed.