Ishaq ibn al-Muqtadir

Ishaq ibn al-Muqtadir (; 910s – March 988) was an Abbasid prince, son of the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadir. He was a contemporary of the caliphs al-Qahir, al-Radi, al-Muttaqi, al-Mustakfi, al-Muti and al-Ta'i', three of whom were his brothers. As a son of al-Muqtadir, he was also a candidate to the succession to caliphal throne during the reigns of his brothers, but it was his son Ahmad became caliph as al-Qadir in 991.

Biography Ishaq was the son of Caliph al-Muqtadir from the concubine Dimna. Ishaq was born in Baghdad and he spent most of his life there.

Ishaq had a tragic childhood. Al-Muqtadir was assassinated when Ishaq was very young. After his father's death his uncle al-Qahir became caliph even though his father had already nominated his elder half-brother Abu al-Abbas (the future al-Radi). His uncle was supported by some army commanders because they didn't want to be executed for al-Muqtadir's murder by his sons.

Ishaq had inherited some of the inheritance on his father's death. His uncle, al-Qahir, rule from 932 until 934, when he refused to abdicate in favour of al-Radi , he was blinded and cast into prison. Al-Radi died in 940 and was succeeded by his brother, al-Muttaqi, who in turn was succeeded by his cousin al-Mustakfi in 944. Al-Mustakfi was hostile towards al-Muqtadir's surviving sons, but was deposed by the Buyid ruler Mu'izz al-Dawla in 946 and was succeeded by al-Muti, a son of al-Muqtadir. Ishaq spent his life as a junior courtier in his brother's court.

During al-Muti's reign it was expected that he would be succeeded by one of his brothers (especially Ishaq) however he nominated his son al-Ta'i as heir.

With his wife, called Tamanni, Ishaq had a son, Ahmad, the future al-Qadir. Ahmad received a good education; he is recorded as having collected Shafi'i works on jurisprudence by Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Harawi. Ishaq also had a daughter named Amina.

Death and aftermath When Ishaq died in March 988, his son Ahmad quarreled with his half-sister, Amina, over the inheritance. She reported him to their cousin, caliph al-Ta'i , as seeking to replace him as caliph. To escape capture, Ahmad went into hiding for a while, before seeking refuge with the governor of the swamps of Bathihah near Basra, Muhadhdhib al-Dawla, for about three years. The genealogy of the Abbasids including their rival Zaydi imams Caliphs of the Abbasid Caliphate Caliphs of Cairo Zaydi imams