From Prison to Power: The Life of al-Ikhshīd, Sovereign of Egypt

Al-Ikhshīd, the sovereign ruler of Egypt: Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ṭughj ibn Juff ibn Khāqān al-Farghānī al-Turkī.

He transmitted narrations from his paternal uncle, Badr.

He was appointed governor of Egypt in the year 321 AH (933 CE). Damascus was subsequently added to his jurisdiction, both appointments conferred upon him by the ʿAbbāsid Caliph al-Rāḍī bi-Allāh ﷻ (r. 322–329 AH/934–940 CE). The title al-Ikhshīd is a Turkic designation meaning “King of Kings.”

Family Background

His grandfather passed away in the year 247 AH (861 CE). His father, Ṭughj, rose to become one of the senior commanders under Khumārawayh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṭūlūn (d. 282 AH/896 CE), the Ṭūlūnid ruler of Egypt and Syria. Ṭughj later travelled to Baghdad, where he was received with great honour. However, he displayed arrogance and haughtiness towards the vizier, and as a consequence both he and his son Muḥammad were imprisoned. Ṭughj died in prison. Muḥammad was subsequently released, and a long succession of trials and events followed before he eventually attained sovereign rule.

The Years of Poverty: An Eyewitness Account

The following account was recorded by Abū al-Ṭayyib ibn al-Junayd, a companion of Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ibn Shīrzād, and previously a neighbour of his father Abū al-Qāsim. He relates:

In earlier times, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ṭughj ibn Juff used to live near our houses in Baghdad, in the district of Yaqṣūr Faraj. He was poor and greatly weakened in his affairs. At the entrance of his small home, he had a bench upon which he would constantly sit, with his riding animal tethered beside it. He personally tended to the animal, providing it with fodder and water with his own hands.

He received a meagre stipend from the state, which was perpetually delayed, and he would only manage to collect it on rare occasions. His poverty was severe and plainly visible. He had several daughters and no sons.

Whenever Abū al-Qāsim Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ibn Shīrzād, or one of his two sons, Abū al-Ḥasan or Abū Jaʿfar, passed by, Ibn Ṭughj would rise to his feet, display the utmost deference and reverence towards them, and remain standing until they had passed completely out of sight.

I would sometimes sit with him, and he would feel at ease in my company, unburdening himself of his sorrows and speaking of all that he endured on account of his large family and straitened circumstances. He would say:

“If only Allah had granted me, among the children He gave me, even one son just one so that I might find some comfort in him, and so that hope and joy through him might lighten some of the grief and worry I carry on account of these daughters.”

The Turn of Fortune

Abū al-Ṭayyib continued: Time passed, as time always does, and circumstances shifted. A long period went by without any news of Ibn Ṭughj. He had departed with a military expedition dispatched towards Syria, and we forgot about him. People speculated about his fate, whilst events carried him onward until word finally reached us that he had been appointed governor of Egypt and all its territories. What followed, in terms of the elevation of his standing, the expansion of his dominion, and the consolidation of authority for himself and his sons after him, is well known and widely attested.

The Merchant’s Testimony

One of the wealthy merchants from our neighbourhood a man of considerable means who had known Ibn Ṭughj in those earlier, humbler days happened to travel to that region. When he returned to the capital some years later, he told us of the immensity of Ibn Ṭughj’s affairs and the vast extent of his dominion.

He said: “I saw before me a man utterly transformed from the one we had once known in his dignity, gravity, and bearing. When he recognised me, he drew me close and honoured me. He was delighted to see me and continued speaking with me, asking after each of the Banū Shīrzād and the other former neighbours one by one, whilst I brought him news of them.”

Then, at one point in the conversation, he said:

“All praise belongs to Allah ﷻ, in Whose hand all affairs rest. He does as He wills. Do you not remember what my condition was in Baghdad those wretched circumstances, the hardship, the poverty, the struggle to survive, and my worry over those daughters? Do you remember?”

I replied: “Yes, my lord.”

He said: “By Allah, I used to pray and beseech Allah ﷻ to grant me a son. Yet every time I made that supplication, another daughter would be born to me, until they numbered ten in my household. And from my youth I had deeply longed to own a piebald horse (dābba ablaq). I felt within myself that if I were ever to ride one, every blessing and happiness would have been attained so intensely did I desire it. Yet Allah ﷻ did not make even that possible for me.

Then I reached middle age, and my years advanced, whilst I remained in those same circumstances. But then time changed. I left Baghdad and with that departure, prosperity began to arrive and adversity began to recede.

Allah ﷻ would provide me with a son each year and take away one of my daughters, until all the daughters had passed away and these sons grew up before me” and he gestured towards a group of young men seated before him, as beautiful and resplendent as peacocks.

Then he said: “And I came to possess thoroughbred horses, warhorses, mules, and piebald donkeys the like of which no one had ever owned in a number and variety that had never been gathered for anyone before me, beyond all counting. Even the servants of my servants came to own abundant mounts. Come with me to the stables, so that you may see for yourself and be amazed.”

He took me by the hand and we walked until we entered the stable of the piebald horses. I have no doubt that among the various piebald animals we counted more than five hundred head and we grew weary before reaching the end, moving from one stable to the next. He would say: “This is the stable of such-and-such a type,” and ask his master of horse: “How many are in this one?” The man would answer: “In this one, five hundred; in this one, four hundred” and so on.

We then returned to the sitting room. I was overwhelmed with wonder at what I had seen, whilst he continued to praise Allah ﷻ for His bounty and generosity. I remained in his company and did not leave his household until he had fulfilled my needs, treated me generously, and withheld nothing. I returned to Syria honoured and well cared for.

Character and Military Distinction

Al-Ikhshīd was a man of outstanding courage, sound judgement, vigilance, and commanding presence. He was consistently granted victory in his military campaigns and was renowned for his generosity towards his soldiers. He possessed extraordinary physical strength, such that scarcely any man could draw his bow.

The number of his personal slave-soldiers (mamālīk) reached eight thousand. It has also been reported that the total strength of his army amounted to four hundred thousand cavalry, though this figure is considered far-fetched. He was survived by a number of sons, who succeeded him in rule.

Death and Burial

Al-Ikhshīd died in Damascus in the month of Dhū al-Ḥijja in the year 334 AH (946 CE), at the age of sixty-six. His remains were subsequently transferred and interred in Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis). May Allah ﷻ forgive him.

A Notable Act of Clemency

Ibn Rāʾiq took up arms against al-Ikhshīd but was defeated. The brother of al-Ikhshīd then advanced and encountered Ibn Rāʾiq in battle, and was killed. Overcome with remorse, Ibn Rāʾiq sent his son Muzāḥim to al-Ikhshīd, in expectation that he would be put to death in retaliation for the killing of al-Ikhshīd’s brother. Al-Ikhshīd, however, pardoned him, bestowed robes of honour upon Muzāḥim, and sent him back to his father.

References

• Al-Dhahabī, Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad (d. 748 AH/1348 CE). Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ. Ed. Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ et al. 3rd ed. Muʾassasat al-Risāla, Beirut, 1985. Vol. 15, p. 366.