Fourth Fitna

Quick Facts: Who was Fourth Fitna?

Subject:

Fourth Fitna

Known for:

Abbasid-era Muslim civil war (811–819) over succession between al-Amin and al-Ma'mun.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Fourth Fitna, Fourth Muslim Civil War, or Great Abbasid Civil War resulted from the conflict between the brothers al-Amin and al-Ma'mun over the succession to the throne of the Abbasid Caliphate. Their father, Caliph Harun al-Rashid, had named al-Amin as the first successor, but had also named al-Ma'mun as the second, with Khorasan granted to him as an appanage. Later a third son, al-Qasim, was designated as third successor. After Harun died in 809, al-Amin succeeded him in Baghdad. Encouraged by the Baghdad court, al-Amin began trying to subvert the autonomous status of Khurasan, and al-Qasim was quickly sidelined.

Career & Major Achievements

In response, al-Ma'mun sought the support of the provincial élites of Khurasan and made moves to assert his own autonomy. As the rift between the two brothers and their respective camps widened, al-Amin declared his own son Musa as his heir and assembled a large army. In 811, al-Amin's troops marched against Khurasan, but al-Ma'mun's general Tahir ibn Husayn defeated them in the Battle of Ray, and then invaded Iraq and besieged Baghdad itself. The city fell after a year, al-Amin was executed, and al-Ma'mun became Caliph. Al-Ma'mun chose to remain in Khorasan, however, rather than coming to the capital.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

This allowed the power vacuum which the civil war had fostered in the Caliphate's provinces to grow, and several local rulers sprang up in Jazira, Syria and Egypt. In addition, a series of Alid uprisings occurred, beginning with Abu'l-Saraya at Kufa and spreading to southern Iraq, the Hejaz, and Yemen. The pro-Khorasani policies followed by al-Ma'mun's powerful chief minister, al-Fadl ibn Sahl, and al-Ma'mun's eventual espousal of an Alid succession in the person of Ali al-Ridha, alienated the traditional Baghdad élites, who saw themselves increasingly marginalized. Consequently, al-Ma'mun's uncle Ibrahim was proclaimed rival caliph at Baghdad in 817, forcing al-Ma'mun to intervene in person. Fadl ibn Sahl was assassinated and al-Ma'mun left Khorasan for Baghdad, which he entered in 819.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Fourth Fitna

True or False: “The Fourth Fitna was solely a conflict driven by the personal rivalry between two powerful ministerial families.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While ministerial rivalries were present, the war's core cause involved succession disputes and regional power struggles within the Abbasid Caliphate.

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