Al-Qa'im (Fatimid caliph)

Muhammad al-Qaim Bi-Amrillah (893 - 17 May 946) ( ) was the second Caliph of the Fatimids in Ifriqiya and ruled from 934 to 946. He is the 12th Imam according to Isma'ili Fatemi faith. Al-Qaim was born in Salamya in Syria in 895 with the name Abd ar-Rahman. After his father Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah (910-934) seized power in Ifriqiya he was named heir to the throne in 912, and helped put down several revolts. However campaigns into Egypt faltered against the resistance of the Abbasids (914-915 and 919-921), with heavy casualties. In 934 Al-Qaim succeeded his father as Caliph, after which he never again left the royal residence at Mahdia . Nevertheless, the Fatimid realm became an important power in the Mediterranean . After the re-conquest of Sicily the Byzantine province of Calabria and the coast of Italy and France were plundered. But from 944 to 947 the realm was plunged into crisis by the revolt of Abu Yazid , who had united the Kharijite Berber tribes of the Aurès Mountains of eastern Algeria and overrun Ifriqiya.Imam Al-Qaim was able to hold out in Mahdia with the help of the navy for over a year, but died (17 May 946) before the revolt could be put down. He was succeeded by his son Ismail al-Mansur (946-953).

Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Mahdi ( ; 893 – 17 May 946), better known by his regnal name al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah or bi-Amri 'llah ( القائم بأمر الله , "He who carries out God's orders"), was the second caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya and ruled from 934 to 946. He is the 12th Imam according to the Isma'ili faith.

Second Caliph of the Fatimids in Ifriqiya Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abdallah ( ; April 893 – 17 May 946), better known by his regnal name al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah or bi-Amri 'llah ( القائم بأمر الله , "He who carries out God's orders"), was the second caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya and ruled from 934 to 946. He is the 12th Imam according to the Isma'ili faith.

Second Fatimid caliph from 934 to 946 For other uses, see al-Qa'im . Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ( ; March/April 893 – 17 May 946), better known by his regnal name al-Qāʾim ( القائم ) or al-Qāʾim bi-Amr Allāh ([القائم بأمر الله] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |lit= ( help ) ), was the second caliph of the Fatimid dynasty , ruling in Ifriqiya from 934 to 946. He was the twelfth Isma'ili Imam , succeeding his father Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah ( r. 909–934 ).

Fatimid caliph from 934 to 946 For other uses, see al-Qa'im . Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ( Arabic : أبو القاسم محمد ابن عبد الله ; March/April 893 – 17 May 946), better known by his regnal name al-Qāʾim ( القائم ) or al-Qāʾim bi-Amr Allāh ( Arabic : القائم بأمر الله , lit. ' He who carries out God's orders ' ), was the twelfth Isma'ili Imam and second caliph of the Fatimid dynasty , ruling in Ifriqiya from 934 to 946, succeeding his father Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah ( r. 909–934 ). Born in March or April 893 in the Syrian town of Salamiyah , where his father, under the guise of a wealthy merchant, was leading the clandestine Isma'ili missionary network. Al-Qa'im and his father had to flee Salamiyah in 903 to avoid Abbasid persecution under the impact of a pro-Isma'ili revolt in Syria. Aided by sympathizers, the small group found refuge in to Ramla in Palestine and Fustat in Egypt , before turning west and making for the remote oasis town of Sijilmasa in what is now Morocco . While there, the Isma'ili missionary ( da'i ) Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i , who had converted the Kutama Berbers , overthrew the Aghlabid dynasty ruling in Ifriqiya and established the Fatimid Caliphate on behalf of al-Mahdi. After al-Mahdi's accession, al-Qa'im was officially made the designated successor and played a significant role during his father's reign as a military commander. He suppressed a Kutama revolt that broke out after the murder of Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i, captured Barqa , and led two invasions of Egypt, in 914–915 and 919–921 . The Fatimids were able to capture Alexandria and threaten the capital, Fustat, but ultimately failed due to strong Abbasid resistance, logistical challenges, and the indiscipline of their troops. In 927, al-Qa'im led a campaign to suppress the Zenata Berbers in what is now central Algeria . He secured Fatimid control of Tahert , received the submission of the Sanhaja Berbers, and founded the city of al-Muhammadiya (modern Msila ) as a stronghold to control the region. After al-Mahdi's death in March 934, al-Qa'im succeeded without opposition, and mostly kept his father's ministers in place. A Fatimid naval raid sacked Genoa in northern Italy in the same summer, but the Fatimid position in the central Mediterranean was challenged by an anti-Fatimid revolt broke out in Sicily in 937 that was not suppressed until 940. In the west, the defection of the Berber commander Musa ibn Abi'l-Afiya upended Fatimid control over Morocco, and al-Qa'im's generals campaigned in the area without achieving lasting success. Another attempt to invade Egypt was launched in 935, but it was quickly defeated by the new local strongman, Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid . The main event of al-Qa'im's reign was the great revolt led by the Kharijite preacher Abu Yazid , who mobilized Berber tribes as well as Arab townsmen against Fatimid rule, made unpopular by its strict taxation, unpopular Isma'ili doctrine, and the exactions of the unruly Kutama soldiery. The rebellion began in February 944 and rapidly gained momentum, resulting in the surrender of Kairouan and the siege of the Fatimid capital, al-Mahdiya . Al-Qa'im died on 17 May 946 in al-Mahdiya, with the rebellion still ongoing. His son, Isma'il, succeeded him as al-Mansur Billah and eventually quelled the uprising.