Part 75

What you wish is not what the divine decree wishes, so rule, for you are the one, the subduer. This is the one whose intercession is hoped for tomorrow. The Fire will be extinguished when it sees him. Other examples of his odes to al-Mu'izz include: You are the light and every light is darkness. You are supreme and every high is low. Grant your slaves the grace of your intercession and bring them close to you, for you are all powerful. You call him an avenger, mighty, powerful, forgiving sin, pardoning. I swear that if you were not called caliph, you would be called a messiah after the Messiah. The highest heaven bore witness to your glory and the Qur'dn came down praising you. You know of the knowledge of Allah what the angel Michael did not know. If Allah had granted to people the knowledge that He granted to you, He would not have had to use metaphors. Al-Mu'izz began his journey to Egypt in 362 AH. Ibn Hani' was killed in Barqah in Rajab 362 AH at the age of forty-two, and they found his body lying on the ground like that of a slain dog, on the shore at Barqah. Al-Mu'izz was grieved by his slaying, and said, "We were hoping that this man would compete for us with the eastern poets, but it did not come to pass."523 Al-Mu'izz continued his journey until he approached the Egyptian border; he reached Alexandria on 23 Sha'ban 362 AH, where he was welcomed by a huge delegation of prominent figures, leaders and rulers in Egypt. The kingdom of al-Mu'izz stretched from Sabta in Morocco to Makkah in the east, and the inhabitants of the Atlantic coast were also under his sway. Al-Mu'izz remained in Egypt for two and a half years, and died in Cairo on 7 Rabee' I 365 AH. His rule over Ifriqiyah and Egypt lasted for twenty-three years in total.524 Adh-Dhahabi noted: During this time the Rafidis rose to power in Egypt, Syria, the Hijaz and Maghreb in the 'Ubaydi state. In Iraq, Mesopotamia and Persia there were the Banu Buwayh. The (Abbasid) caliph al-Mutee' was in a very weak position with Banu Buwayh, furthermore, he was physically weak; finally he became paralyzed and unable to speak, so they dismissed him and appointed his son at-Ta'i'-lillah, who had coins minted and Friday sermons delivered in his name, as well as other things. Al-Mu'izz was (evidently) more powerful.525 Demise of the Fatimid state in North Africa Some Maliki scholars managed to attain positions of power and authority in the state of Sanhajah which belonged to the Fatimid state in Egypt, and were able to influence some of the viziers and emirs, and thanks to them — after Allah — there was some reduction in the pressure on the Sunni scholars. Al-'Allamah Abul-Hasan az-Zajjal was able to influence the emir al-Mu'izz ibn Badees as-Sanhaji by educating him in accordance with the way of Ahl as-Sunnah. This education bore fruit later on when al-Mu'izz took control of Ifriqiyah \i\ DY\u\-H\})ah 406 AH. The actions of al-' AAlamah Abul-Hasan were done in secret without any of the Rafidi Shiites knowing about them. This scholar was a man of virtue and good character, religiously committed, with sound beliefs and a great hatred of the Batini Shiite madh-hab. He was able to instil sound teachings in the heart, mind and thinking of al-Mu'izz ibn Badees, who put an end to the Shiite Ismaili madhab in North Africa. Adh-Dhahabi described al-Mu'izz ibn Badees as follows He was a respected king, brave and with high ambitions, a lover of knowledge, very generous and praised by the poets. The madh-hab of Imam Abu Haneefah had become very widespread in Ifriqiyah, but he made the people in his land follow the madh-hab of Malik so as to put an end to dispute. His loyalty was to Islam, so he disregarded the authority of the 'Ubaydis and gave sermons in the name of al-Qa'im bi Amr-Illah al-'Abbasi. Al-Mustansir sent him warnings but he was not afraid.526 Al-Mustansir said in his letter, "Why didn't you follow the example of your fathers and forefathers in obedience and loyalty?" Al-Mu'izz responded by saying, "My fathers and forefathers were kings of the Maghreb before your predecessors took control of it."527 The history books explain to us that al-Mu'izz ibn Badees increased gradually in his hatred of the Batini, Rafidi Shiites and the rulers of Egypt. That was manifested in 435 AH when he expanded the numbers of Sunnis in his army, court and state. He began campaigns to purge Batini beliefs and anyone who took pleasure in reviling the Companions of the Messenger of Allah SAAW. He told the masses and the troops to kill anyone who openly reviled and insulted Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), and the masses in North Africa hastened to eradicate all traces of the 'Ubaydis so that the region would be free from alien, corrupt beliefs. The scholars and fuqaha' praised these efforts which were supervised by al-Mu'izz ibn Badees (may Allah have mercy on him). The poets wrote lines of verse praising al-Mu'izz. Al-Qasim ibn Marwan said concerning these events: They will be killed in every land as they were killed in the land of Qayrawan.