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'‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad' ('عبد الله بن محمد'), (died October 15, 912) of the Umayyad dynasty, was the seventh Emir of Córdoba, reigning from 888 to 912 in the Al-Andalus (Moorish Iberia).

Contents

Family

Rise to power

Rule

Family

The Umayyad dynasty came to power forty-five years after Muslim forces swept through Iberia, led by Abd ar-Rahman I. The Umayyad were already a very distinguished family, a branch of which once lead to the Islamic Caliphate. Also, the family could proudly claim descent from the Quraysh, the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad himself.

Rise to power

Contemporary historians were quick to accuse ibn Muhammad of orchestrating the death of his elder brother, al-Mundhir, whereby he ascended to power. This is unlikely, as ibn Muhammad showed very little interest in governing, becoming a neurotic recluse who was only interested in hunting and his faith.

Rule

Once in power, however, he showed no reluctance to dispose of those he viewed as a threat, even if they were family. Two of his own brothers were executed on his orders, and he commanded one of his sons (al-Mutarrif) to kill his own brother. Even this extreme display of loyalty was not enough to save al-Mutarrif, as he too was executed for treason a few years later.
The apathy ibn Muhammad showed towards ruling had disastrous consequences for his emirate. By the time he died, he was ruler in name only, as local warlords had seized control throughout his kingdom. For instance, the second largest city under his rule, Seville, fell under the control of Ibrahim ben al-Hajjaj.
He was a strong patron of literature.