Al-Qadir (947–1031)
Born 947 CE, died 1031 CE.
Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Ishaq (Arabic: أبو العباس أحمد بن إسحاق, romanized: Abu'l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq; 28 September 947 – 29 November 1031), better known by his regnal name al-Qadir (القادر بالله, al-Qādir bi’llāh, lit. 'Made powerful by God'), was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 991 to 1031. Born as an Abbasid prince outside the main line of succession, al-Qadir received a good education, including in the tenets of the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence. He rose to the throne after his cousin, at-Ta'i, was deposed by the Buyid ruler of Iraq, Baha al-Dawla. Although still under Buyid tutelage and with limited real power even in Baghdad, al-Qadir was able to gradually increase the authority of his office over time, exploiting the rivalries of the Buyid emirs and the caliphate's role as a fount of legitimacy and religious guidance. Al-Qadir was able to nominate his own heirs without interference by the Buyids, and was instrumental in securing control of Baghdad for the Buyid emir Jalal al-Dawla. At the same time, he sought champions further afield, notably in the person of Mahmud of Ghazni, who sought caliphal recognition for his conquests, providing funds in return.
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