Ibrahim bin Abu Bakr bin Shaddad bin Saber (Egyptian Arabic: إبراهيم بن أبو بكر بن شداد بن صابر), commonly known as Ibrahim bin Shaddad (late 13th century – 1342), was the muqaddam (military assistant to the governor) of El Mahalla El Kubra and later the muqaddam of the state (equivalent to an interior minister). He comes from the famous Egyptian Shaddad family, and he was the closest companion to the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Mahammad.[1][2][3][4]
Ibrahim bin Abu Bakr bin Shaddad bin Saber | |
|---|---|
| Born | Late 13th century El Mahalla El Kubra, Mamluk Sultanate. |
| Died | 1342 Cairo, Mamluk Sultanate. |
| Allegiance |  Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt |
| Service/ |  Egyptian army |
| Rank | Muqadam al-Dawla (Minister of Interior) |
| Battles/wars | Levant rebellions |
Early life edit
Ibrahim bin Shaddad bin Saber is originally an Egyptian farmer from the farmers of Minyat Abbad in Gharbiyyah. His father was Muqadam of El Mahalla El Kubra (Military Assistant to the Governor of El Mahalla). A problem arose between his father and the Governor of the El Mahalla, which led to his imprisonment and death in prison. So Ibrahim bin Shaddad traveled to Cairo to complain to the Egyptian Sultan An-Nasir Mahammad bin Qalawun, who did justice to Ibn Shaddad and brought him justice from the Governor of Mahalla. This was his first meeting with An-Nasir Mahammad ibn Qalawun.[1][2][3][5]
Career edit
After that, Ibrahim was appointed as the Muqadam of Mahalla, and after a while he entered the Egyptian army within the forces of Prince Sanjar al-Khazen. Ibrahim ibn Shaddad rose through the ranks in an amazing way until he reached the position of Muqadam of the state (Minister of Interior) and became one of the largest and most powerful leaders of the Egyptian state during the era of An-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, to the point that he appointed many of his relatives to different positions.[1][2][3][4]
Relationship with An-Nasir edit
Ibrahim ibn Shaddad, proving to An-Nasir Mahammad ibn Qalawun the extent of his sincerity and competence in his work, this led him to gain the respect and love of An-Nasir Mahammad and to be very close to him to the point that he remained his true friend, companion, and confidant. The Egyptian historian Al-Maqrizi says about this:[1][2]
"And he gained power in the days of the Sultan and became great, and neither the Supervisor of the state (speaker on behalf of the Sultan) nor the head of the bureaus had any conversation with him, but he would approach the Sultan and talk to him secretly. And he does what he wants, and no one can respond to his actions or words."[1][2]
An-Nasir Mahammad entrusted Ibrahim Ibn Shaddad with the souls of his family and those close to him, and asked him to protect them and provide guardianship to his family. He used to make him the one who carried out the rulings in his name and in his place. An example of this is when he executed the ruling by beating up the Prince Tankiz the deputy of the Levant.[6] Almost the entire Egyptian state was envious of the Maqadam of the state Ibrahim bin Shaddad for his position and the extent of his closeness to the Sultan, so some of the princes of the state preferred to wait for the opportunity to pounce on him, and the opportunity came to them when An-Nasir died.[1][2][3][4]
False charges edit
As soon as the Sultan died, they accused him with a false charge and arrested him.[5] The historian Al-Maqrizi says that they found in his house 80 concubines, 140 horses, 300 milking cows, 500 calving ewes, and an amount of two hundred thousand and eighty thousand dirhams. It was not permissible for them to arrest the closest man to the great Sultan Mahammad bin Qalawun, especially since he was a feared figure in the state, with his status and pride, and who was known for his extreme loyalty to the late Sultan An-Nasir Mahammad. He was released one month after his arrest after princes, including Prince Al-Malik and Jawhar Al-Saharti, defended him.[1][2][3][4]
Death edit
Lagacy edit
The historian Al-Maqrizi says about his description:[1]
"He was very tall and very aware of his suffering, and he acquired many properties, and no one saw in the offering what he saw as far as we know."[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Al-Maqrizi, Taqi al-Din. المقفي الكبير الجزء الأول. دار الغرب الإسلامي. pp. 104, 105.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Al-Askalani, Ibn Hajar (1993). الدرر الكامنة في أعيان المائة الثامنة الجزء الأول. Hyderabad, India: Ottoman Encyclopedia. p. 5.
- ^ a b c d e f bin Taghribirdi, Abu Al-Mahasin Yusuf. النجوم الزاهرة في ملوك مصر والقاهرة الجزء التاسع. Egypt: مطبعة دار الكتب المصرية. p. 102.
- ^ a b c d bin Taghribirdi, Abu Al-Mahasin Yusuf. النجوم الزاهرة في ملوك مصر والقاهرة الجزء العاشر. p. 9.
- ^ a b Al-Maqrizi, Taqi al-Din (1997). السلوك لمعرفة دول الملوك الجزء الثالث. دار الكتب العلمية. p. 334.
- ^ bin Ahmed bin Omar, Hamza (1993). صدق الأخبار تاريخ ابن السباط. Tripoli, Libya: جروس برس. p. 663.