Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi

Ibrāhīm ibn al-Mahdī (; 779–839) was an Abbasid prince, singer, composer and poet. He was the son of the third Abbasid caliph, al-Mahdi, and the half-brother of the poet and musician Ulayya. Ibrahim was contemporary of Abbasid caliph al-Hadi, al-Rashid and his three nephews caliph al-Amin, al-Ma’mun, al-Mu’tasim. Biography Ibrahim was born in 779. He was the son of Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi, and was born during the Caliphate of his father. His mother was Shaklah, whose father was Khwanadan, steward of Masmughan. She had a brother named Humayd. She was acquired by Al-Mahdi when she was a child. He presented her to his concubine Muhayyat, who, discovering a musical talent in the child, sent her to the famous school of Taif in the Hijaz for a thorough musical education. Years later Al-Mahdi, then caliph, took her as his concubine. One of his wives was Umm Muhammad. She was the daughter of Salih al-Miskin and Umm Abdullah bint Isa ibn Ali. After Inrahi divorced her, she married Harun al-Rashid. During the Fourth Fitna, Ibrahim was proclaimed caliph on 20 July 817 by the people of Baghdad, who gave him the regnal name of al-Mubarak () and declared his reigning nephew al-Ma’mun deposed. Ib