and said, “Peace be upon you, Commander of the Believers!” He then sat before him, and witnesses were brought. They testified that al-Muʿtazz was unable to carry the burdens of the imamate; he acknowledged this, stretched out his hand, and swore allegiance to his cousin al-Muhtadī bi-Allah.

At that, al-Muhtadī moved to the head of the gathering and declared, “Two swords cannot fit into one sheath,” and he recited the verse of Ibn Abī Dhuʾayb:
“You wish to join me and Khālid together—
but, alas, can two swords ever share one sheath?”

Al-Muhtadī was tawny-skinned, slight, handsome-faced, devout, just, righteous, given to worship, a champion, courageous, and resolute in the cause of Allah—altogether suited to rule. Yet he found neither helper nor supporter, and the times were inclined to turn away from him.

Al-Khaṭīb relates from Abū Mūsā al-ʿAbbāsī that he remained in a state of fasting from the day he was installed until the day he was killed (1).

Abū al-ʿAbbās Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim said: “I was with al-Muhtadī one evening in Ramadan and rose to take my leave, but he said, ‘Sit down.’ So I sat. He led us in prayer, then called for food. A platter of khilāf-wood (2) was brought on which lay some loaves, and a vessel containing salt, oil, and vinegar. He invited me to eat, and I ate like someone awaiting the main dish.

“He asked, ‘Were you not fasting?’

“I replied, ‘Indeed.’

“He said, ‘Then eat and have your fill, for there is nothing here but what you see.’

“I was astonished and asked, ‘Why is that, O Commander of the Believers, when Allah has bestowed His favors upon you?’

“He answered, ‘I reflected that the Umayyads had ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, and I grew jealous for the sons of Hāshim; so I have bound myself to what you now witness.’ (3)