He subsisted on the barest fare, (1) living in extreme poverty, piety, and patience. Each month only four dirhams were spent on him, and he never asked anything of anyone. Toward the end of his life his mind became confused, and he died in Muḥarram of this same year.

[Then the year 296 AH began]

In Rabīʿ al-Awwal a group of commanders and soldiers resolved to depose al-Muqtadir Billāh and proclaim ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muʿtazz caliph in his stead. Ibn al-Muʿtazz agreed, on the condition that no blood be shed for his sake. Al-Muqtadir had gone out to play ṣuwālija, a kind of polo, so al-Ḥusayn ibn Ḥamdān set out to assassinate him. (2) When al-Muqtadir heard the uproar he hastened back to the Palace of the Caliphate and barred its gates against the troops.

The commanders, dignitaries, and judges gathered in the house of al-Mukhram, (3) pledged allegiance to ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muʿtazz, addressed him as caliph, and bestowed upon him the honorific al-Murtadā Billāh. Al-Ṣūlī, however, maintains that the title they gave him was al-Muntaṣif Billāh. Ibn al-Muʿtazz appointed Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd as vizier and sent to al-Muqtadir ordering him to leave the Palace for the residence of Ibn Ṭāhir so that he himself could occupy it. The order was accepted without resistance.

The next day al-Ḥusayn ibn Ḥamdān rode to the Palace to take possession of it; the servants and those inside fought him off and refused to surrender it. He managed to extricate his family and some of his property only with the greatest difficulty. Once he had done so, he at once departed for Mosul, whereupon the whole plot unraveled.

Ibn al-Muʿtazz wished to move to Sāmarrāʾ to reside there, but none of the emirs followed him. He therefore entered the house of Ibn al-Jassāṣ and sought his protection. Looting erupted in the city and the populace was thrown into confusion. Al-Muqtadir sent forces against the partisans of Ibn al-Muʿtazz, arrested them, and executed most of them. He reinstated Ibn al-Furāt as vizier, the pledge of allegiance to al-Muqtadir was renewed, and he ordered a raid on the house of Ibn al-Jassāṣ. Both Ibn al-Muʿtazz and Ibn al-Jassāṣ were brought before him, and the latter was condemned to an enormous fine—said to have amounted to sixteen million dirhams—before being released, while Ibn al-Muʿtazz remained in custody.

Two nights into Rabīʿ al-Ākhir news of his death reached the people. His body was brought out, handed over to his family, and buried. Al-Muqtadir pardoned the rest of those who had taken part in the sedition so that people’s intentions would not be corrupted.

Ibn al-Jawzī (4) said: “No caliph is known to have been deposed and then restored except al-Amīn and al-Muqtadir.”

On Saturday, with four days remaining of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, heavy snow fell in Baghdad, piling on the rooftops to a depth of about four finger-breadths—something exceedingly rare in Baghdad.