palace, and later that same day, after the congregational prayer, the oath of allegiance was given to him as caliph. He was granted the honorific title al-Mustaʿṣim, and at that moment he was thirty years old and some months.

In his youth he had mastered the recitation of the Qur’an, both by memorization and by correct tajwīd, and he became skilled in Arabic, in fine calligraphy, and in other virtues under the tutelage of Shaykh Shams al-Dīn Abū al-Muẓaffar ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Nayyār (1), one of the leading Shāfiʿī scholars of his time, whom he afterwards honored (2) and treated with generosity throughout his caliphate.

Al-Mustaʿṣim, as noted, recited frequently, with excellent delivery and a pleasant voice; reverence and humility were plainly visible in him. He consulted works of tafsīr (3) and grappled with difficult questions. Widely known for his goodness and praised for his piety, he strove to follow the example of his father al-Mustanṣir to the extent of his ability, and affairs in his days proceeded with soundness and rectitude, praise be to Allah.

The person who conducted the oath of allegiance to al-Mustaʿṣim was Sharaf al-Dīn Abū al-Faḍāʾil Iqbāl al-Mustanṣirī (4). First came the pledge of his paternal cousins and other kin from the Banū al-ʿAbbās, then the notables of the state—emirs, viziers, judges, scholars, jurists—and after them all who hold power to decide matters, together with the common folk and others. It was a memorable day, a praiseworthy assembly, an auspicious decision, and a laudable occasion. Oaths of allegiance arrived from every direction, region, land (5) and city; the khuṭba was delivered for him across all provinces, districts, and villages, from pulpits east and west, far and near, just as it had been for his father and forefathers of the Banū al-ʿAbbās—may Allah be pleased with them all.

Among the events of that year (6) was a severe plague in Iraq during the final days of al-Mustanṣir, which sent the price of sugar and medicines soaring. The caliph al-Mustanṣir Billāh (7) (8) (may Allah have mercy on him) gave a great quantity of sugar in charity to the sick—may Allah accept it from him.

On Friday, the fourteenth of Shaʿbān, the caliph al-Mustaʿṣim Billāh granted permission to Abū al-Faraj ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥyī al-Dīn Yūsuf, son of Shaykh Abū al-Faraj ibn al-Jawzī—an intelligent and virtuous young man (9)—to preach at Bāb al-Badriyya. He spoke well, benefited his listeners, and praised the caliph al-Mustaʿṣim with a useful (10), lengthy and exalted (11), eloquent and graceful (12) ode.