Wali al-Ahd
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Wali al-Ahd ( Arabic : ولي العهد , romanized : Walī al-ʿAhd ) is the Arabic and Islamic term for a designated heir of a ruler, or crown prince .
Origin of the title
The title emerged in the early caliphates , and can be traced to at least c. 715 . [1] The title itself is ambiguous, as the term walī can mean both 'possessor of' or 'successor to', and the exact scope of ʿahd , 'covenant, testament', is left unclear: it can be interpreted as the covenant of God with humanity as a whole, of the previous caliph, or of the Muslim community . [2] The Umayyad caliphs (661–750) certainly favoured a more absolutist interpretation, by which they claimed a mandate deriving directly from God, via their position as heirs to Muhammad . By the 740s, the term walī ʿahd al-muslimīn ( ولي عهد المسلمين , lit. ' successor to the covenant of the Muslims ' ), or even the variant walī ʿahd al-muslimīn wa'l muslimāt ('successor to the covenant of the Muslim men and Muslim women') appears in use, either in the sense of the Muslim community pledging allegiance ( bayʿa ) to the heir-designate, or the heir being the successor to the covenant with the Muslim community. [3] The term was established as the usual title of the caliphal heir-apparent by the time of the first Abbasid caliphs (750–1258). [4]
Practice of designation
The origin of the practice has pre-Islamic roots, among the choice of successor in the Arab tribes . In the Islamic period, this ancient practice was given new legitimacy when the first caliph, Abu Bakr , nominated his successor, Caliph Umar . Umar in turn later nominated a group of prominent Muslims to choose one of their number as his successor. [4] The choice of heir was set on a hereditary basis by the first Umayyad caliph, Mu'awiya I , who chose his own son, Yazid I . The hereditary principle prevailed thereafter, although sometimes a brother could be chosen instead, or multiple sons be nominated as first and second heir; though usually the latter practice led to succession disputes. [4] In Sunni jurisprudence, the choice of successor and the act of designation is the absolute prerogative of the caliph or ruler; the oath of allegiance offered to the new heir confirmed his status, but was not a prerequisite for his legitimacy. [4]
This designation was made manifest through a testament ( ʿahd ). In the Umayyad period, this was a relatively informal matter, and often the designation of an heir-apparent was made public only after the incumbent caliph's death. [4] In the Abbasid period, this became a formalized and increasingly elaborate affair, deserving of a special ceremony, in which the new heir-designate also received the pledge of allegiance from the assembled court. [4] After that, he received his own insignia and a regnal name , by which he was named in the Friday prayer , on banners and on coinage, alongside the caliph. [4] If still underage, the heir-designate received a tutor, and he was later sent to govern a province in order to gain experience. [4] In the early Abbasid period, heirs served as regents during the caliphs' absence from Baghdad . [4]
Later usage
The title was used by several medieval Islamic states, such as the Fatimid Caliphate , the Seljuk Empire , the Buyid dynasty , Mamluk Egypt , and in al-Andalus . [4] Uniquely, in 1013 the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim , who also combined in his person the position of imam of the Isma'ili branch of Islam, separated his succession in two: his cousin Abd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas was designated walī ʿahd al-muslimīn and heir to the caliphate, while another cousin, Abu Hashim al-Abbas ibn Shu'ayb , was designated heir to the Isma'ili imamate, with the title of walī ʿahd al-muʾminīn , 'successor to the covenant of the faithful', thereby separating the government of the Fatimid state from the hitherto state religion of Isma'ilism. [5] Following al-Hakim's murder in 1021, both heirs were sidelined and the succession to both offices united in the person of al-Hakim's son, al-Zahir . [6]
In modern times, the term has been revived for the crown princes of several states, such as the Qajar and Pahlavi Iran , Saudi Arabia , Jordan , Qatar and Bahrein . [4]
See also
References
Sources
- Ayalon, A. (2002). "Walī al-ʿAhd" . In Bearman, P. J. ; Bianquis, Th. ; Bosworth, C. E. ; van Donzel, E. & Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam . Volume XI: W–Z (2nd ed.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 125–126. ISBN 978-90-04-12756-2 .
- Halm, Heinz (2003). Die Kalifen von Kairo: Die Fāṭimiden in Ägypten, 973–1074 [ The Caliphs of Cairo: The Fatimids in Egypt, 973–1074 ] (in German). Munich: C. H. Beck. ISBN 3-406-48654-1 .
- Marsham, Andrew (2009). Rituals of Islamic Monarchy: Accession and Succession in the First Muslim Empire . Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-2512-3 .