al-Faḍl b. al-Rabīʿ - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
[Article]
Turner, John P.
Leiden
Brill
(644 words)
Al-Faḍl b. al-Rabīʿ (b. 138/757-8) was a prominent and skilled court intriguer during the reigns of the caliphs al-Hādī (169-70/785-6), al-Rashīd (170-93/786-809), and al-Amīn (193-8/809-13). He held the position of ḥājib (chamberlain) and thus exercised considerable control over access to the caliph and the caliph's access to information. He also acted as wazīr for al-Amīn. He rose to power under the auspices of his father, who had been ḥājib before him. His