al-Mustakfi (905-949) was the Abbasid Caliph from 26 August 944 to 28 January 946, succeeding al-Muttaqi and preceding al-Muti.
Biography[]
al-Mustakfi was the son of al-Muktafi, and he was installed as Abbasid Caliph by the Turkish general Tuzun, who had deposed and blinded al-Muttaqi. During al-Mustakfi's rule, the true power in the Abbasid Caliphate lay with the generals, many of whom were foreign; after Tuzun's death, Abu Ja'far became the new dominant general in the caliphate. The Buyid dynasty invaded Iraq and cut off its supplies, leading to the people of Baghdad being forced to eat dogs, cats, and garbage to survive. The shops were plundered by mobs, who stole the remaining food within them. The Buyids eventually managed to enter the capital of Baghdad, and they had al-Mustakfi blinded and deposed. He died in 949, three years after his abdication.