He is regarded as the first to establish the amusement...

He is regarded as the first to establish the amusement during the 'Abbasid government. Al-Jahiz says: "In the first place, Bashshar veiled himself from the singers, and then he said: 'Pleasure is in witnessing joy through approaching him who delights me; there is neither good nor pleasure in keeping away (from him)."[2] He (al-Mehdi) was informed of the voice of Ibrahim al-Mousili and his good songs, so he brought him near to him and promoted his position.[3] When he practiced dissoluteness and amusement, the people had suspicions about him and accused him of different accusations; to this meaning Bashshar b.

Burd al-'Uqayli refers when he satirized him: The Caliph fornicates his aunts, plays with the tambourine and the scepter. May Allah replace him by other than him and put Musa into the heat of the canes. [4] Al-Jahiz mentioned that al-Mehdi loved songstresses and hearing songs, that he was fond of a slave girl called Jawher whom he bought, and that he composed poetry on her.[5] He was fond of drinking wine, to the extent that his minister Ya'qub b.

Dawud prohibited him from that, saying to him: "Do you do that after performing prayers in Mesjid?" However, he paid no attention to his advice and took the advice of some dissolute poets who recommended him to continue drinking wine and not to pay attention to his minister's speech, saying: Put Ya'qub b.

Dawud aside and drink sweet-smelling wine![6] Al-Mehdi gave free rein to his desires, his pleasures, and his dissoluteness, to the extent that his son Ibrahim and his daughter 'Aliyya inherited that from him. Accordingly Ibrahim was the head of the singers, and 'Aliya was on top of the songstresses and the musicians in Baghdad. [1] Duha al-Islam, vol. 1, pp.112-114. [2] Al-Tajj, p. 35. [3] Abu al-Farajj al-Asfahani, al-Aghani, vol. 5, p. 5. [4] Shadharat al-Dhahab, vol. 1, p. 265.

[5] Akhlaq al-Muluk, p. 34. [6] Al-Fekhri, p. 167. His Lavish Expenditure and Extravagance Al-Mehdi spent on his sensual desires all the great properties al-Mansur had plundered from the Muslims and left behind. He spent them on pleasures and dissoluteness and left the community suffer from poverty and misery. He spent lavishly to the extent that he made the people astonished with him. An example of his lavish expenditure and extravagance was that when he married his son to Mrs. Zubayda.

He celebrated a great festival and spent fifty million dirhams of the properties of the Muslims.