ভূমিকা
Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Life of Imam Al-hasan Al-askari The kings in the age of the imam We should have a short stop to talk -in brief- about the kings whom Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.) was contemporary with, and give a picture about their conducts and the misfortunes and distresses the imam suffered under their reigns.
Al-Mutawakkil Al-Mutawakkil son al-Mu’tasim assumed the rule in 232 AH.[^424] In the same year Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.) was born.[^425] When al-Mutawakkil assumed the rule, people were afflicted with a natural disaster that they had never seen before. A simoom blew in Iraq, and destroyed the plants of Basra, Kufa, and Baghdad and killed many travelers. It lasted for fifty days and reached Hamadan, Mosul, and Sanjar.
It destroyed plants and cattle, prevented people from dealing in markets and walking in streets, and killed a big number of people.[^426] It might be an alarm from the Heavens on the evil omen of the reign of this king. When al-Mutawakkil was paid homage as king, Ubaydillah bin Tahir gave him as a present four hundred bondmaids at the head of whom was Mahbubah whom al-Mutawakkil became very fond of.[^427] His Characteristics Al-Mutawakkil lived a life of play with no tendency to seriousness.
His life was full of amusement and joking. Historians say, ‘No play, joking, or clowning appeared in the meetings of the Abbasid caliphs before al-Mutawakkil.
When al-Mutawakkil assumed the rule, he brought all that to his meeting and then most of the upper class imitated him in that.[^428] He brought imitators, who imitated the gestures and voices of some people and did comic acts, in his meeting.[^429] He was very interested in pleasures and drinking.[^430] Banan and Zanam were two boy servants of his. They were skilled in playing and singing. One played the lute and the other blew the pipe.
He did not drink except with their playing.[^431] His retinue curried favor with him by giving him as a present beautiful bondmaids and matured wines because he was too much fond of both. Once, al-Fat~h bin Khaqan gave him, after he recovered from illness, a very beautiful bondmaid, a gold cup, a crystal vat full of wine, and a piece of paper written in it some verses of poetry. Al-Mutawakkil admired that.
Youhannah bin Maswayh, his special physician, said to him, ‘O Ameerul Mo'minin, by Allah, al-Fat~h is more curative than me. Do not oppose what he advised you of!’[^432] He was preoccupied with sexual life.