Mutawakkil's Assassination

Mutawakkil followed Haroon’s tradition of appointing his successors after himself. He appointed three of his sons as his successors and gave each one a portion of the Abbasid territory. He appointed his oldest son, Muntasir, as his primary successor. He then appointed his two other sons, Mu’tazz and Mu’ayyad, as Muntasir’s successors. However, he later decided to replace Muntasir with Mu’tazz, as a sign of love for Mu’tazz’s mother. Muntasir did not accept giving up his position. As a result, his relationship with his father deteriorated.
Unlike his father, Muntasir, who may have been influenced by the royal teacher, Ibn Sekkit, had positive opinions about the Ahlul-Bayt. He had heard his father cursing Lady Fatimah in his presence and became upset with him. Once, Muntasir came to his father, Mutawakkil, while he was intoxicated and enjoying a performance where someone was acting and ridiculing Imam Ali. Muntasir objected to his father holding an insulting performance about Imam Ali, and reminded him that they all belonged to the Prophet’s clan of Banu Hashim. Mutawakkil responded harshly to his son and insulted him using shameful words. This insult triggered Muntasir to act against his father. He conspired with a group of Turk leaders to kill his father. The Turks were motivated for this plan, as they feared losing their influence in the government due to Mutawakkil’s prior decisions to reduce their power. Subsequently, one night Muntasir came to his father with a group of armed Turks. They killed Mutawakkil and his minister, Fath ibn Khaqan. This incident shows the significant amount of power that the Turks had in the Abbasid government, to the extent that they could kill and replace the Caliph. As a result, the next Abbasid caliphs were practically powerless compared to the Turks.