'Adud al-Dawla

Who was 'Adud al-Dawla?

Fana Khusraw, better known by his laqab of Adud al-Dawla was king of the Buyid dynasty in Iran and Iraq. He is widely regarded as the greatest monarch of the dynasty, and one of the most powerful Muslim rulers during his late reign.

The son of Rukn al-Dawla, Fana Khusraw was given the title of Adud al-Dawla by the Abbasid caliph in 948 when he was made emir of Fars after the death of his childless uncle Imad al-Dawla, after which Rukn al-Dawla became the senior emir of the Buyids. In 974 Adud al-Dawla was sent by his father to save his cousin Izz al-Dawla from a rebellion. After defeating the rebel forces, he claimed the emirate of Iraq for himself, and forced his cousin to abdicate. His father, however, became angered by this decision and restored Izz al-Dawla. After the death of Adud al-Dawla's father, his cousin rebelled against him, but was defeated. Adud al-Dawla became afterwards the sole ruler of the Buyid dynasty and assumed the title Shahanshah.

When Adud al-Dawla became emir of Iraq, the capital of the city, Baghdad was suffering from violence and instability owing to sectarian conflict. In order to bring peace and stability to the city, he ordered the banning of public demonstrations and polemics. At the same time, he patronized a number of Shi'a scholars such as al-Mufid, and he sponsored the renovation of a number of important Shi'a shrines.