Sulayman ibn Wahb

Under al-Wathiq (r. 842–847), he forged ties with the powerful Turkish military, serving as secretary to the Turkish generals Musa ibn Bugha and Aytakh. Under al-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861) he served twice as ʿamil (supervisor of finances) in Egypt, during which time he reportedly made a fortune. He was first appointed as vizier—by then an almost powerless office due to the internal turmoil and increasing domination of the Turkish military—towards the end of the reign of al-Muhtadi (r. 869–870), and then again in 877 and 878 under al-Mu'tamid (r. 870–892), alternating with his rival al-Hasan ibn Makhlad al-Jarrah. His inability to counter the mounting financial crisis led to his permanent dismissal and imprisonment, dying in prison in May/June 885. Sulayman was the founder of a veritable administrative dynasty: his son Ubayd Allah, grandson al-Qasim, and great-grandsons al-Husayn and Muhammad all became viziers.

• Name — Sulayman ibn Wahb سليمان بن وهب • Office1 — Secretary of Caliph al-Ma'mun • Term Start1 — 830s • Term End1 — 831/832 • Office2 — Secretary of General Musa and Aytakh • Term Start2 — 843 • Term End2 — 847 (under Caliph al-Wathiq) • Office3 — Supervisor of Finances in Egypt • Term Start3 — Under al-Mutawakkil he served twice as ʿamil • Term End3 — (supervisor of finances) in Egypt • Monarch3 — Al-Mutawakkil • Office4 — Abbasid vizier • Term Start4 — 870 • Term End4 — 21 June 870 • Monarch4 — Al-Muhtadi • Term Start5 — 877 • Term End5 — 878 • Monarch5 — Al-Mu'tamid • Birthplace — Abbasid Caliphate • Died — July/August c. 885 • Place of death — Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate (now Iraq) • Death Cause — Died in Prison of Baghdad • Children — Ayyub, Ubayd Allah • Father — Wahb