In the previous article we followed talking about Al-Muizz Li-Din Allah the Fatimid and his care for adding Egypt up to his rule and his moving to it. Previously we presented some of his characteristics such as his highly intelligence, mainly his ability to learn and acquire some languages.
Ibn Taghribirdi mentioned: “Al-Muizz was reasonable, assertive, a man of literature, generous, appraised, fair and square to his subjects… he mastered arts of science and literature.”
He liked being close to his subjects as he gave them advices. Some of those advices were mentioned by the Judge Noaman the Moroccan: “I want three things from you, and I hate three things from you: I want you to be honest and I hate you to be liars, I want you to have chastity and I hate treason from you, I want you to be modest and I hate pride from you. And that was the scariest of them all.”
It was also mentioned that he liked religious discussions so much to the extent that he used to gather his council of clergymen from Muslims, Christians and Jews to debate. Yacoub Ibn Killis- originally Jewish- was the vizier of Al-Muizz. He used to bring of his Jewish friends to talk with Al-Muizz, that he had a great influence on the Caliph who allowed him to invite the Patriarch -who was Pope Abraham Ebn-Zaraa at that time-to debate in religious matters. The Pope came accompanied by Sawires Ibn Al-Muqaffa Bishop of El-Ashmunein. The Jew debated with them and they presented strong evidence to prove the correctness of Christianity, which led Al-Muizz to honor them.
Only a few days before Yacoub the vizier spoke again with the Caliph Al-Muizz as he tried to set a trap to Christians. He mentioned that there was a verse in the Bible said: “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.”
He asked Al-Muizz to call for the Patriarch and order him to carry out that verse and prove that his faith was correct. Instantly Al-Muizz called for Pope Abraham Ibn-Zaraa and explained to him the matter. The Patriarch asked the Caliph to give him a period of three days and the Caliph agreed.
No sooner had the Pope came out than he gathered some of the bishops and the monks and they stayed at Saint Mary church in Old Cairo known as the Hanging Church for three days consequently where they fasted and prayed. They asked for God’s support and guidance.
On the third night; the Patriarch saw a vision in which Virgin Mary appeared and told him about a man, a shoemaker named Simon the Tanner. He was the chosen one on whose hands the miracle would be done.
The Patriarch obeyed and he brought Simon the Tanner -the righteous man- to the church and told him about the whole matter. The Pope insisted to know what he would do until Simon told him.
When the time came; Al-Muizz and all his people went to the mountain of Mokattam where the Pope and Simon the Tanner and all those who were with them stood on one side and Al-Muizz along with his people stood on the other side. Pope Abraham and all those who were with him kept praying to God and they were saying: “Kyrie eleison” which meant (Oh Lord have mercy). Then they knelt down three times.
It did happen that each time the Patriarch and the people rose their heads up after kneeling down that the mountain rose up. When they knelt down, the mountain would settle down again, and when they would come forward, the mountain would fall back. That kept happening until the Caliph was terrified and he asked the Pope to stop at once or else the whole city would flip over. After that incident, Al-Muizz allowed the Pope to ask for anything he wanted but he didn’t. When the Caliph insisted, the Pope told him that he wanted to reconstruct Saint Mercurius church known for Abu-Seifein in Old Cairo as well as other churches, which the Caliph agreed for and issued a decree stating that.
When the Caliph presented money from Bayt Al-Mal to Pope Abraham; he refused and thanked him. Many people opposed building churches so Al-Muizz sent a military force until the ground breaking was finished, and it was mentioned that he himself attended.
During the reign of Al-Muizz in Egypt, Al-Muti Li-Allah the Abbasid Caliph dethrone after he got sick and had a slow tongue which led to his inability to move. He handed the rule of the country over to his son Al-Taeeh Li-Allah Abdul-Karim, before his death…
Stories about Beautiful Egypt never end!
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
