CE). He also sent to al-Musta'in his mother and family from Samarra, but not until they had been stripped of everything they possessed. Instead of finding a refuge at Medina, al-Musta'in found himself kept in Baghdad. There he was put to death on 17 October 866 by the order of al-Mu'tazz. Carrying al-Musta'in's head to the Caliph, "Here," cried the executioner, "behold thy cousin's head!" "Lay it aside," answered al-Mu'tazz who was playing chess,—"till I have finished the game." And then, having satisfied himself that it was really al-Musta'in's head, he commanded 500 pieces to be given to the assassin as his reward. See also Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Ammar al-Burjumi an Abbasid chief judge (qadi al-qudat) of al-Musta'in. Fifth Fitna Source This text is adapted from William Muir's public domain, The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall. References 836 births 866 deaths Arab Muslims 9th-century Abbasid caliphs 9th-century murdered monarchs