The triumphant march of Tulun was hindered in the year 879 by bad news from Fostat.  One of his sons, El-Abbas, had quarrelled with his father, and had marched to Barca, with troops which he led afterwards to disaster, and had taken with him money to the amount of 1,000,000 dinars ($2,530,000).  He thought himself safe from his enraged father there, but the latter quickly returned to Fostat, and the news of the ample preparations which he was hastening for the subjection of his rebel son caused El-Abbas to place himself still farther out of his reach.  He suddenly attacked the state of Ibrahim II. (the Aghlabite), and caused serious trouble with his soldiery in the eastern districts of Tripolis.  The neighbouring Berbers gave Ibrahim their assistance, and Abbas was defeated and retreated to Barca in 880.  He remained there some time until an army sent by Ahmed annihilated his troops and he himself was taken prisoner.

The rebellion of his son was the turning-point in Ahmed’s career:  Lulu, his general in Mesopotamia, deserted him for Muaffik, and an endeavour to conquer Mecca was frustrated by the unexpected resistance of numbers of newly arrived pilgrims.  Ahmed now caused the report to be spread that Muaffik was a conspirator against the representatives of the Prophet, thus depriving him of his dignity.

[Illustration:  361.jpg THE MOSQUE OF IBN TULUN]

The emir had also besieged in vain at Tarsus his former general Jasman, who had become presumptuous on account of his victory over the Byzantines.  He would eventually have made up for this defeat, but an illness overcame him while encamped before Tarsus.  He obeyed his doctor’s orders as little as the caliph’s, and his malady, aggravated by improper diet, caused his death in his fifty-first year at Fostat in 884, whither he had withdrawn.  He left seventeen sons,—­enough to assure a dynasty of a hundred years.  Khumarawaih, who inherited the kingdom, had not many of his father’s characteristics.  He was a good-natured, pleasure-loving young man, barely twenty years old, and with a marked distaste for war.  He did, however, notwithstanding his peace-loving proclivities, fight the caliph’s forces near Damascus, and defeat them, never having seen a battle before.  The emir fled from the scene in a panic.

When Muatadid became caliph in 892, he offered his daughter Katr en-Neda (Dewdrop) in marriage to the caliph’s son.  The Arabic historians relate that Khuma-rawaih was fearful of assassination, and had his couch guarded by a trained lion, but he was finally put to death (a.h. 282), according to some accounts by women, and according to others by his eunuchs.  The death of Khu-marawaih was the virtual downfall of the Tulunid dynasty.