The officers of the army then at first made Gaish Abu’l-Asakir (one of Khumarawaih’s sons) emir; but, when this fourteen-year-old boy seemed incapable of anything but stupid jokes, they put his brother Harun on the throne.  Every commanding officer, however, did as he liked.  Rajib, the commander of the army of defence, declared himself on the side of the caliph, and the Syrian emirs gave themselves up to his general, Muhammed ibn Suleiman, without any resistance.  At the close of the year he was before Fostat, and at the same time a fleet appeared at Damietta.  A quarrel arose amongst Harun’s body-guard, in which the unlucky prince was killed (904).  His uncle Shaiban, a worthy son of Ahmed, made a last stand, but was obliged to give in to the superior force.

Muhammed behaved with his Turks in the most outrageous way in Fostat:  the plundering was unrestrained, and that part of Fostat which Ahmed had built was almost entirely destroyed.  The adherents of the reigning family were grossly maltreated, many of them killed, and others sent to Baghdad.  The governors changed in rapid succession; disorder, want, and wretchedness existed throughout the entire country west of the caliph’s kingdom.  At this period the provinces of the empire had already fallen into the hands of the numerous minor princes, who, presuming on the caliph’s weakness, had declared themselves independent sovereigns.  Nothing remained to the Abbasids but Baghdad, a few neighbouring provinces, and Egypt.

Under the Caliphs Muktadir, Kahir, and Rahdi, Egypt had an almost constant change of governors.  One of them, Abu Bekr Muhammed, ultimately became the founder of a new dynasty,—­the Ikshidite,—­destined to rule over Egypt and Syria.  Abu Bekr Muhammed was the son of Takadj, then governor of Damascus.  His father had been chief emir at the court of the Tulunid princes, and, after the fall of this dynasty, remained in Egypt, where he occupied a post under the government.  Intrigues, however, drove him to Syria, whither his partisans followed him.  He first entered the army of the caliph, and, capturing the town of Ramleh, was given the governorship of Damascus as reward.  His son Abu Bekr Muhammed did not go to Egypt to fulfil the duties with which he had been invested, and only retained the title for one month.  He was subsequently reinstated, and this time repaired thither.  But Ahmed ibn Kighlagh, who was then governing Egypt, refused to retire and was only defeated after several engagements, when he and his followers proceeded to Barca in Africa.

In the year 328 of the Hegira, the caliph Radhi bestowed the honour of Emir el-Umara (Prince of Princes) upon Muhammed ibn Raik.  This officer, discontented with the government of Palestine, led an army into Syria and expelled Badra, the lieutenant of Muhammed el-Ikshid.  The latter left Egypt at once, entrusting the government of that country to his brother, el-Hassan, and brought his forces to Faramah, where the troops of Muhammed ibn Raik were already stationed.  Thanks to the mediation of several emirs, matters were concluded peacefully, and Muhammed el-Ikhshid returned to Fostat.  Upon his arrival, however, he learnt that Muhammed ibn Raik had again left Damascus and was preparing to march upon Egypt.