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The Aspects of al‐Mansur's Personality
As for the aspects for which al‐Mansur has been known and were among his elements and
selfness, they are as follows:
1. Miserliness
Without doubt, miserliness is the only source of all psychological vices; therefore, the one who
has it is void of all kinds of generosity and nobility; this quality urges him to go too far in
committing sins and throws him in ruinous evil. This evil tendency was among the most prominent
aspects of al‐Mansur, for he was a proverbial for his miserliness. He subjected the Islamic state to
inclusive famine, misery, and deprivation. Because of his intense miserliness he was given the
nickname of al‐Dewaniqi.
Ibn al‐Athir has said: "Al‐Mansur was named al‐Dewaniqi because of his miserliness. That was
when he ordered a trench to be dug in Kufa (and ordered) a danaq to be given (to the workers)
and to be spent on the digging. The danaq is one sixth a dirham." Then he has said: "In the year
155 A. H. al‐Mansur ordered a wall and a trench to be built and dug around Basrah and Kufa. He
ordered those
[1] Al‐'Asr al‐'Abbasi, p. 68.
workers who built the wall and dug the trench to be given five Dirhams. After they had finished
that, he ordered them to be brought together and forty dirhams to be taken from each of them.
Concerning that the poet has said: O My people, what have we met from the Commander of the
faithful? He gave five (dirhams) to each of us and took forty (dirhams) from each of us![1]
Having finished building Baghdad, al‐Mansur settled an account with the commanders of his army
and forced them to return that which was with them, to the extent that he took fifteen dirhams
from some of them. [2] He would settle an account with the workers even it was an amount of
danaq or habba.[3] As for the aspects of his miserliness, they are as follows:
A. He deprived himself of pleasures
His miserliness urged him to deprive himself of enjoying the pleasures in life. He avoided luxury;
he wore coarse garments; perhaps, he patched his own shirt with his hand. Concerning him, Imam
al‐Sadiq has said: "Praise belongs to Allah Who tried him with his own poverty in his kingdom!"[4]
One of his female slaves saw him wearing a patched shirt, and she sneeringly asked him: "Does a
caliph wear a patched garment?" He smiled and answered her: "Woe unto you! Have you not hear
the words of the poet, Bin Harama: "Man may attain honor though his shirt is old and the pocket
of his shirt is patched!"[5] Certainly al‐Mansur did not attain honor; rather he reached the deep
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