Prince Ma'dad ibn Yusuf al-Fawaresi al-Arslani al-Tanukhi,
assumed the Emirate of al-Gharb (i.e., the region extending from the western slopes of Mount Lebanon along the Damascus–Beirut road, overlooking the Levantine coast) in the year 1020 AD.
Prince Ma'dad resided in the village of al-Bireh, having previously lived in the village of Filjin when he received an epistle from the missionary al-Muqtana Baha' al-Din al-Samuqi from the House of the Tawhid Call in Cairo, entrusting him with the affairs of the Tawhid Call in the country. In it, he described him as the praiseworthy patron and protector of the Unitarians (al-Muwahhidun), commending to his care Sheikh Abi al-Qasim ibn Mansur Hiba in Shamlikh, the two princes Abi al-Hasan and Abi al-Izz, sons of Khidr in Kafr Silwan, as well as the protection of those residing in the towns of Ain Dara, Al-Murooj, and Ain Sofar. The Prince indeed undertook the care and defense of the Call. Previously, the Jumayhiriyya Epistle (one of the Epistles of Wisdom) had been sent to the Tanukhid princes: Abi Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Abi Abdallah Muhammad, Abi al-Fada'il Abd al-Khaliq ibn Muhammad, and Abi al-Hasan Yusuf ibn Musabbih in the year 1028 AD. It coincided that Prince Ma'dad's appointment occurred during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph Ali al-Zahir, who persecuted the Unitarians; nevertheless, under Prince Ma'dad, the Lebanese districts served as a haven and refuge for the Unitarians fleeing from all lands under Fatimid authority.
Despite the severe persecution and torment to which the Unitarians were subjected during al-Zahir's reign, and due to matters dictated by political necessities, they did not abandon their support for the Fatimids because of the spiritual bond linking them. Consequently, Prince Ma'dad refused to join the tripartite alliance composed of three Arab tribes who were no less hostile to Tawhid than al-Zahir himself: Salih ibn Mirdas, chieftain of the Banu Kilab tribe; Hassan ibn Daghfal ibn Jarrah, chieftain of Tayy; and Sinan ibn Ulayyan, chieftain of Banu Kalb, who were inciting unrest and rebellions in northern Syria. Salih ibn Mirdas seized Aleppo, then Homs, Baalbek, and their dependencies, and attempted to take Tripoli, Beirut, Sidon, and the rest of the Levant to divide them among the factions of the anti-Fatimid tripartite alliance. Prince Ma'dad mobilized his fighting forces and rose to battle against the aforementioned alliance alongside the commander of the Fatimid army, Anushtakin al-Dizbari.
In the decisive Battle of al-Uqhuwana in 1029 AD, Prince Ma'dad performed exceptionally well, attracting widespread attention. Sinan ibn Ulayyan had been killed, and in his place stepped his nephew, Prince Rafi' ibn Abi al-Layl, who defected from the alliance to join the Fatimids, distinguishing himself as one of the prominent heroes in that battle. Salih ibn Mirdas was also killed at al-Uqhuwana, while his son Nasr fled the battlefield, gained control of Aleppo, and collaborated with Niketas, the Byzantine Catepan of Antioch, to attack the Fatimid community in Jabal al-Summaq in the Aleppo countryside—who were Unitarians. They inflicted horrific atrocities and a severe ordeal upon them in Antioch in 1032 AD; some were killed, some apostatized, and others went into hiding if they could, while vast multitudes fled to the Lebanese districts to find the best refuge under Prince Ma'dad. At that time, apostasy grew prevalent and attacks escalated against the Unitarians by apostates in Wadi al-Taym (the Rashaya and Hasbaya region), who also spread false and misleading teachings contrary to the principles of the Tawhid Call while falsely attributing them to it. The most harmful among them was the chief missionary of that region who apostatized and turned against the Call, Mas'ud ibn Sukayna, residing in the village of “Tannoura,” causing many to flee to the Chouf region.
When his threat worsened and peaceful means failed to curb him, al-Muqtana Baha' al-Din wrote to Prince Ma'dad urging him to put an end to the activities of the apostates, especially Sukayn. The Prince launched a military campaign into Wadi al-Taym, eliminating most of the rebels in the year 1038 AD.
As for Sukayn, he fled the battle and was killed during his flight by a Unitarian woman from the Kaboul family.
Prince Ma'dad—may God have mercy on him—passed away in the year 1040 AD, and was succeeded by Prince Abu al-Fada'il Ali ibn Abdallah ibn Madhhaj al-Arslani.
Ibrahim al-Aaqil, Studies in Society and History
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