al-MUWAFFAQ RETURNS FROM MEKKA
After al-Mu`tazz had begun his crack down on the Turkish
officer class, al-Muwaffaq, then commander of the
`Abbasid military, went into a self-imposed exile in Mekka. After al-Mu`tazz's
death, as al-Mu`tamid came to power,
al-Muwaffaq returned from exile to Baghdad in order
to help lead the armies against the growing Zandj revolt in southern Iraq. Through
his connections within the military and the weakness of al-Mu`tamid,
al-Muwaffaq was able to turn himself into virtual
regent of the empire.