Page "Abd al-Rahman I" Paragraph 32

According to the chroniclers, the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur once asked his courtiers who deserved the exalted title of " Falcon of the Quraysh " ( Saqr Quraish, foremost of the Prophet's tribe ).

The obsequious courtiers naturally replied " You, oh Commander of the Faithful!

", but the Caliph said no.

Then they suggested Mu ' awiya ( founder of the Umayyad Caliphate ), but the Caliph again said no.

Then they suggested Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ( one the greatest of the Umayyad caliphs ), but again no.

Then who, they asked, and the Caliph al-Mansur replied: