nephew of the first two ʿAbbāsid caliphs, military leader, and at one time presumptive heir to the caliphate.

The caliph as-Saffāḥ nominated his brother al-Manṣūr (Manṣūr, al-) and, after him, ʿIsā, as heirs. On the accession of al-Manṣūr, ʿIsā was governor of Kūfah. The new caliph sent him to lead an army against an ʿAlid revolt in Medina, apparently with the hope that he might be killed. In a series of battles, ʿIsā secured al-Manṣūr's rule but was forced by intimidation to renounce his rights of succession to al-Manṣūr's son Muḥammad al-Mahdī. On al-Manṣūr's death, ʿIsā again pressed his claim and was defeated in favor of al-Mahdī's son Mūsā al-Hādī.