sixth caliph of the ʿAbbāsid dynasty.

As the son of Hārūn ar-Rashīd, the fifth caliph, and Zubayda, a niece of al-Manṣūr, the second caliph, al-Amīn took precedence in the succession over his elder half brother, al-Maʾmūn (Maʾmūn, al-), whose mother was a Persian slave. In 809, al-Amīn succeeded to the caliphate, and al-Maʾmūn was vested with the administration of the eastern Khorāsān region. Relations between the brothers soon broke down, and in 810 al-Amīn declared his own son as his direct heir. Open hostilities began in 811, and by 812 al-Amīn was besieged in Baghdad, the defense of which lasted more than a year. AlAmīn was captured and executed, apparently against the wishes of his brother.