'Adil ibn Munsif

"I am not underpaid to answer questions. I suggest you make this worth my time. Otherwise..."

―'Adil to Basim, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

'Adil ibn Munsif was a judge who served in the Mazalim Courts of Baghdad during the 9th century. His tenure as an Abbasid official coincided with Muhammad ibn Tahir's tenure as the governor of Khorasan.

Biography[edit | edit source]

'Adil: "He's feared. Respected. Dedicated to the rule of law, order."

Basim: "That is all you know? You were here. Muhammad ibn Tahir keeps office at the courts!"

'Adil: "At the Shurta Courts, not the Mazalim. He does keep spies here. One scuttles back to his office every day at noon. Goodbye now."

—'Adil telling Basim about governor Muhammad, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

In the 860s, while working at his office in the court, 'Adil was visited by the Alamut Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq, who came seeking information on governor Muhammad. Adil agreed to answer Basim's questions in exchange for a few tokens, which the Hidden One gave to him.^[1]

Contrary to what Basim wanted, 'Adil simply told him that Muhammad was a respected and feared official who was dedicated to the rule of law and order. The Hidden One pressed him for more information, stating 'Adil should know more since the governor's office would be in the court as well. 'Adil contradicted his statement, informing Basim that the governor's office was at the Shurta courts and not the Mazalim Courts. He also told him of a messenger of Muhammad's who would alternate between both courts, inadvertently providing Basim with the information he needed to find the governor.^[1]