Muhammad ibn Mikal was an Iranian nobleman from the Mikalid family, who served as a military commander of the Tahirid governor. He was the son of Mikal, a nobleman who had left Iraq and settled in Khurasan, and could trace his descent back to the Sogdian ruler Divashtich. Muhammad also had a brother named Shah ibn Mikal, who, during his early career, along with Muhammad, played an important role under the Tahirid ruler Abdallah ibn Tahir al-Khurasani. In 864, the AlidHasan ibn Zayd conquered Tabaristan from the Tahirids, while another Alid named Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Hasan expelled the Tahirid governor of Ray, and captured the city. The Tahirid governor Muhammad ibn Tahir shortly sent an army from Khurasan under Muhammad ibn Mikal, who managed to recapture the city and capture Muhammad ibn Ja'far. Hasan, however, quickly made a counter-attack under his Dailamite general Wajin, who managed to rout the army of Muhammad ibn Mikal, and kill the latter.
Muhammad had a son named Abd-Allah Mikali, who achieved prominence under the Saffarids, a dynasty which had conquered Khurasan from the Tahirids.
Sources
Al-Tabari, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir (1985–2007). Ehsan Yar-Shater (ed.). The History of Al-Ṭabarī. Vol.40 vols. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
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Abdallah ibn Tahir was a military leader and the Tahirid governor of Khurasan from 828 until his death. He is perhaps the most famous of the Tahirids. His career spanned twenty-five years under three caliphs, al-Ma'mun, al-Mu'tasim, and al-Wathiq. Militarily, he is known for defeating the powerful rebels Nasr ibn Shabath in the Jazira and Ubaydallah ibn al-Sari in Egypt.
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