Editing Harun al-Rashid (section)

=== Advisors ===

[[File:Dirham of Harun al-Rashid, Madinat al-Salam, 170AH.jpg|thumb|left|A silver [[dirham]] minted in Madinat al-Salam (Baghdad) in 170 [[Anno Hegirae|AH]] (786 CE). At the reverse, the inner marginal inscription says: "By order of the slave of God, Harun, [[Amir al-Mu'minin|Commander of the Faithful]]"]]

Hārūn was influenced by the will of his powerful mother in the governance of the empire until her death in 789; When he became caliph, Harun allowed her (Khayzuran) a free hand and, at times, restrained his own desires out of deference to her expressed wishes, and Khayzuran acted as an overseer of affairs, and Yahya deferred to her and acted on her advice. His [[vizier]] (chief minister) [[Yahya ibn Khalid]], Yahya's sons (especially [[Ja'far ibn Yahya]]), and other [[Barmakids]] generally controlled the administration. The position of [[Persians]] in the Abbasid caliphal court reached its peak during al-Rashid's reign.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Persian Presence in the Islamic World|first1=Richard G.|last1=Hovannisian|first2=Georges|last2=Sabagh|year=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521591850}}</ref>

The Barmakids were an [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] family (from [[Balkh]]) that dated back to the [[Khalid ibn Barmak|Barmak]], a hereditary [[Buddhist]] priest of [[Nava Vihara]], who converted after the Islamic conquest of Balkh and became very powerful under al-Mahdi. Yahya had helped Hārūn to obtain the caliphate, and he and his sons were in high favor until 798, when the caliph threw them in prison and confiscated their land. [[Al-Tabari]] dates this event to 803 and lists various reasons for it: Yahya's entering the Caliph's presence without permission; Yahya's opposition to Muhammad ibn al Layth, who later gained Harun's favour; and Ja'far's release of Yahya ibn Abdallah ibn Hasan, whom Harun had imprisoned.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

The fall of the Barmakids is far more likely due to their behaving in a manner that Harun found disrespectful (such as entering his court unannounced) and making decisions in matters of state without first consulting him.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} [[Al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi]] succeeded Yahya the Barmakid as Harun's chief minister.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}