Al Ma’mun’s surprise victory over his brother left him in charge of the entire caliphate. But the conclusion of the great fitna did not bring an end to its miseries: the chaos of war had spread throughout the land and the new caliph possessed neither the experience nor the resources to return peace to his umma. To everyone’s detriment, the caliph’s most trusted advisors displayed a myopic obsession with personal control and proved wholly inadequate at administering the state.