788 AH, Mon, 20/10
Monday 20 shawwāl 788, the sultan summoned the abbasid Zakaryā to appoint him as successor of his brother in the caliphate after the death of his brother al-Wāthiq bi-Llāh ʿUmar, with all the judges, the amirs, and the notables. His oncle al-Muʿtaḍid gave him a diploma as successor of the caliph, and the sultan gave him a non-caliphian robe.
28/10/0788
On Thursday 28, the caliph goes up to the citadel, where the grand judges, the amirs and the shaykh al-islām Sirāj al-Dīn ʿUmar al-Bulqīnī were waiting for him. The latter opens the session, and invites the sultan to swear allegiance (bāyʿa), then the others swore allegiance, according to their rank. And he has been name (nuʿit) al-Muʿtaṣim bi-Llāh. And the caliphian robe was given to him, according to the custom. And he went down to his palace (dār) with the judges and the notables of the state.
02/11/0788
Monday 2 dhū l-qaʿda, Zakaryāʾ (the aforementionned) went up to the citadel, and the sultan gave him a second robe for the mashhad al-nafīsī (the precious tomb), according to the custom of the caliphs of Egypt who preceded him. This custom was not an ancient one, but it was recent.