The son of
Ja'far ibn Sulayman ibn Ali al-Hashimi, Abd al-Rahim was a minor member of the Abbasid dynasty, being a second nephew of the caliphs
al-Saffah (r. 750–754) and
al-Mansur (r. 754–775). He was appointed governor of the Yemen by the caliph
al-Mu'tasim (r. 833–842), and he arrived in
Sana'a near the beginning of 836. During his governorship he was forced to deal with the
Yu'firid rebel Yu'fir ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Hiwali, who imprisoned the previous governor
Abbad ibn al-Ghamr al-Shihabi and his son and defeated an expedition sent against him. Abd al-Rahim remained governor until 839, when he was dismissed in favor of
Ja'far ibn Dinar al-Khayyat. Abd al-Rahim was later arrested during the caliphate of
al-Wathiq (r. 842–847) and forced to surrender his wealth. He died in prison in ca. 844. == Notes ==