Medieval Islamic writers make numerous references to a Wadih being active in the early Abbasid Caliphate. In the majority of circumstances, he is characterized as a
mawla (freedman or client), but it is difficult to determine whether the sources are referring to a single individual or to multiple persons. Historian
Elton L. Daniel speculated that there were "at least two and perhaps three (or more)" Wadihs extant during this period, and that it is impossible in certain instances to say which was which. During the reign of the second Abbasid caliph
al-Mansur (), Wadih was the
mawla assigned to the construction of a quarter of
Baghdad in 762. Wadih, ''mawla
amir al-mu'minin'', later served as governor of a section of Baghdad and he and his children owned estates in the new city. According to
al-Ya'qubi, Wadih,
mawla of al-Mansur, was dispatched by the caliph to govern
Armenia and
Adharbayjan in the aftermath of a
Sanariyya rebellion, remaining there for the duration of al-Mansur's reign. Al-Ya'qubi also specifies that he was one of al-Mansur's officials that were chosen from among his clients.
Al-Tabari similarly notes a Wadih,
mawla of Abi Ja'far (al-Mansur), citing him as a source of several anecdotes about the caliph. In 779 Wadih was appointed governor of
Egypt by the caliph
al-Mahdi (), with jurisdiction over prayers and security (
salah) as well as taxation (
kharaj).
Ibn Taghribirdi refers to him as "Wadih ibn Abdallah al-Mansuri" and describes him as a eunuch (
khasi) and
mawla of Salih ibn al-Mansur, further noting that he was close to al-Mansur and that he was dismissed as governor after the Egyptians complained about his oppressive administration. He was stripped of office after a few months and replaced with
Mansur ibn Yazid ibn Mansur al-Himyari. Al-Ya'qubi adds that Wadih was the governor of Egypt responsible for forwarding money and resources to al-Mahdi during the latter's renovation of the
Great Mosque of Mecca, though that event had occurred in 776/7. In Wadih,
mawla of Salih ibn al-Mansur, was serving as master of the postal systems (
barid) in Egypt when the
Alid Idris ibn Abdallah, who was fleeing from the authorities in the aftermath of the
Battle of Fakhkh, arrived in the province. Wadih, described at this juncture by al-Tabari as a "vile partisan of the
Shi'ites" (
rafidi khabith), assisted Idris in his escape, giving him use of the postal mounts to head west to the
Maghreb where he later formed an
independent state. As a result, Wadih was executed and crucified on the orders of either
al-Hadi () or
Harun al-Rashid (). In al-Tabari's history, a Wadih is the source for an account of the death of al-Mahdi. This Wadih is not referred to as a
mawla, but as a member of al-Mahdi's domestic staff (
qahraman). Al-Yaq'ubi himself was the descendant of a Wadih,
mawla of al-Mansur, possibly as a grandson although the sources are disputed. The historian is the sole source for certain pieces of information about Wadih, and according to
Ibn al-Daya he repeatedly cited Wadih as a transmitter of accounts. ==Notes==