Al-Muhtasib al-Mujahid Hamzah

Last updated

Al-Muhtasib al-Mujahid Hamzah (died 2 November 1067) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled from 1060 to 1067.

Contents

Hamzah was the son of the imam Abu Hashim al-Hasan, and assisted his father when he proclaimed his da'wa (call for the imamate) in 1031. After the death of imam Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami in 1053 at the battle of Najd-al-Jah, no new imam appeared for some time. Much of Yemen was dominated by the powerful Sulayhid king Ali as-Sulayhi, who ruled San'a and the land south of it by 1063. In the northern highland, the Zaidis attempted to stall the Sulayhid advance. Hamzah became imam in 1060, being known by the title al-Muhtasib al-Mujahid Hamzah. The title muhtasib meant that he was only imam in the sense of protector of the community, but was not entitled to lead the public prayers or pass legal sentences. [1] His chance seemed to come in 1067, when Ali as-Sulayhi was assaulted and killed by the Najahid ruler Sa'id bin Najah from Zabid. Al-Muhtasib al-Mujahid Hamzah immediately grabbed the opportunity and attacked San'a with 500 cavalry and 15,000 infantry, mainly tribesmen of Hamdan. The attack was however met by the loyal Sulayhid commander Amir az-Zawahi. [2] When the imam and his followers had reached al-Malwa, the Sulayhid forces gave battle on 2 November 1067. The imam was defeated and killed together with one of his sons. [3] A Zaidi clan, the Hamzite Sharifs, was descended from him. His demise was followed by an extended period of 72 years when no Zaidi imam was appointed. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Islam came to Yemen around 630 during Muhammad's lifetime and the rule of the Persian governor Badhan. Thereafter, Yemen was ruled as part of Arab-Islamic caliphates, and became a province in the Islamic empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahirids (Yemen)</span> Former Arab Muslim dynasty

The Tahirids were an Arab Muslim dynasty that ruled Yemen from 1454 to 1517. They succeeded the Rasulid Dynasty and were themselves replaced by the Mamluks of Egypt after only 63 years in power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imams of Yemen</span> Religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam

The Imams of Yemen, later also titled the Kings of Yemen, were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and temporal-political rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their imamate endured under varying circumstances until the end of the North Yemen Civil War in 1970, following the republican revolution in 1962. Zaidiyyah theology differs from Isma'ilism and Twelver Shi’ism by stressing the presence of an active and visible imam as leader. The imam was expected to be knowledgeable in religious scholarship, and to prove himself a worthy headman of the community, even in battle if this was necessary. A claimant of the imamate would proclaim a "call" (dawah), and there were not infrequently more than one claimant.

Al-Mansur Ali II (1812–1871) was an Imam of Yemen who reigned in the capital San'a during four brief terms. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.

Al-Mu'ayyad Abbas was an Imam of Yemen who ruled briefly in 1850. He belonged to the Qasimi family, descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen between 1597 and 1962. Abbas bin Abd ar-Rahman was a scholar who descended from Imam al-Mutawakkil Isma'il in the sixth generation. He was a disciple of the renowned Yemeni scholar Muhammad ash-Shawkani. After the abortive Ottoman intervention in highland Yemen in 1849, the remains of the Zaidi state became the prey of political rivalries. The current imam al-Mansur Ali II was an alcoholic and commanded little respect; tribal groups rebelled, and the court in San'a was dominated by the oppressive minister al-Misri. Certain Sayyids and qadis in San'a defected to Sa'dah far to the north, where al-Mansur Ahmad bin Hashim posed as imam. Al-Mansur Ahmad besieged San'a in 1850. However, the elite of San'a chose Abbas as their imam, under the name al-Mu'ayyad Abbas. The new imam appointed Muhammad ash-Shawkani's son Ahmad as his qadi. His soldiers and emirs held out for a while against the attackers in the qasr (fortress) of the city. Finally he had to surrender to al-Mansur Ahmad and was imprisoned. The victor, however, could only maintain his position in San'a for three months before he was forced to flee to the Arhab tribe. In the following year 1851, the contenders for the Zaidi imamate agreed to appoint al-Hadi Ghalib. Al-Mu'ayyad Abbas withdrew to a life of scholarship and teaching until his demise in 1880.

The Sulayhid dynasty was an Ismaili Shi'ite Arab dynasty established in 1047 by Ali ibn Muhammad al-Sulayhi that ruled most of historical Yemen at its peak. The Sulayhids brought to Yemen peace and a prosperity unknown since Himyaritic times. The regime was confederate with the Cairo-based Fatimid Caliphate, and was a constant enemy of the Rassids - the Zaidi Shi'ite rulers of Yemen throughout its existence. The dynasty ended with Arwa al-Sulayhi affiliating to the Taiyabi Ismaili sect, as opposed to the Hafizi Ismaili sect that the other Ismaili dynasties such as the Zurayids and the Hamdanids adhered to.

An-Nasir al-Hasan bin Ali was a claimant to the Zaidi state of Yemen between 1579 and 1585, in opposition to the Ottoman Turks, who occupied the Yemeni lands for years.

al-Mahdi al-Husayn was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in the years 1003–1013, in rivalry with another imam.

Imam Al-Mutawakkil Ali al-Mutahhar was a ruler of Yemen from Sana’a who reigned from 1436 to 1474. He belonged to the Qasimid family who were descendants Muhammad, He ruled by the Quran and the Sunnah and he left a number of writings on Hadith including poetry praising Mohammad.

Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled from c. 1038 to 1053.

Al-Hasan bin Wahhas was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 1258–1260.

Al-Mu'ayyad Yahya was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen whose tenure of the imamate lasted from 1328 to 1346.

Al-Mutawakkil Ahmad bin Sulayman (1106–1171) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who revived the polity after a long interregnum, wielding power in 1138–1171.

Al-Mansur Abdallah, was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who held the imamate from 1187 to 1217.

An-Nasir Muhammad bin Abdallah was an imam of part of the Zaidi state in Yemen, who ruled in 1217–1226 in rivalry with a contender.

Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali al-Sulayhi was the founder and sultan of the Sulayhid dynasty in Yemen. He established his kingdom in 1047 and by 1063, the Sulayhids controlled had unified the entire country of Yemen as well as the Muslim holy city of Mecca under his leadership. Al-Sulayhi was killed in 1066 during a tribal vendetta between the Sulayhids and the Najahids of Zabid. He was succeeded by his son, Ahmad al-Mukarram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zurayids</span> Yemeni dynasty of the 11th and 12th centuries

The Zurayids, were a Yamite Hamdani dynasty based in Yemen in the time between 1083 and 1174. The centre of its power was Aden. The Zurayids suffered the same fate as the Hamdanid sultans, the Sulaymanids and the Mahdids, since their lands were taken over by the Ayyubids, and they themselves were liquidated. They were a Shia Ismaili dynasty that followed the Fatimid Caliphs based in Egypt. They were also Hafizi Ismaili as opposed to the Taiyabi Ismaili.

The Yemeni Hamdanids was a series of three families descended from the Arab Banū Hamdān tribe, who ruled in northern Yemen between 1099 and 1174. They were expelled from power when the Ayyubids conquered Yemen in 1174. They were a Shia Ismaili dynasty that followed the Fatimid Caliphs based in Egypt. They were also Hafizi Ismaili as opposed to the Taiyabi Ismaili.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Sana'a, Yemen.

A mujahid is a person engaged in jihad.

References

  1. Cf. Madeleine Schneider, 'Les inscriptions arabes de l'ensemble architectural de Zafar-Dhi Bin (Yémen du Nord)', Journal asiatique 273 1985, p. 89.
  2. R.B. Serjeant & R. Lewcock, San'a'; An Arabian Islamic City. London 1983, p. 58.
  3. Wilferd Madelung, Der Imam al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim und die Glaubenslehre der Zaiditen. Berlin 1965, p. 206.
  4. H.C. Kay, Yaman; Its Early Medieval History. London 1892, p. 229.

Further reading

Vacant
Interregnum
Title last held by
Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami
Zaydi Imam of Yemen
10601067
Vacant
Interregnum
Title next held by
al-Mutawakkil Ahmad bin Sulayman