Al-Mansur Muhammad (1441 – March 4, 1505) was an
imam
Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...
of the
Zaidi state in
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
who ruled in 1475–1504, in rivalry with other claimants for the
imamate
The term imamate or ''imamah'' (, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a Muslim theocratic state ruled by an ''imam''.
Theology
*Imamate in Shia doctrine, the doctrine of the leadership of the Muslim commu ...
.
Zaidi disunity
Muhammad bin Ali as-Siraji al-Washali was one of the three
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...
s who claimed the Yemeni imamate after the death of
al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar in
Dhamar in 1474. He was a seventh-generation descendant of the imam
Yahya bin Muhammad as-Siraji (d. 1296). He took the honorific title al-Mansur Muhammad. The two other claimants were
al-Hadi Izz ad-din (d. 1495) and
an-Nasir Muhammad (d. 1488). A fourth imam,
al-Mu’ayyad Muhammad posed as lord of
San'a (Sahib San'a) since 1464. Al-Mansur Muhammad was thus only one of several leaders in the Zaidi lands of highland Yemen. At this time, the
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Tahiride dynasty ruled from
Zabid
Zabid () (also spelled Zabīd, Zabeed and Zebid) is a town with an urban population of around 52,590 people, located on Yemen's western coastal plain. It is one of the oldest towns in Yemen, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. Ho ...
and
Ta'izz
Taiz () is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located in the Yemeni highlands, near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is the capital of Taiz Governorate. As of 2023, the city has an estimated p ...
in the lowland and southern highland. The Tahiride sultans did not attempt to expand to the north after 1465, and their relations to the Zaidi imams oscillated between tolerance and enmity. A preserved text outlines the political situation in the Zaidi territory around 1500. Al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad ruled San'a and the surrounding districts; the
Kawkaban area stood under the sons of the old imam
al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar; and the traditional Zaidi centre
Sa'dah and its districts were divided between al-Mansur Muhammad and two other families.
Defeats against the Tahirides
Al-Mansur Muhammad attacked Tahiride positions between
Dhamar and San'a in 1496 and 1498. On the latter occasion the imam's forces were completely routed. After the death of al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad bin an-Nasir in 1503, San'a was dominated by a certain Sharib. In the next year, the Tahiride Sultan Amir attacked the city. Al-Mansur Muhammad hastened down to relieve the defenders of San'a, but he fell in the hands of Sultan Amir. The Tahirides entered San'a and a reign of terror ensued. The captured imam was poisoned in prison in San'a three months later.
[Lein O. Schuman, ''Political History of the Yemen at the Beginning of the 16th Century''. Groningen 1960, p. 53.] The Tahiride triumph was just temporary. Two years later the Zaidi imamate was continued in the person of
al-Mutawakkil Yahya Sharaf ad-Din, who managed to unite large parts of Yemen under his authority.
See also
*
Imams of Yemen
The Imams of Yemen, later also titled the Kings of Yemen, were religiously consecrated leaders ( imams) belonging to the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and temporal-political rule in parts of Yemen from 897. T ...
*
Rassids
*
History of Yemen
Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable population, a feature recognized by the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy, who desc ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur Muhammad
Zaydi imams of Yemen
1505 deaths
1441 births
15th century in Yemen
16th century in Yemen
15th-century Arab people
15th-century Zaydis
16th-century Zaydis