Abu Hashim al-Hasan (died 1040) was an imam of the Zaidi state in

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

who ruled part of the Yemeni highlands between 1031 and 1040. Abu Hashim al-Hasan was a fifth-generation descendant of al-Qasim al-Rassi (d. 860), one of the founders of the theological traditions of the

Zaydi Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, ...

branch of Shi'a Islam. In 1031, the year after the violent death of the former imam al-Mu’id li-Din Illah, Abu Hashim claimed the imamate. He was able to seize

San'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Govern ...

. One of the local grandees, Ibn Abi Hashid, fled, while another one, Nunsur bin Abi'l-Futuh, submitted. Abu Hashim's authority in San'a lasted until 1037, when he was expelled by the tribesmen of Hamdan. The Hamdanites later invited Ja'far, brother of the old imam

al-Mahdi al-Husayn al-Mahdi al-Husayn (987 - 1013) was an imam of the Zaidiyyah, Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in the years 1003–1013, in rivalry with another imam. Like most of the medieval Yemenite imams he was a member of the Rassids, Rassid line. His genealogy ...

, to rule the city as

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

. The following years were filled with contests over San'a, and Abu Hashim was able to regain control over the commercially important city for a brief term. After he had lost the city for good, he withdrew to

Sa'dah Saada ( ar, صَعْدَة, translit=Ṣaʿda), a city and ancient capital in the northwest of Yemen, is the capital and largest city of the province of the same name, and the county seat of the county of the same name. The city is located in the ...

in the north, which was the old stronghold of the

Zaydiyyah Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, a ...

. The hard pressed Abu Hashim died in 1040. A new pretender,

Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami (died 1053) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled from c. 1038 to 1053. Genealogy # Imam Ali al-Murtada # Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba # Zayd # al-Hasan # Ali # Abdullah # Ahmad # Abdullah # Muhammad # Is ...

, arrived from

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, possibly before Abu Hashim's death.H.C. Kay, ''Yaman; Its Early Medieval History''. London 1892, p. 229. Having proclaimed his

da'wa Dawah ( ar, دعوة, lit=invitation, ) is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. The plural is ''da‘wāt'' (دَعْوات) or ''da‘awāt'' (دَعَوات). Etymology The English term ''Dawah'' derives from the Arabic ...

(call for the imamate), he proceeded to seize

and San'a some years later, in 1046.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abiu Hashim Hasan Zaydi imams of Yemen Year of birth unknown 1040 deaths 11th century in Yemen 11th-century Arabs Rassid dynasty

See also

References