Al-Mansur al-Husayn (1669–1720) was an

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve ...

over parts of

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 north and Oman to the northeast and ...

, who ruled in rivalry with other competitors in 1716–1720. He belonged to the Qasimid family who dominated the Zaidi

imamate {{expand Arabic, date=April 2021 The term imamate or ''imamah'' ( ar, إمامة, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate, in Sunni doctrine the caliphate :* Naqshb ...

of Yemen in 1597–1962. Al-Husayn bin al-Qasim was a grandson of the imam

al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad Al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad (1582 – September 1644) was an Imam of Yemen (1620–1644), son of Al-Mansur al-Qasim. He managed to expel the Ottoman Turks entirely from the Yemenite lands, thus confirming an independent Zaidi state. Succeeding to the im ...

I (d. 1644). He took advantage of popular discontent with the current imam

al-Mahdi Muhammad Al-Mahdi Muhammad bin Ahmed (October 27, 1637 – August 2, 1718), also known as ''Ṣāḥib al-Mawāhib'', was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1689–1718. He belonged to the Qasimid family that was descended from the Islamic prophet Muhamm ...

. He claimed the

in the strong fortification

Shaharah Shaharah ( ar, شهارة ) is a large mountain village and seat of Shaharah District of the 'Amran Governorate, Yemen. The village "lies at 2600 metres and overlooks mountainous bulging swells to the south and shimmering hot plains to the north." ...

in 1716, taking the name al-Mansur. A large part of the country quickly fell away from the unpopular al-Mahdi Muhammad. The old imam released his nephew al-Qasim from prison and sent him to deal with the pretender. However, al-Mansur al-Husayn defeated his opponent at

As Sudah Al-Sudah, also As Sudah ( ar, السودة ), is a town in 'Amran Governorate, Yemen. It is the seat of As Sudah District. It is a sizeable administrative center, located in the highlands west of Khamir. History Al-Sudah is first mentioned in ...

. Al-Qasim soon defected from his uncle, acknowledged al-Mansur al-Husayn, and besieged the old imam. Al-Mahdi Muhammad had to give up and sue for a truce. Al-Mansur al-Husayn began to strike coins in his own name. However, already in the same year 1716 a-Qasim turned against the new imam, and proclaimed himself with the name

al-Mutawakkil al-Qasim Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿtaṣim bi-ʾllāh ( ar, جعفر بن محمد المعتصم بالله; March 822 – 11 December 861), better known by his regnal name Al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (, "He who relies on God") was t ...

. He controlled

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 ...

and the seaports, while al-Mansur al-Husayn merely held Shaharah and some surrounding territories. Blocked from the sources of revenue, he led a meagre existence until he died in 1720.R. Serjeant & R. Lewcock, ''San'a'; an Arabian Islamic City''. London 1983, p. 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur al-Husayn Zaydi imams of Yemen 1669 births 1720 deaths 17th-century Arabs 18th-century Arabs

See also

References