Al-Mansur an-Nasir (died 1462) 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 ...

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 north and Oman to the northeast and ...

who held power in parts of the northern Yemeni highland in 1436–1462. The old imam

al-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din Al-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din (1373 – 14 February 1436) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 2 November 1391 – 14 February 1436, partly in rivalry with other claimants to the imamate. Contest over the imamate Ali bin Salah ad- ...

died from the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

in 1436. His position was then claimed by three different

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamm ...

s, of which one was al-Mansur an-Nasir. He was the great-great-grandson of the imam

al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin Yahya Al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin Yahya (June 1217 – June 23, 1298) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen whose imamate lasted from 1276 to 1298. Internal Zaidi rivalries When the old imam al-Mahdi Ibrahim was defeated and captured by the Ras ...

(d. 1298). The two other competitors were al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar (d. 1474) and al-Mahdi Salah ad-Din (d. 1445). Al-Mansur an-Nasir tried to strengthen his claim by marrying the granddaughter of al-Mansur Ali. At this time, the once powerful Rasulid Dynasty in lowland Yemen was quickly crumbling, and fell altogether in 1454. The new

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

lowland regime was the Tahiride Dynasty, which was engaged in warfare with the imam from its inception. Nevertheless, it was internal Zaidi dissention that finally toppled the position of al-Mansur an-Nasir. The important city

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 ...

was eventually acquired by his rival al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar, later to be conquered by the Tahirides in 1462. Al-Mansur an-Nasir himself was captured by tribesmen east of Dhamar and handed over to al-Mutawakkil. He was placed in custody in

Kawkaban Shibam Kawkaban ( ar, شبام كَوْكَبَان, Shibām Kawkabān) is a double town in Shibam Kawkaban District, Al Mahwit Governorate, Yemen, located 38 km west-northwest of Sanaa, the national capital. It consists of two distinct adjoin ...

and died there, still a prisoner, in 1462.Zaidi biographies, http://www.al-aalam.com/personinfo.asp?pid=1701 (in Arabic). The

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 ...

was subsequently claimed by his son al-Mu’ayyad Muhammad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur An-Nasir Zaydi imams of Yemen 1462 deaths Year of birth unknown 15th century in Yemen 15th-century Arabs

See also

References