Al-Wathiq al-Mutahhar (1303 - 1379/80) was an
imam of the
Zaidi state 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 Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
, who was also a poet. A native of
As Sudah, he was the son of the powerful imam
al-Mahdi Muhammad bin al-Mutahhar Al-Mahdi Muhammad bin al-Mutahhar (1275 - October 28, 1328) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled from 1301 to 1328.
Zaidi victory over the Rasulids
His father was the imam al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin Yahya who held the imamate in ...
who died in 1328. After the death of al-Mahdi, no less than four would-be imams tried to assert their authority over the Zaidi community. One of them was al-Wathiq al-Mutahhar, who made his proclamation in 1330 from Haidah, south of
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 ...
. However, he quickly had to yield to the strongest claimant,
al-Mu'ayyad Yahya. Al-Mu'ayyad held the imamate to his death in 1346 or 1349. Although he was not really a
mujtahid (a person sufficiently educated to make independent legal-religious interpretations), al-Wathiq briefly succeeded al-Mu'ayyad Yahya in 1349, and seized San'a. Again, however, he was rapidly forced to step down by a stronger candidate,
al-Mahdi Ali. After this, he withdrew to teaching and literary activities, and in San'a he would die. His gravestone, in the Great Mosque (al-Jami' al-Kabir) of San'a, is dated in 781 AH (1379/80). Other texts mention the year 802 AH (1399) for his demise. The biography of al-Wathiq al-Mutahhar was written by his cousin an-Nasir bin Ali bin al-Mutahhar. The imam himself is credited with a number of writings. These include a
diwan with many poems in younger literary form, and praise poems about Sultan
al-Malik al-Afdal. In fact, he is one of the earliest known authors of the vernacular ''humayni'' poetry.
[Carl Brockelmann, ''Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur'', Suppl. II. Leiden 1938, p. 232.]
See also
*
Rassids
The Imams of Yemen and later also the Kings of Yemen were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and political rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their imamate endured ...
*
Imams of Yemen
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 i ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wathiq al-Mutahhar
Zaydi imams of Yemen
1303 births
1380 deaths
14th century in Yemen
14th-century Arabs
Rassid dynasty