Al-Mahdi Ahmad (1633 – July 10, 1681) 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
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 1676–1681. He belonged to the
Qasimid family that was descended from
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
.
Struggle for the imamate
Ahmad was a son of al-Hasan bin al-Qasim (d. 1639), a brother of the former imam
al-Mutawakkil Isma'il
Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il (c. 1610 – 15 August 1676) was an Imam of Yemen who ruled the country from 1644 until 1676. He was a son of Al-Mansur al-Qasim. His rule saw the biggest territorial expansion of the Zaidiyyah imamate in Greater Yemen.
Ear ...
. In the reign of his uncle, in 1658, he led forces that loosely incorporated
Hadramaut in the Yemeni kingdom. When al-Mutawakkil Isma'il died, 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 ...
was claimed by Ahmad. He had, however, to fight his cousin and rival al-Qasim who controlled
Shaharah, an almost impregnable fortress north of
San'a
Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation o ...
. Ahmad collected forces which besieged Shaharah and forced al-Qasim to accept his claim.
Reign
At his accession, the imam was already a mature man in his upper forties. He upheld the Yemeni suzerainty in Hadramaut, and was reported to be a pious figure. His residence was al-Ghiras north-east of San'a. In 1679 the imam expelled the
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
population from San'a and the surrounding regions, being forced to settle in
Mawza close to
Mocha, in what was then known as the
Mawza Exile
The Mawza Exile (, ''ğalūt mawzaʻ''; 1679–1680) is an event experienced by the Jews of Yemen, in which Jews living in nearly all cities and towns throughout Yemen were banished by decree of the king, Imām al-Mahdi Ahmad, and sent to a ...
. The Jews were later allowed to move to ''Qa'a al-Yahud'' (the new Jewish Quarter), a suburb situated two kilometers from San'a.
[R. Serjeant & R. Lewcock, ''San'a'; An Arabian Islamic City''. London 1983, p. 82; R.L. Playfair, ''A History of Arabia Felix or Yemen''. Bombay 1859, p. 112; N.A. Stillman, ''The Jews of Arab Lands.'' Philadelphia 1979, p. 322.] At the death of the imam in 1681, his son Muhammad was prevented from assuming the imamate due to counter-claims by relatives in Rada,
Shaharah,
Sa'dah
Saada (), located in the northwest of Yemen, is the capital and largest city of the governorate bearing the same name, as well as the administrative seat of the eponymous district. The city lies in the Serat (Sarawat) mountains at an altitude o ...
and Mansura. Through mediation of the
Ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam.
"Ulama ...
(religious scholars), one of these,
al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad II, took power.
See also
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
Jews of Yemen
Yemenite Jews, also known as Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ; ), are a Jewish diaspora group who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. After several waves of persecution, the vast majority of Yemenite J ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahdi Ahmad
Zaydi imams of Yemen
1633 births
1681 deaths
17th-century Arab people
Antisemitism in Yemen