al-Mahdi al-Husayn (987 - 1013) 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 the Zaidi state in

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 the years 1003–1013, in rivalry with another imam. Like most of the medieval Yemenite imams he was a member of the Rassid line. His genealogy was as follows: Al-Husayn bin Imam al-Qasim bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Imam al-Qasim al-Rassi bin Ibrahim Tabataba bin Isma'il al-Dibaj bin Ibrahim bin al-Hasan al-Ridha bin Imam al-Hasan bin Imam Ali bin Abi Talib. Al-Husayn was a

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

originally from Tarj, Tihamah. His father was the imam

al-Mansur al-Qasim al-Iyyani Al-Mansur al-Qasim al-Iyyani (c. 922/928 – 11 July 1003) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who briefly re-established a comprehensive Zaidi realm in the years 999–1002. Early activities Al-Qasim bin Ali was a Sayyid from Tarj in the ...

who briefly held power in the Yemeni inland in 999–1002, and died in 1003. After the death of al-Mansur, al-Husayn set forth his claim to the imamate, in rivalry with his distant relative

ad-Da'i Yusuf Ad-Da'i Yusuf (died September 12, 1012) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled for two highly turbulent terms (977–999, 1002–1012). Struggles against Yu'firids and Ziyadids Yusuf bin Yahya was a son of the imam al-Mansur Yahya who ...

. He declared himself with the title al-Mahdi. He was supported by large groups from

Himyar Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According to class ...

and Hamdan. At this time, the key city

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 ...

was governed by the Zaidi

sharif Sharīf or Sherif (, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the fami ...

al-Qasim bin al-Husayn. The sharif was expelled from the city, pursued and killed in 1012. The rival imam ad-Da'i died in the same year. With this, the power of al-Mahdi al-Husayn extended from Alhan to

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 San'a. However, in 1013, the imam was attacked by a Hamdanite force near Dhu Bin and lost his life. Like many Zaidi imams, al-Mahdi al-Husayn was a prominent author. After his demise, his brother Ja'far played a political role as

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

in the Yemeni highlands for several decades. He established himself in the impenetrable stronghold Shahara and was the main opponent of the

Sulayhid dynasty The Sulayhid dynasty () was an Ismaili Shi'ite Arab dynasty established in 1047 by Ali ibn Muhammad al-Sulayhi that ruled most of historical Yemen at its peak. The Sulayhids brought to Yemen peace and a prosperity unknown since Himyaritic ...

in the second half of the eleventh century.''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', Vol. XI, Leiden 2002, p. 479.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahdi al-Husayn Zaydi imams of Yemen 987 births 1013 deaths 11th century in Yemen Rassid dynasty 10th-century Arab people 11th-century Arab people 10th-century Zaydis 11th-century Zaydis

See also

References