Al-Mukhtar al-Qasim (died 956) 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 held or claimed power from 936 to 956. Al-Qasim bin Ahmad was the eldest son of the imam an-Nasir Ahmad, who died in 934. An-Nasir's death ushered into a period of internal political turbulence among the Zaidis of highland Yemen. His third son,

al-Muntakhab al-Hasan Al-Muntakhab al-Hasan (died 936) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen in the period 934–936. He was the fourth ruler of the Rassid Dynasty Al-Hasan bin Ahmad was the third of the six sons of imam an-Nasir Ahmad. An-Nasir Ahmad had been a pow ...

, demanded 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 ...

, but the latter's elder brother, al-Mukhtar al-Qasim lodged counterclaims. Al-Muntakhab died in 936; however, a younger brother called

al-Mansur Yahya Al-Mansur Yahya (died 976) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen, whose tenure as imam is counted from 934 to 976. Yahya bin Ahmad was the fifth son of the imam an-Nasir Ahmad, and the grandson of the founder-imam al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya. Ev ...

is recognized by Zaidi

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

as the legitimate successor of an-Nasir after 934. He was supported by the majority of the Zaidis after al-Muntakhab's death. In 956, al-Mukhtar al-Qasim, who ruled from his base in

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 ...

, was able to seize the important commercial and political centre

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 ...

, which had hitherto mostly belonged to the rival

Yu'firid Dynasty The Yuʿfirids () were an Islamic Himyarite dynasty that held power in the highlands of Yemen from 847 to 997. The name of the family is often incorrectly rendered as "Yafurids". They nominally acknowledged the suzerainty of the Abbasid caliphs. The ...

. However, before the year was over, al-Mukhtar was murdered by a powerful lord from

Hamdan Hamdan ( ') is a name of Arab origin of aristocratic descent and many political ties within the middle east and the Arab World, controlling import/export mandates over port authorities. Among people named Hamdan include: Given name * Hamdan Mo ...

, Muhammad bin ad-Dahhak. With his death, San'a temporarily reverted to the Yafurids.H.C. Kay, ''Yaman; Its Early Medieval History''. London 1892, p. 226.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukhtar Zaydi imams of Yemen 10th century in Yemen Rassid dynasty 10th-century Arab people

See also

References