Dhu'ayb ibn Musa al-Wadi'i al-Hamdani (Also Zoeb, Zoaib & Zuayb; ; died 29 April 1151) was the first '' dāʿī al-muṭlaq'', a position of spiritual authority in

Tayyibi Tayyibi Isma'ilism () is the only surviving sect of the Musta'li branch of Isma'ilism, the other being the extinct Hafizi branch. Followers of Tayyibi Isma'ilism are found in various Bohra communities: Dawoodi, Sulaymani, and Alavi. The Tay ...

Isma'ili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (Imamate in Nizari doctrine, imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the ...

Islam. He was appointed to the position by Queen

Arwa al-Sulayhi Arwa al-Sulayhi (), () was a long-reigning ruler of Yemen, firstly as the co-ruler of her first two husbands and then as sole ruler, from 1067 until her death in 1138. She was the last of the rulers of the Sulayhid dynasty, Sulayhid Dynasty and ...

Career

Dhu'ayb began his career as a member of the pro-

Fatimid The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...

Musta'li Musta'li Isma'ilism () is a branch of Isma'ilism named for their acceptance of al-Musta'li as the legitimate ninth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir Billah (). The Nizari the other living branch of Ismailism, ...

'' daʿwa'' 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 ...

, and rose to become an assistant of the local chief missionary ('' dāʿī''), Yahya ibn Lamak. Shortly before his death in 1126, Ibn Lamak, after consulting the

Sulayhid 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 ti ...

queen

, chose him as his successor. In 1130, following the death of the Fatimid

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, ...

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah Abu Ali al-Mansur ibn al-Musta'li (; 31 December 1096 – 7 October 1130), better known by his regnal name al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah () was the tenth Fatimid caliph, ruling from 1101 to his death in 1130, and the 20th imam of the Musta'li Isma' ...

, Musta'li Isma'ilism was split into the

Hafizi Hafizi Isma'ilism (), also known as Majidi Isma'ilism (), was a branch of Musta'li Isma'ilism that emerged as a result of a split in 1132. The Hafizis accepted the Fatimid caliph Abd al-Majid al-Hafiz li-Din Allah () and his successors as imams ...

and

branches, with the former acknowledging the succession of al-Amir's cousin

al-Hafiz li-Din Allah Abūʾl-Maymūn ʿAbd al-Majīd ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Mustanṣir, better known by his regnal name as al-Ḥāfiẓ li-Dīn Allāh (), was the eleventh Fatimid caliph, ruling over Egypt from 1132 to his death in 1149, and the 21st imam of Hafiz ...

, and the latter the succession of al-Amir's infant son, al-Tayyib. In Yemen, the hitherto pro-Fatimid queen Arwa sided with the Tayyibis and broke off relations with

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, while the regional dynasties of the

Hamdanids The Hamdanid dynasty () was a Islam, Shia Muslim Arab dynasty that ruled modern day Northern Mesopotamia and Bilad al-Sham , Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib tribe of Mesopotamia and Arabia. History Origin ...

and the

Zurayids The Zurayid Dynasty (بنو زريع, Banū Zuraiʿ), were a Yamite Hamdani dynasty based in Yemen in the time between 1083 and 1174. The centre of its power was Aden. The Zurayids suffered the same fate as the Hamdanid sultans, the Sulaym ...

recognized al-Hafiz's claims. Until her death in 1138, Arwa effectively headed the new Tayyibi ''daʿwa'', and came to be regarded by the Tayyibis as ''

hujja A term used in Shi'i terminology, "hujja" means "proof mplied: proof of God" It is usually used to refer to a single individual in any given human era who represents God's "proof" to humanity.. The hujja is an Islamic prophet or an Imam who ...

'', the living proof of the hidden (''satr'') imam al-Tayyib. With the support of Dhu'ayb and other ''dāʿī''s, the queen spent most of her final years in organizing the new sect. Sometime after 1132, she appointed Dhu'ayb as '' dāʿī al-muṭlaq'', thus making him the head of the ''daʿwa'' on behalf of the hidden imam. This was not an easy undertaking, as the other Yemeni rulers did not adopt Tayyibi Isma'ilism, and after Arwa's death, the Tayyibis were left without a strong patron. Nevertheless, precisely due to the establishment of an independent hierarchy, separate from both the Fatimids and the Sulayhids, the Tayyibi ''daʿwa'' managed to not only survive both regimes, but also spread in the region. As ''dāʿī'', Dhu'ayb managed to convert

al-Khattab ibn al-Hasan ibn Abi'l-Hifaz Al-Khattab ibn al-Hasan ibn Abi'l-Hifaz was a warrior, poet and theologian, who became Dhu'ayb ibn Musa's principal aide, and an important asset to the Sulayhid dynasty and Tayyibi Isma'ilism cause, until his murder by his nephews in a dispute over ...

, the chieftain of the al-Hajur clan of the

Banu Hamdan Banu Hamdan (; Ancient South Arabian script, Musnad: 𐩠𐩣𐩵𐩬) is an ancient, large, and prominent Arab tribe in northern Yemen. Origins and location The Hamdan stemmed from the eponymous progenitor Awsala (nickname Hamdan) whose descent ...

tribe. A skilled warrior and notable poet and theologian, al-Khattab became Dhu'ayb's principal aide, and an important asset to the Sulayhid and Tayyibi cause, until his murder by his nephews in a dispute over control of al-Hajur in 1138. Al-Khattab was succeeded as chief assistant (''maʾdhūn'') by another Hamdanid,

Ibrahim ibn al-Husayn al-Hamidi Ibrahim ibn al-Husayn ibn Abi'l-Su'ud al-Hamidi () was the second Tayyibi Isma'ili '' Dāʿī al-Muṭlaq'' in Yemen from 1151 to his death in 1162. Life Ibrahim was a member of the Hamidi branch of the Banu Hamdan. According to the 12th-century ...

. When Dhu'ayb died in 1151, Ibrahim became the new ''dāʿī al-muṭlaq''.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dhu'ayb ibn Musa 1151 deaths Year of birth unknown 12th-century Arab people Tayyibi da'is Yemeni Ismailis Banu Hamdan 12th century in Yemen 12th-century Ismailis 12th-century Islamic religious leaders