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

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.

Career

Dhu'ayb began his career as a member of the pro- Fatimid, Musta'li '' 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 queen Arwa al-Sulayhi, 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, Musta'li Isma'ilism was split into the Hafizi and Tayyibi branches, with the former acknowledging the succession of al-Amir's cousin al-Hafiz li-Din Allah, 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 and the Zurayids 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, 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. 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