Al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din
Encyclopedia
Al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din was a claimant for the Zaidi
imamate
of Yemen
in the years 1878-1890, acting in opposition to the Ottoman
occupiers of the country. His period saw a tribal embryo of a state taking form in the highlands of Yemen, which would be strengthened by his successors as imams, and eventually usher into the expulsion of the Ottoman Turks in the early 20th century.
, al-Mu'ayyad Yahya
(d. 1346). He was born in Jeddah
while his Yemeni parents performed the hajj
, and received a thorough education in the Islamic sciences. The Ottoman Turks
occupied San'a in 1872 and brought an end to the old Zaidi state which had existed since 1597. The Imam al-Mutawakkil al-Muhsin
refused to submit. He tried to resist the Turkish troops with limited success until his death in 1878. After him, Sharaf ad-Din performed the da'wa (summoning, bid for authority) in Jabal Ahnun which was known as a stronghold for Sayyid
s and religious scholars. He was elevated to the imamate with the name al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din. He vowed to continue the struggle and moved to the city Sa'dah
north of San'a. In Sa'dah he reinforced religious laws and encouraged qadis to act as judges and administrators in the nearby tribal areas. A fortress was constructed near the city, which became the seat of the imam's government. In Zaidi historiography
, his name is sometimes ignored since he did not belong to the Qasimid family that usually provided the imams. He had at least one rival for the imamate, al-Mansur Muhammad
(1853–1890). However, competition between the rivals was confined to verbal arguments.
reforms were considered heretic by the locals of the Zaidi branch of Shi'a Islam
. The pretender-imam was therefore able to keep up the struggle, although Yemen was too split along tribal and religious lines to launch a unified resistance. A concerted attack against the Turkish positions was launched in the summer of 1884, where al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din strove to subjugate the well-watered regions to the north-west of San'a. He extended his control to the areas around Hajjah
and Zafir in the highlands. The Turkish troops besieged Zafir for seven months before the imam's followers withdrew.
in the north. The German
traveller Eduard Glaser
who visited Yemen in 1884 summarized the situation at that time, and described al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din as a leader of fanatics. At the time of his visit the area controlled by the Turks was restricted to a line between Luhayyah and Hajjah
, together with Amran, San'a, Dhamar
, Rada, Qa'tabah and the land between Ta'izz
and Mocha
. The highland tribes Hashid
and Bakil
were hostile to the Ottoman rule, as was the land to the east and north of San'a. Al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din finally died in Sa'dah in 1890, and was buried in Jabal Ahnun. In July in the same year the ulema
appointed his brother-in-law Muhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-Din
as their new imam, continuing the anti-Turkish struggle.
Zaidiyyah
Zaidiyya, or Zaidism is a Shi'a Muslim school of thought named after Zayd ibn ʻAlī, the grandson of Husayn ibn ʻAlī. Followers of the Zaydi Islamic jurisprudence are called Zaydi Shi'a...
imamate
Imamate
The word Imamate is an Arabic word with an English language suffix meaning leadership. Its use in theology is confined to Islam.-Theological usage:...
of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
in the years 1878-1890, acting in opposition to the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
occupiers of the country. His period saw a tribal embryo of a state taking form in the highlands of Yemen, which would be strengthened by his successors as imams, and eventually usher into the expulsion of the Ottoman Turks in the early 20th century.
Accession as resistance leader
Sharaf ad-Din bin Muhammad bin Abd ar-Rahman was a 14th-generation descendant of a medieval imamImam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
, al-Mu'ayyad Yahya
Al-Mu'ayyad Yahya
Al-Mu'ayyad Yahya was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen whose tenure of the imamate lasted from 1328 to 1346.Yahya bin Hamza was a member of the Zaidi elite, but not of the dynasty of the Rassids that usually provided imams. He was a 13th-generation descendant of the Twelver imam Ali ar-Ridha...
(d. 1346). He was born in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
while his Yemeni parents performed the hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
, and received a thorough education in the Islamic sciences. The Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
occupied San'a in 1872 and brought an end to the old Zaidi state which had existed since 1597. The Imam al-Mutawakkil al-Muhsin
Al-Mutawakkil al-Muhsin
Al-Mutawakkil al-Muhsin was an Imam who claimed the Zaidi state of Yemen in 1855-1878, in rivalry with several other contenders and with the invading Turks...
refused to submit. He tried to resist the Turkish troops with limited success until his death in 1878. After him, Sharaf ad-Din performed the da'wa (summoning, bid for authority) in Jabal Ahnun which was known as a stronghold for Sayyid
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
s and religious scholars. He was elevated to the imamate with the name al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din. He vowed to continue the struggle and moved to the city Sa'dah
Sa'dah
Sa`dah is the capital city of Saada Governorate in north-western Yemen. It is located at , at an elevation of about 1,800 meters. Known in antiquity as Karna, its population in 2004 was estimated at 51,870.- External links :*...
north of San'a. In Sa'dah he reinforced religious laws and encouraged qadis to act as judges and administrators in the nearby tribal areas. A fortress was constructed near the city, which became the seat of the imam's government. In Zaidi historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
, his name is sometimes ignored since he did not belong to the Qasimid family that usually provided the imams. He had at least one rival for the imamate, al-Mansur Muhammad
Al-Mansur Muhammad bin Abdallah
Al-Mansur Muhammad bin Abdallah was an imam of the Zaydiyya sect in Yemen who claimed the imam title in the period 1853-1890, and ruled briefly in the capital San'a in 1853....
(1853–1890). However, competition between the rivals was confined to verbal arguments.
The rebellion of 1884
Turkish legislation by this time was influenced by European models. These so-called TanzimatTanzimat
The Tanzimât , meaning reorganization of the Ottoman Empire, was a period of reformation that began in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. The Tanzimât reform era was characterized by various attempts to modernize the Ottoman Empire, to secure its territorial integrity against...
reforms were considered heretic by the locals of the Zaidi branch of Shi'a Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. The pretender-imam was therefore able to keep up the struggle, although Yemen was too split along tribal and religious lines to launch a unified resistance. A concerted attack against the Turkish positions was launched in the summer of 1884, where al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din strove to subjugate the well-watered regions to the north-west of San'a. He extended his control to the areas around Hajjah
Hajjah
Hajjah is the capital city of Hajjah Governorate in northwestern Yemen. It is located 127 kilometres northwest of Sana'a, at an elevation of about 1800 metres. As of 2003, the Hajjah City District had a population of 53,887 inhabitants....
and Zafir in the highlands. The Turkish troops besieged Zafir for seven months before the imam's followers withdrew.
Setbacks and further struggle
For a time, the Ottoman governor Izzet Pasha (1882–1884) was able to bring strong pressure on the imam. Izzet assumed control over as-Sudah and chased the imam from the strong fortress Shaharah, which was the key to Sa'dahSa'dah
Sa`dah is the capital city of Saada Governorate in north-western Yemen. It is located at , at an elevation of about 1,800 meters. Known in antiquity as Karna, its population in 2004 was estimated at 51,870.- External links :*...
in the north. The German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
traveller Eduard Glaser
Eduard Glaser
Eduard Glaser was an Austrian Arabist and archeologist. He was one of the first Europeans who explored South Arabia. He collected thousands of inscriptions in Yemen that are today held by Kunsthistorisches Museum....
who visited Yemen in 1884 summarized the situation at that time, and described al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din as a leader of fanatics. At the time of his visit the area controlled by the Turks was restricted to a line between Luhayyah and Hajjah
Hajjah
Hajjah is the capital city of Hajjah Governorate in northwestern Yemen. It is located 127 kilometres northwest of Sana'a, at an elevation of about 1800 metres. As of 2003, the Hajjah City District had a population of 53,887 inhabitants....
, together with Amran, San'a, Dhamar
Dhamar, Yemen
Dhamar is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located at , at an elevation of around 2400 metres.-Overview:Dhamar is situated 100 km to the south of Sana'a, north of Ibb, and west of Al-Beidha, 2700 m above sea level. Its name “Dhamar” goes back to the king of Sheba and Dou-Reddan at 15-35 AD...
, Rada, Qa'tabah and the land between Ta'izz
Ta'izz
Ta'izz , or Taiz, is a city in the Yemeni Highlands, near the famous Mocha port on the Red Sea, lying at an elevation of about 1,400 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Ta'izz Governorate...
and Mocha
Mocha, Yemen
Mocha or Mokha is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Until it was eclipsed in the 19th century by Aden and Hodeida, Mocha was the principal port for Yemen's capital Sana'a.-Overview:...
. The highland tribes Hashid
Hashid
The Hashid tribal federation is the second largest tribal federation in Yemen. Member tribes of the Hashid Confederation are found primarily in the mountains in the North and Northwest of the country. It was headed by Sheikh Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar until his death on December 29, 2007 and is...
and Bakil
Bakil
The Bakil federation is the largest tribal federation in Yemen. Imam Yahya's campaign to subject the country, and more specifically the tribes, to his control, led him to undertake massive campaigns against their influence and power; in fact, his efforts succeeded in permanently eliminating all but...
were hostile to the Ottoman rule, as was the land to the east and north of San'a. Al-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din finally died in Sa'dah in 1890, and was buried in Jabal Ahnun. In July in the same year the ulema
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
appointed his brother-in-law Muhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-Din
Muhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-Din
Muhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-Din was an Imam of Yemen who led the resistance against the Ottoman occupation in 1890-1904.-Outbreak of rebellion:...
as their new imam, continuing the anti-Turkish struggle.
Further reading
- Robert W. Stookey, Yemen; The Politics of the Yemen Arab Republic. Boulder 1978.