Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya
Encyclopedia
Al-Hadi ila’l-Haqq Yahya (859 – August 19, 911) was a religious and political leader on the Arabian Peninsula
. He was the first Zaydiyya imam
who ruled over portions of Yemen
, in 897-911, and is the ancestor of the Rassid Dynasty
which held intermittent power in Yemen until 1962.
, being a Sayyid
who traced his ancestry from Hasan
, son of Ali
(and also indirect grandson of Muhammad
). His grandfather al-Qasim ar-Rassi (d. 860), who unsuccessfully tried to reach political leadership, owned a property close to Mecca
, ar-Rass. This is the origin of the name of the dynasty founded by Yahya, the Rassids. Al-Qasim ar-Rassi was a major organizer of the theology
and jurisprudence
of the Zaydiyya division of the Shi’ites, which also had a following in Persia. The Zaydiyya hailed from Zaid (d. 740), second son of the fourth Shi'a imam Zayn al-Abidin. In 893 Yahya entered Yemen from the Hijaz, trying to build up a Zaydiyya power base in the area. His ambition was to rid the land from bad religious practices and bring the benefits of his own version of Islam. At this time the Tihamah
lowland was ruled by the Ziyadid Dynasty (819-1018), originally governors of the Abbasid
caliphs. In the interior, San'a was dominated by the indigenous Yu’firid Dynasty since 847.
and Khawlan
invited Yahya to come back and end the strife-torn conditions of northern Yemen. In the next year 897 he once again arrived from Hijaz with his uncle Muhammad and other relatives. He reached Sa'dah, where he was hailed. The new imam adopted the honorific al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya. The sources portray him as unusually intelligent, physically strong and pious. The new ruler subjugated Najran
, establishing a firm base among the tribal groups of northern Yemen. He took great care to collect taxes according to the religious scriptures, at the same time avoiding abuses and arbritary tax harvesting. The governor in San'a, Abu'l-Atahiyah, tired of the Yu’firid faction, invited al-Hadi to rule over the city in 899, and acknowledged his status as imam. Al-Hadi struck coins and the khutbah was read in his name. However, fighting soon broke out, and San'a rapidly changed hands between him and the Yu’firid ruler Abd al-Qahir. The tribal supporters of the sick imam were unreliable, and he eventually left the city to its fate in 902, being carried back to Sa'dah in a litter. A new expedition against San’a in the next year led to a fresh defeat, and al-Hadi's son was captured by the Yu'firid general.
). The new alliance soon proved fragile, however. San'a was taken by the Fatimid commander Ali bin al-Fadl who also dominated the Tihamah and the south. Ali soon renounced not only the Fatimids but also Islam
itself. Eventually, in 910, al-Hadi resolved to establish his authority over San'a once again. He marched into the city without much opposition but soon left it to the Yu'firids. In the next year the imam passed away in Sa'dah. According to some, he was poisoned. He was succeeded in his dignity by his son al-Murtada Muhammad
.
. He was believed to have fought 70 battles, and was reportedly so strong that he could obliterate the stamp on a coin with his fingers. He saw himself as the restorer of Muslim
beliefs, as seen from quotations of his works: "I revived the Book of God after it had perished", or "I revive the Book and the Sunna
which have been rejected". Al-Hadi’s religious teachings were in many respects strict, adhering to the Hanafi
law school. He strove for a community where the imam, as the divinely designated leader, ensured the spiritual welfare of the people. For example, he expected women to be veiled
, and soldiers to share the spoils in accordance to the Qur’an. He also tried to force the dhimmis of Najran
to sell back any land they had bought in the Islamic period, but in the end he had to modify this. Al-Hadi's subjects in the northern highland were not always content with the austere code of conduct that the imam tried to impose. Those who invited him had expected a prestigious mediator in their intratribal conflicts, rather than someone who tried to implement strict Islamic precepts. The career of al-Hadi (and of his successors) was therefore turbulent, as he tried to discipline rebellious and ostensibly sinful subjects.
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
. He was the first Zaydiyya imam
Imam
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...
who ruled over portions 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 897-911, and is the ancestor of the Rassid Dynasty
Rassids
The Imams of Yemen and later the Kings of Yemen were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and secular rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their imamate endured under varying circumstances until the republican revolution...
which held intermittent power in Yemen until 1962.
Background
Yahya bin al-Husayn bin al-Qasim ar-Rassi was born in MedinaMedina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, being a 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,...
who traced his ancestry from Hasan
Hasan ibn Ali
Al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib is an important figure in Islam, the son of Fatimah the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and of the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. Hasan is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa...
, son of Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
(and also indirect grandson of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
). His grandfather al-Qasim ar-Rassi (d. 860), who unsuccessfully tried to reach political leadership, owned a property close to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, ar-Rass. This is the origin of the name of the dynasty founded by Yahya, the Rassids. Al-Qasim ar-Rassi was a major organizer of the theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
of the Zaydiyya division of the Shi’ites, which also had a following in Persia. The Zaydiyya hailed from Zaid (d. 740), second son of the fourth Shi'a imam Zayn al-Abidin. In 893 Yahya entered Yemen from the Hijaz, trying to build up a Zaydiyya power base in the area. His ambition was to rid the land from bad religious practices and bring the benefits of his own version of Islam. At this time the Tihamah
Tihamah
Tihamah or Tihama is a narrow coastal region of Arabia on the Red Sea. It is currently divided between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In a broad sense, Tihamah refers to the entire coastline from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb Strait but it more often refers only to its southern half, starting...
lowland was ruled by the Ziyadid Dynasty (819-1018), originally governors of the Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
caliphs. In the interior, San'a was dominated by the indigenous Yu’firid Dynasty since 847.
Acknowledged as imam
Yahya reached ash-Sharafah, some distance from San'a, but was then forced to turn back since he did not find the enthusiastic welcome he had hoped for. In 896 some tribal leaders from 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 :*...
and Khawlan
Khwlan District
Khwlan District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 28,925 inhabitants....
invited Yahya to come back and end the strife-torn conditions of northern Yemen. In the next year 897 he once again arrived from Hijaz with his uncle Muhammad and other relatives. He reached Sa'dah, where he was hailed. The new imam adopted the honorific al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya. The sources portray him as unusually intelligent, physically strong and pious. The new ruler subjugated Najran
Najran
Najran , formerly known as Aba as Sa'ud, is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated a New town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen from 47,500 in 1974 and 90,983 in 1992 to...
, establishing a firm base among the tribal groups of northern Yemen. He took great care to collect taxes according to the religious scriptures, at the same time avoiding abuses and arbritary tax harvesting. The governor in San'a, Abu'l-Atahiyah, tired of the Yu’firid faction, invited al-Hadi to rule over the city in 899, and acknowledged his status as imam. Al-Hadi struck coins and the khutbah was read in his name. However, fighting soon broke out, and San'a rapidly changed hands between him and the Yu’firid ruler Abd al-Qahir. The tribal supporters of the sick imam were unreliable, and he eventually left the city to its fate in 902, being carried back to Sa'dah in a litter. A new expedition against San’a in the next year led to a fresh defeat, and al-Hadi's son was captured by the Yu'firid general.
Death
In a twist of alliances in 906, the imam joined forces with the Yu'firid ruler As'ad, in order to counter the clients of the Fatimids (who were later to rule EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
). The new alliance soon proved fragile, however. San'a was taken by the Fatimid commander Ali bin al-Fadl who also dominated the Tihamah and the south. Ali soon renounced not only the Fatimids but also Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
itself. Eventually, in 910, al-Hadi resolved to establish his authority over San'a once again. He marched into the city without much opposition but soon left it to the Yu'firids. In the next year the imam passed away in Sa'dah. According to some, he was poisoned. He was succeeded in his dignity by his son al-Murtada Muhammad
Al-Murtada Muhammad
Al-Murtada Muhammad was the second imam of the Zaidi state of Yemen, who ruled from 911 to 912 and was a respected religious scholar.-Youth:...
.
Legacy
Although al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya was not always a successful ruler, he made a lasting impression on the tribal groups in the Yemeni highland, successfully propagating the Zaydi ideology of Islam - it has actually been argued that it was the Zaydis who seriously introduced Islam in Yemen. Personally, he had the strength, courage and religious knowledge that were a prerequisite for the imamateImamate
The word Imamate is an Arabic word with an English language suffix meaning leadership. Its use in theology is confined to Islam.-Theological usage:...
. He was believed to have fought 70 battles, and was reportedly so strong that he could obliterate the stamp on a coin with his fingers. He saw himself as the restorer of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
beliefs, as seen from quotations of his works: "I revived the Book of God after it had perished", or "I revive the Book and the Sunna
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
which have been rejected". Al-Hadi’s religious teachings were in many respects strict, adhering to the Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
law school. He strove for a community where the imam, as the divinely designated leader, ensured the spiritual welfare of the people. For example, he expected women to be veiled
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
, and soldiers to share the spoils in accordance to the Qur’an. He also tried to force the dhimmis of Najran
Najran
Najran , formerly known as Aba as Sa'ud, is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated a New town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen from 47,500 in 1974 and 90,983 in 1992 to...
to sell back any land they had bought in the Islamic period, but in the end he had to modify this. Al-Hadi's subjects in the northern highland were not always content with the austere code of conduct that the imam tried to impose. Those who invited him had expected a prestigious mediator in their intratribal conflicts, rather than someone who tried to implement strict Islamic precepts. The career of al-Hadi (and of his successors) was therefore turbulent, as he tried to discipline rebellious and ostensibly sinful subjects.