Al-Mahdi Ibrahim
Encyclopedia
Al-Mahdi Ibrahim was an imam
of the Zaidi
state in Yemen
whose imamate lasted from 1272 to 1276.
, proclaimed his bid for the imamate as al-Mahdi Ibrahim. His call was heeded by the population in Hadur
, Banu'r-Ra'i, Banu Shihab, and other places. He entered Banu'r-Ra'i and Banu Shihab with seven followers and then led the Friday prayer among 7,000 people. Warfare soon flared up between the Zaidis and the Rasulid authorities. The able Rasulid commander in San'a, Alam ad-Din Sinjar al-Sha'bi, defeated the Zaidis in 1273, and in the following year al-Mahdi Ibrahim made peace with Sultan al-Muzaffar Yusuf.
. Nevertheless, al-Muzaffar Yusuf reacted quickly and moved against San'a with an army. Sarim ad-Din Da'ud took a position on a summit, but his troops were heavily defeated, and he barely slipped away. The imam was besieged in a fortress. Eventually he was captured, after many of his followers were killed. The Rasulid sultan treated his prisoner with great courtesy and gave him a house to live in Ta'izz
. He stayed there until his death in 1284. Personally, although generally unsuccessful in his political affairs, al-Mahdi Ibrahim was acclaimed as a brave warrior, famous horseman and good poet.
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...
of the Zaidi
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...
state in 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....
whose imamate lasted from 1272 to 1276.
Proclamation of the imamate
The late 13th century was the high tide of the rule of the Rasulid Dynasty in Yemen. In the northern highland, Zaidi nobles tried to maintain a position as imams, with varying success. In July 1272, Ibrahim bin Ahmad Taj ad-Din bin Badr ad-Din, a nephew of the former imam al-Mansur al-HasanAl-Mansur al-Hasan
Al-Mansur al-Hasan was an imam of the Zaidi state of Yemen who ruled in 1262-1271.Al-Hasan bin Badr ad-Din came from the same family as imam al-Hadi Yahya . When the former imam Yahya bin Muhammad as-Siraji was blinded by the Rasulid governor in San'a in 1262, al-Hasan emerged as imam under the...
, proclaimed his bid for the imamate as al-Mahdi Ibrahim. His call was heeded by the population in Hadur
Hadur
Hadur is a village in western central Yemen. It is located in the San‘a’ Governorate.-External links:*...
, Banu'r-Ra'i, Banu Shihab, and other places. He entered Banu'r-Ra'i and Banu Shihab with seven followers and then led the Friday prayer among 7,000 people. Warfare soon flared up between the Zaidis and the Rasulid authorities. The able Rasulid commander in San'a, Alam ad-Din Sinjar al-Sha'bi, defeated the Zaidis in 1273, and in the following year al-Mahdi Ibrahim made peace with Sultan al-Muzaffar Yusuf.
Abortive seizure of San'a
However, in August 1275, a corps of rebellious slave soldiers seized San'a, and invited the imam and the Zaidi strongman Sarim ad-Din Da'ud to reside in the city. Al-Mahdi Ibrahim accepted and was led in state to the Cathedral Mosque of San'a. The Zaidi leaders drew up plans of advancing further to DhamarDhamar, 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...
. Nevertheless, al-Muzaffar Yusuf reacted quickly and moved against San'a with an army. Sarim ad-Din Da'ud took a position on a summit, but his troops were heavily defeated, and he barely slipped away. The imam was besieged in a fortress. Eventually he was captured, after many of his followers were killed. The Rasulid sultan treated his prisoner with great courtesy and gave him a house to live in 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...
. He stayed there until his death in 1284. Personally, although generally unsuccessful in his political affairs, al-Mahdi Ibrahim was acclaimed as a brave warrior, famous horseman and good poet.