Al-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din
Encyclopedia
Al-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din (1373–1436) was an imam
of the Zaidi
state in Yemen
who ruled in 1391-1436, partly in rivalry with other claimants to the imamate.
who had held extensive power in highland Yemen. He grew up in San'a, the most important city of the realm. After an-Nasirs sudden demise in 1391, no less than four claimants to the imamate appeared, foremost among them the learned al-Mahdi Ahmad bin Yahya
. The young Ali eventually prevailed. He was proclaimed imam under the name al-Mansur Ali, with the support of the scholars and population of San'a. However, a rival imam called al-Hadi Ali
had some support in the northern parts of the Zaidi territory from 1393 to 1432. Due to the unrest, al-Mansur Ali had to travel frequently to trouble spots. He had to fight hard to gain control over Sa'dah
, the traditional centre of Zaidi power in the north. Various strongholds of the Isma'ili sect were taken, and they were forced out of Dhu Marmar, a fortress to the east of San'a. In Zaidi historiography
, the imam is celebrated as a mujaddid bi-sayfihi, a warlike restorer. That his bellicose exploits sometimes afflicted other Zaidi Muslims did not detract from his reputation. Al-Mansur Ali's rule over San'a was never in danger, but in 1395 he sacked the qadi
in the city, who had been found to correspond with the Rasulid
Dynasty in the lowland. Two years later he made a diplomatic foray when he sent offerings to the Rasulid Sultan al-Ashraf Isma'il I in Zabid
. The offerings consisted of "five loads of articles esteemed as rarities, and five head of horses of good lineages".
moved towards San'a. The imam swiftly attacked the enemy force outside the city and routed the tribesmen. Shaykh Idris al-Hamdani asked for peace, but al-Mansur Ali refused to listen. Instead, he ravaged the Hamdani lands extensively, until the local shaykhs appeared again to ask for a stop of the hostilities. A peace was eventually concluded, on the condition that the Hamdanis ceded Hisn al-Munaqqab and al-Masna'ah. Some time after these events, al-Mansur Ali concluded a truce with the Rasulids. Towards the end his reign, especially after 1424, Rasulid power began to crumble when a number of short-lived sultans succeeded each other on the throne. In 1436, Yemen was ravaged by the plague, and one of the victims was al-Mansur Ali. He passed away in San'a and was buried in the Salah ad-Din Mosque, constructed by his father. The son of the deceased imam, an-Nasir Muhammad, took power but succumbed as well after just 28 days. After that, no less than three rival imams appeared, of whom al-Mansur an-Nasir
tried to anchor his legitimacy by marrying the granddaughter of al-Mansur Ali.
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....
who ruled in 1391-1436, partly in rivalry with other claimants to the imamate.
Contest over the imamate
Ali bin Salah ad-Din was a son of the preceding imam an-Nasir Muhammad Salah ad-DinAl-Nasir Muhammad Salah al-Din
Al-Nasir Muhammad Salah al-Din or al-Nasir li Din Allah Muhammad Salah al-Din ibn Ali al-Mahdi was an imam of Yemen who ruled during the period 1372-1391...
who had held extensive power in highland Yemen. He grew up in San'a, the most important city of the realm. After an-Nasirs sudden demise in 1391, no less than four claimants to the imamate appeared, foremost among them the learned al-Mahdi Ahmad bin Yahya
Al-Mahdi Ahmad bin Yahya
Al-Mahdi Ahmad bin Yahya was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who briefly held the imamate in 1391-1392.Ahmad bin Yahya was a 12th-generation descendant of the Zaidi imam ad-Da'i Yusuf , and was born in either 1363 or 1373. He was very well educated and a prolific writer in various subjects...
. The young Ali eventually prevailed. He was proclaimed imam under the name al-Mansur Ali, with the support of the scholars and population of San'a. However, a rival imam called al-Hadi Ali
Al-Hadi Ali
Al-Hadi Ali was a claimant to the Zaidi state in Yemen, who posed as imam from 1393 to 1432 in rivalry with another prince.Ali bin al-Mu'ayyad was a fifth-generation descendant of the imam al-Hadi Yahya...
had some support in the northern parts of the Zaidi territory from 1393 to 1432. Due to the unrest, al-Mansur Ali had to travel frequently to trouble spots. He had to fight hard to gain control over 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 :*...
, the traditional centre of Zaidi power in the north. Various strongholds of the Isma'ili sect were taken, and they were forced out of Dhu Marmar, a fortress to the east of San'a. 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...
, the imam is celebrated as a mujaddid bi-sayfihi, a warlike restorer. That his bellicose exploits sometimes afflicted other Zaidi Muslims did not detract from his reputation. Al-Mansur Ali's rule over San'a was never in danger, but in 1395 he sacked the qadi
Qadi
Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...
in the city, who had been found to correspond with the Rasulid
Rasulid
The Rasulid was a Muslim dynasty that ruled Yemen and Hadhramaut from 1229 to 1454. The Rasulids assumed power after the Egyptian Ayyubid left the southern provinces of the Arabian Peninsula....
Dynasty in the lowland. Two years later he made a diplomatic foray when he sent offerings to the Rasulid Sultan al-Ashraf Isma'il I in Zabid
Zabid
Zabid is a town with an urban population of around 23,000 persons on Yemen's western coastal plain. The town, named after Wadi Zabid, the wadi to its south, is one of the oldest towns in Yemen...
. The offerings consisted of "five loads of articles esteemed as rarities, and five head of horses of good lineages".
Later reign and death
In 1403 a tribal army from HamdanHamdan
Hamdan is a name of Arab origin. Among people named Hamdan include:*Al-Hamdan, famous Druze family*Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Yemeni Guantanamo detainee, driver and bodyguard of Osama bin Laden*Gibran Hamdan, quarterback for the Buffalo Bills...
moved towards San'a. The imam swiftly attacked the enemy force outside the city and routed the tribesmen. Shaykh Idris al-Hamdani asked for peace, but al-Mansur Ali refused to listen. Instead, he ravaged the Hamdani lands extensively, until the local shaykhs appeared again to ask for a stop of the hostilities. A peace was eventually concluded, on the condition that the Hamdanis ceded Hisn al-Munaqqab and al-Masna'ah. Some time after these events, al-Mansur Ali concluded a truce with the Rasulids. Towards the end his reign, especially after 1424, Rasulid power began to crumble when a number of short-lived sultans succeeded each other on the throne. In 1436, Yemen was ravaged by the plague, and one of the victims was al-Mansur Ali. He passed away in San'a and was buried in the Salah ad-Din Mosque, constructed by his father. The son of the deceased imam, an-Nasir Muhammad, took power but succumbed as well after just 28 days. After that, no less than three rival imams appeared, of whom al-Mansur an-Nasir
Al-Mansur an-Nasir
Al-Mansur an-Nasir was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who held power in parts of the northern Yemeni highland in 1436-1462.The old imam al-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din died from the plague in 1436. His position was then claimed by three different Sayyids, of which one was al-Mansur an-Nasir...
tried to anchor his legitimacy by marrying the granddaughter of al-Mansur Ali.