Al-Mansur Yahya
Encyclopedia
Al-Mansur Yahya was an imam
of the Zaidi
state in Yemen
, whose tenure as imam is counted from 934 to 976.
Yahya bin Ahmad was the fifth son of the imam an-Nasir Ahmad
. Even before the death of an-Nasir in 934, three of his sons quarreled bitterly among themselves. Although the Zaidi imamship was not strictly hereditary but depended on personal qualifications and descent from the Prophet Muhammad, succession tended to take place within particular families descended from al-Qasim ar-Rassi (d. 860) and his grandson al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya
(d. 911). Two sons of an-Nasir, al-Muntakhab al-Hasan
(d. 936) and al-Mukhtar al-Qasim
(d. 956) contested the dignity. None of them is recognized as a right imam in later Zaidi chronicles. Their younger brother al-Mansur Yahya is, on the other hand, counted as imam from 934 to his death in 976. The internal dissention among the Zaydiyyah was accentuated by the behaviour of the tribal groups of the northern Yemeni highlands, which supported one side or the other according to their interests. Few details are otherwise known about al-Mansur Yahya, and the politics of highland Yemen were dominated by the rival Yu'firid Dynasty. At his demise, the imam was succeeded by his son ad-Da'i Yusuf
.
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 tenure as imam is counted from 934 to 976.
Yahya bin Ahmad was the fifth son of the imam an-Nasir Ahmad
An-Nasir Ahmad
An-Nasir Ahmad was the third imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen. Through his active leadership he confirmed and expanded the polity founded by his two predecessors.-Early years and succession:...
. Even before the death of an-Nasir in 934, three of his sons quarreled bitterly among themselves. Although the Zaidi imamship was not strictly hereditary but depended on personal qualifications and descent from the Prophet Muhammad, succession tended to take place within particular families descended from al-Qasim ar-Rassi (d. 860) and his grandson al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya
Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya
Al-Hadi ila’l-Haqq Yahya 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.-Background:Yahya bin al-Husayn bin...
(d. 911). Two sons of an-Nasir, al-Muntakhab al-Hasan
Al-Muntakhab al-Hasan
Al-Muntakhab al-Hasan was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen in the period 934-936. He was the fourth ruler of the Rasssid DynastyAl-Hasan bin Ahmad was the third of the six sons of imam an-Nasir Ahmad...
(d. 936) and al-Mukhtar al-Qasim
Al-Mukhtar al-Qasim
Al-Mukhtar al-Qasim was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen, who held or claimed power from 936 to 956.Al-Qasim bin Ahmad was the eldest son of the imam an-Nasir Ahmad who died in 934. An-Nasir's death ushered into a period of internal political turbulence among the Zaidis of highland Yemen...
(d. 956) contested the dignity. None of them is recognized as a right imam in later Zaidi chronicles. Their younger brother al-Mansur Yahya is, on the other hand, counted as imam from 934 to his death in 976. The internal dissention among the Zaydiyyah was accentuated by the behaviour of the tribal groups of the northern Yemeni highlands, which supported one side or the other according to their interests. Few details are otherwise known about al-Mansur Yahya, and the politics of highland Yemen were dominated by the rival Yu'firid Dynasty. At his demise, the imam was succeeded by his son ad-Da'i Yusuf
Ad-Da'i Yusuf
Ad-Da'i Yusuf was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled for two highly turbulent terms .-Struggles against Yu'firids and Ziyadids:...
.