Zaidiyya, or
Zaidism (Arabic: الزيدية az-zaydiyya, adjective form
Zaidi or
Zaydi) is a Shi'a
MuslimA 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...
school of thought named after
Zayd ibn ʻAlīZayd ibn ‘Alī was the grandson of Husayn ibn Alī, the grandson of Muhammad. Zayd was born in Medina in 695. His father was the Shī‘ah Imam ‘Alī ibn Husayn "Zayn al-Abidīn"...
, the grandson of
Husayn ibn ʻAlīHussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
. Followers of the Zaydi
Islamic jurisprudenceFiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
are called Zaydi Shi'a. The Zaydi Shi'a have a unique approach within Shi'a Islamic thought that renders similarities with orthodox
Sunni IslamSunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
.
Five Zaidi Imāms
The Zaydis, Twelvers and Ismailis recognize the same first four Imāms of
Shi'a IslamShia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī , meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is...
, however, the Zaydis recognize
Zayd ibn AliZayd ibn ‘Alī was the grandson of Husayn ibn Alī, the grandson of Muhammad. Zayd was born in Medina in 695. His father was the Shī‘ah Imam ‘Alī ibn Husayn "Zayn al-Abidīn"...
as the Fifth Imām. After Zayd ibn Ali, the Zaydis recognize other descendants of
Hasan ibn ʻAlīAl-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...
or
Husayn ibn ʻAlīHussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
as their Imāms. Other well known Zaydi Imāms in history were Yahya ibn Zayd, Muhammad al Nafs az-Zakiyah and Ibrahim ibn Abdullah.
| 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...
|
Prophet of Islam |
| Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib |
1st Imam |
| Al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib 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...
|
2nd Imam |
Hussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī ṬālibHussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
|
3rd Imam |
| Zayn al-‘Ābidīn (Alī ibn Hussein ibn ‘Alī) |
4th Imam |
| Zayd ibn ‘Alī ibn Hussein Zayd ibn ‘Alī was the grandson of Husayn ibn Alī, the grandson of Muhammad. Zayd was born in Medina in 695. His father was the Shī‘ah Imam ‘Alī ibn Husayn "Zayn al-Abidīn"...
|
5th Imam |
Law
In matters of Islamic jurisprudence, the Zaydis follow Zayd ibn Ali's teachings which are documented in his book Majmu'l Fiqh (in
ArabicArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: مجموع الفِقه). The Zaydi
fiqhFiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
is similar to the Sunni
HanafiThe 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...
school of Islamic jurisprudence.
Theology
In matters of theology, the Zaydis are close to the
Mu'tazili' is an Islamic school of speculative theology that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad, both in present-day Iraq, during the 8th–10th centuries. The adherents of the Mu'tazili school are best known for their having asserted that, because of the perfect unity and eternal nature of God,...
school, though they are not Mu'tazilite. There are a few issues between both schools, most notably the Zaydi doctrine of the Imamah, which is rejected by the Mu'tazilites. Of the Shi'a, Zaydis are the most similar to Sunnis and Zaydis utilize the jurisprudential tradition of the renowned Muslim jurist Abu Hanifa. Since Zaydi shares similar doctrines and jurisprudential opinions with Sunni Islamic scholars, Zaydis are even described by some analysts as the fifth school of Sunni Islam.
Beliefs
Like all Muslims, the Zaydi Shi'a affirm the fundamental tenet of Islam known as the Shahadah or testament of faith - There is no god but God (
AllahAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
), and Muhammad is His Messenger. Traditionally, the Zaydi Shi'a believe that Muslims who commit major sins without remorse should not be considered
MuslimA 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...
nor be considered Kaafir, but rather be categorized in neither groups.
In the context of the Shi'a Muslim belief in spiritual leadership or Imamah, Zaydis believe that the leader of the Muslim community (Ummah) must be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through his only surviving daughter
FatimahFatimah was a daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from his first wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. She is regarded by Muslims as an exemplar for men and women. She remained at her father's side through the difficulties suffered by him at the hands of the Quraysh of Mecca...
, whose sons were
Hasan ibn ʻAlīAl-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...
and
Husayn ibn ʻAlīHussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
.
The Zaydi Shi'a Muslims called themselves Zaydi so they could differentiate themselves from other Shi'a who refused to take up arms with Zayd ibn Ali and the later Zaydi Imams against oppression.
Zaydis believe Zayd ibn Ali was the rightful successor to the Imamate because he led a rebellion against the
UmayyadThe Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
Dynasty, who he believed were tyrannical and corrupt. Muhammad al-Baqir did not engage in political action and the followers of Zayd believed that a true Imām must fight against corrupt rulers. It is said the renowned Muslim jurist Imam Abu Hanifa delivered a
fatwaA fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
or legal statement in favour of Imam Zayd in his rebellion against Umayyad ruler of his time.
In contrast to other Shi'a Muslims, the Zaydis do not believe in the infallibility of Imāms or that the Imāms receive divine guidance. Zaydis also do not believe that the Imāmate must pass from father to son but believe it can be held by any descendant from either Hasan ibn ʻAlī and Husayn ibn ʻAlī. It should be noted that the orthodox Shi'a Ithna Ashari school, which constitutes the majority of Shi'a Muslims, does not necessarily believe in Imamate passing from father to son either, as can be seen from the transition of Imamate from the second Imam, Hasan ibn Alī, after his death to his brother, Husayn ibn Alī.
Zaydis, like Sunni Muslims, further reject the notion of
OccultationAn occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The word is used in astronomy . It can also refer to any situation wherein an object in the foreground blocks from view an object in the background...
(ghayba) of the Hidden Imām. Like the
Ismā'īlī' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
s, they believe in a living visible Imām.
In fact, the 8th Shi'a Twelver Imam, Ali al-Rida, narrated how his grandfather Jafar as-Sadiq (Patron of both Twelver and Ismaili Shi'a groups) also supported Zayd bin Ali's struggle:
Imam Jafar Sadiq's love for Zayd ibn Ali was so immense, he broke down and cried upon reading the letter informing him of his death and proclaimed:
Status of caliphs and sahaba
There was a difference of opinion amongst the companions and supporters of Zaid bin 'Ali, such as Abu'l Jarud Ziyad ibn Abi Ziyad, Sulayman ibn Jarir, Kathir an-Nawa Al-Abtar and Hasan ibn Salih, concerning the status of the first three Caliphs of Islam who succeeded to the political and administrative authority of the Prophet Muhammad. The earliest group, called
Jarudiyya (named for Abu'l Jarud Ziyad ibn Abi Ziyad), was opposed to the approval of certain
companions of MuhammadIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
. They held that there was sufficient description given by the Prophet that all should have recognised
ImamAn 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...
'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...
. They therefore consider the Companions wrong in failing to recognise Imam 'Ali as the legitimate
CaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
. Thus, they deny real legitimacy to
Abu Bakr Abu Bakr was a senior companion and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ruled over the Rashidun Caliphate from 632-634 CE when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death...
,
'Umar`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....
and
'UthmanUthman ibn Affan was one of the companions of Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He played a major role in early Islamic history as the third Sunni Rashidun or Rightly Guided Caliph....
; however, they avoid denouncing them.
They further condemn two other companions of Muhammad, Talha, Zubair, for their initial uprising against Caliph Ali.
This group was active during the late
UmayyadThe Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
and early
'AbbasidThe 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....
period. Its views, although predominant among the later Zaydis, especially in Yemen under the Hadawi sub-sect,
became extinct in Iraq and Iran due to forced conversion to Ithna' Ashariyya by the Safawids.
The second group,
Sulaimaniyya (for Sulayman ibn Jarir), held that the Imamate should be a matter to be decided by consultation. They felt that the companions, including Abu Bakr and 'Umar, had been in error in failing to follow Imam 'Ali but it did not amount to sin. The third group is
Tabiriyya,
Butriyya or
Salihiyya (for Kathir an-Nawa Al-Abtar and Hasan ibn Salih). Their beliefs are virtually identical to those of the Sulaimaniyya, except they see Uthman also as in error but not in sin.
Idrisid dynasty
The Idrisid dynasty was a mostly Berber Zaydi dynasty centered around modern-day Morocco. It was named after its first leader Idriss I.
Banu Ukhaidhir
The
Banu UkhaidhirThe Banu 'l-Ukhaidhir was a dynasty that ruled in al-Yamamah from 867 to at least the mid-eleventh century. An Alid dynasty, they were descendents of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and his grandson Al-Hasan, and at least one contemporary traveler describes them as having been Shi'ites of...
was a dynasty that ruled in al-Yamamah (central Arabia) from 867 to at least the mid-eleventh century.
Community and former States
Since the earliest form of Zaydism was of the Jarudiyya group, many of the first Zaidi states, like those of the
AlavidsThe Alavids or Alavians , also known as the Zaydids, were a Zaidi Shia emirate based in Mazandaran of Iran. They were descendants of the second Shi'a Imam and brought Islam to the south Caspian Sea region of Iran. Their reign was ended when they were defeated by the Samanid empire in 928 AD...
, Buyids, Ukhaidhirids and
RassidsThe 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...
, were inclined to the Jarudiyya group.
The Idrisids were
ArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
Zaydi Shia dynasty in the western
MaghrebThe Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
ruling from
788Year 788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 788 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Charlemagne conquers Bavaria.* Bermudo I...
to
985Year 985 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Barcelona is sacked by Al-Mansur....
C.E., named after its first
sultanSultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
, Idriss I.
A Zaydi state was established in Daylaman and Tabaristan (northern
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
) in 864 C.E. by the
AlavidsThe Alavids or Alavians , also known as the Zaydids, were a Zaidi Shia emirate based in Mazandaran of Iran. They were descendants of the second Shi'a Imam and brought Islam to the south Caspian Sea region of Iran. Their reign was ended when they were defeated by the Samanid empire in 928 AD...
; it lasted until the death of its leader at the hand of the Samanids in 928 C.E. Roughly forty years later the state was revived in Gilan (north-western Iran) and survived under Hasanid leaders until 1126 C.E. After which from the 12th-13th centuries, the Zaydis of Daylaman, Gilan and Tabaristan then acknowledge the Zaydi
Imams of YemenThe 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...
or rival Zaydi Imams within
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
The Buyids were initially Zaidi as well as the
UkhaidhiriteThe Banu 'l-Ukhaidhir was a dynasty that ruled in al-Yamamah from 867 to at least the mid-eleventh century. An Alid dynasty, they were descendents of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and his grandson Al-Hasan, and at least one contemporary traveler describes them as having been Shi'ites of...
rulers of
al-YamamaAl-Yamamah is an ancient district lying to the east of the plateau of Najd in modern-day Saudi Arabia, or sometimes more specifically, the now-extinct ancient village of Jaww Al-Yamamah, near Al-Kharj, after which the rest of the region was named...
in the 9th and 10th centuries.
The leader of the Zaidi community took the title of
CaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
. As such, the ruler of Yemen was known as the Caliph,
al-Hadi Yahya bin al-Hussain bin al-Qasim ar-RassiAl-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...
RassidsThe 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...
(a descendant of Imam al-Hasan) who, at Sa'da, in c. 893-7 C.E., founded the Zaidi Imamate and this system continued until the middle of the 20th century, until the revolution of 1962 C.E. that deposed the Zaidi Imam (see
Imams of YemenThe 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...
). The founding Zaidism of Yemen was of the Jarudiyya group, however with the increasing interaction with Hanafi and Shafi'i Sunni Islam, there was a shift from the Jarudiyya group, especially the Hadawi sub-sect, to the Sulaimaniyya group.
Currently the most prominent Zaidi movement is the Shabab Al Mu'mineen (also known as
HouthisThe Houthis Houthis) are a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as a "powerful clan," and by the title Ash-Shabab al-Muminin or Youthful Believers). The group takes its name from Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, their former commander, who was reportedly...
) who have been engaged in an uprising against the Yemeni Government in which the Army has lost 743 men and thousands of innocent civilians have been killed or displaced by Houthi and government forces causing a grave humanitarian crisis in north Yemen.
Shia Population of the Middle East
Some Persian and Arab legends record that Zaidis fled to
ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
from the Umayyads during the 8th century ce.
Zaidi Wasitis
Zaidi Wasitis are Twelver Shias who claim descendancy from Imam Zayd bin Ali.
Literature
- Cornelis van Arendonk : Les débuts de l'imamat zaidite au Yemen , Leyden , Brill 1960
External links