Al-Mansur an-Nasir (died 1462) was an
imam
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
of the
Zaidi state in
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
who held power in parts of the northern Yemeni highland in 1436–1462.
The old imam
al-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din Al-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din (1373 – 14 February 1436) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 2 November 1391 – 14 February 1436, partly in rivalry with other claimants to the imamate.
Contest over the imamate
Ali bin Salah ad ...
died from the
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
in 1436. His position was then claimed by three different
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...
s, of which one was al-Mansur an-Nasir. He was the great-great-grandson of the imam
al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin Yahya Al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin Yahya (June 1217 – June 23, 1298) was an imam of the Zaidiyyah, Zaidi state in Yemen whose imamate lasted from 1276 to 1298.
Internal Zaidi rivalries
When the old imam al-Mahdi Ibrahim was defeated and captured b ...
(d. 1298). The two other competitors were
al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar (d. 1474) and
al-Mahdi Salah ad-Din (d. 1445). Al-Mansur an-Nasir tried to strengthen his claim by marrying the granddaughter of al-Mansur Ali. At this time, the once powerful
Rasulid Dynasty
The Rasulids ( ar, بنو رسول, Banū Rasūl) were a Sunni Muslim dynasty who ruled Yemen from 1229 to 1454.
History
Origin of the Rasulids
The Rasulids took their name from al-Amin's nickname "Rasul". The Zaidi Shi'i Imams of Yemen wer ...
in lowland Yemen was quickly crumbling, and fell altogether in 1454. The new
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
lowland regime was the
Tahiride Dynasty, which was engaged in warfare with the imam from its inception. Nevertheless, it was internal Zaidi dissention that finally toppled the position of al-Mansur an-Nasir. The important city
San'a
Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
was eventually acquired by his rival al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar, later to be conquered by the Tahirides in 1462. Al-Mansur an-Nasir himself was captured by tribesmen east of
Dhamar and handed over to al-Mutawakkil. He was placed in custody in
Kawkaban
Shibam Kawkaban ( ar, شبام كَوْكَبَان, Shibām Kawkabān)
is a double town in Shibam Kawkaban District, Al Mahwit Governorate, Yemen, located 38 km west-northwest of Sanaa, the national capital. It consists of two distinct adjoin ...
and died there, still a prisoner, in 1462.
[Zaidi biographies, http://www.al-aalam.com/personinfo.asp?pid=1701 (in Arabic).] The
imamate
{{expand Arabic, date=April 2021
The term imamate or ''imamah'' ( ar, إمامة, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a state ruled by an ''imam''.
Theology
*Imamate, in Sunni doctrine the caliphate
:* Naqshb ...
was subsequently claimed by his son
al-Mu’ayyad Muhammad.
See also
*
Imams of Yemen
The Imams of Yemen, later also titled the Kings of Yemen, were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and temporal-political rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their ...
*
Rassids
The Imams of Yemen and later also the Kings of Yemen were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and political rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their imamate endured ...
*
History of Yemen
The history of Yemen describes the cultures, events, and peoples of what is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable population, a f ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur An-Nasir
Zaydi imams of Yemen
1462 deaths
Year of birth unknown
15th century in Yemen
15th-century Arabs