Al-Muid li-Din Illah (المعيد لدين الله, died 1030) 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 reigned in the period 1027–1030. After 1002, the Zaidi

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 ...

in highland Yemen was contested between various claimants. A

Caspian Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea *Caspian languages, collection of languages and dialects of Caspian peopl ...

Zaidi leader in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Abu Talib Yahya Abu Talib Yahya (951 - 1033) was an imam of the Zaydiyyah sect in 1020–1033. Like his elder brother and predecessor al-Mu'ayyad Ahmad, Abu Talib Yahya was a prominent man of learning and a descendant of Imam Hasan bin Ali. He succeeded al-Mu'ay ...

, is sometimes formally counted as imam in the period 1020–1033 in Zaydiyyah

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

. Meanwhile, the brother of the old imam

al-Mahdi al-Husayn al-Mahdi al-Husayn (987 - 1013) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in the years 1003–1013, in rivalry with another imam. Like most of the medieval Yemenite imams he was a member of the Rassid line. His genealogy was as follows: A ...

, Ja'far, ruled the Zaidi centre

Sa'dah Saada ( ar, صَعْدَة, translit=Ṣaʿda), a city and ancient capital in the northwest of Yemen, is the capital and largest city of the province of the same name, and the county seat of the county of the same name. The city is located in the ...

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

for periods. In 1027 a new pretender of obscure origins appeared and claimed the imamate. He proclaimed himself under the title al-Mu'id li-Din Illah (he who brings people back to

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

). He actually managed to establish his authority in 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 ...

. Nevertheless, he was killed by opponents already in 1030.H.C. Kay, ''Yaman; Its Early Medieval History''. London 1892, p. 229.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muid li-Din Illah Zaydi imams of Yemen 1030 deaths Year of birth unknown 11th century in Yemen 11th-century Arabs

See also

References