Al-Mansur al-Hasan (1199–1271) 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 of
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 ruled in 1262–1271.
Al-Hasan bin Badr ad-Din came from the same family as imam
al-Hadi Yahya Al-Hadi Yahya was an imam of part of the Zaidiyyah, Zaidi state in Yemen. He ruled from 1217 to 1239, partly in rivalry with a contender.
Najm ad-Din Yahya bin Muhsin was a seventh-generation descendant of imam al-Mukhtar al-Qasim (d. 956). The old ...
(d. 1239). When the former imam
Yahya bin Muhammad as-Siraji was blinded by the
Rasulid
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 were ...
governor in
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 ...
in 1262, al-Hasan emerged as imam under the honorific al-Mansur al-Hasan. Politically, these years were the low ebb of Zaidi fortunes, since the Rasulids were in strong ascendancy. Al-Mansur al-Hasan had to stay for much of his time in
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 ...
, the traditional stronghold of the imams in the far north. Even Sa'dah was seized in 1264 by the troops of the Rasulid Sultan al-Muzaffar Yusuf. However, the hostile stance of the local tribesmen, which were still loyal to the Zaidis, forced the sultan's forces to withdraw. Like many Zaidi imams, al-Mansur al-Hasan was a prominent writer. He wrote a long ''urjuzah'' poem about the imams of the
Prophet's family, up to his own days, adding a comprehensive commentary called ''Anwar al-yaqin''.
[''The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature; Abbasid Belles-Lettres''. Cambridge 1990, pp. 462-3.] After the imam's death in Rughafa in 1271, al-Muzaffar Yusuf renewed the Rasulid push towards the north of Yemen.
See also
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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 ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur Al-Hasan
Zaydi imams of Yemen
1199 births
1271 deaths
13th century in Yemen
13th-century Arabs
Rassid dynasty