Abu'l-Futuh al-Hasan ibn Ja'far ( ar, أبو الفتوح الحسن بن جعفر) was the
Sharif of Mecca
The Sharif of Mecca ( ar, شريف مكة, Sharīf Makkah) or Hejaz ( ar, شريف الحجاز, Sharīf al-Ḥijāz, links=no) was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and ...
for the
Fatimid Caliphate from 994/5 until 1010. He was also briefly proclaimed as an anti-
caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
in a rebellion against the Fatimid Caliphate in
Palestine in 1010.
Abu al-Futuh succeeded his brother
Isa
Isa or ISA may refer to:
Places
* Isa, Amur Oblast, Russia
* Isa, Kagoshima, Japan
* Isa, Nigeria
* Isa District, Kagoshima, former district in Japan
* Isa Town, middle class town located in Bahrain
* Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
* Mount Is ...
as Emir of Mecca in 384
AH (994/5
CE). He was a member of the Ja'farid dynasty, a
Hasanid
The Ḥasanids ( ar, بنو حسن, Banū Ḥasan or , ) are the descendants of Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, brother of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī and grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. They are a branch of the Alids (the descendants of ʿAlī ibn Abī ...
family that had come to rule Mecca . The family may have had
Zaydi
Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, ...
leanings, and recognized the suzerainty of the
Fatimid Caliphate.
In July 1010, at the instigation of
Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Maghribi, a former Fatimid
vizier
A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called '' katib'' (secretary), who was ...
, he was briefly acclaimed as anti-caliph with the title of ("Righteous with God") during the
Jarrahid-led
Bedouin revolt against the Fatimid rule in Palestine. He raised a considerable sum of money and joined the rebels in their capital of
Ramla
Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations.
The city was ...
, where he was initially warmly received and acclaimed as "
Commander of the Faithful
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
". Soon, however, the money he had brought with him ran out and the Jarrahids ceased to respect him, while they were willing to receive gifts and money from the Fatimid Caliph,
al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Abū ʿAlī Manṣūr (13 August 985 – 13 February 1021), better known by his regnal name al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh ( ar, الحاكم بأمر الله, lit=The Ruler by the Order of God), was the sixth Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismaili imam ...
. Disheartened, Hasan returned to Mecca and Fatimid allegiance, while the Jarrahid rebellion was crushed by the Fatimid troops in late summer 1010. The motives for his revolt are not entirely clear. On one part they were practical: the Hejaz had suffered due to the cessation of grain shipments, as well as monetary subsidies, from Egypt for the few years preceding the revolt, and the sources explicitly mention that this had caused grievances on the part of al-Hasan. However, the unprecedented decision to actually proclaim a counter-caliphate clearly had ideological motivation as well, being possibly prodded by al-Hakim's demand in 1005 to ritually curse the first two
Rashidun
The Rashidun Caliphs ( ar, الخلفاء الراشدون, translit=al-Khulafāʾ al-Rāshidūn, ), often simply called the Rashidun, are the first four caliphs (lit.: 'successors') who led the Muslim community following the death of the Isl ...
caliphs across the Fatimid domains.
Abu al-Futuh died in 430 AH (1038/9), as mentioned by
Ibn al-Athir
Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ash-Shaybānī, better known as ʿAlī ʿIzz ad-Dīn Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī ( ar, علي عز الدین بن الاثیر الجزري) lived 1160–1233) was an Arab or Kurdish historian ...
. He was succeeded as Emir by his only son
Shukr
Shukr ( ar, شكر) is an Arabic term denoting thankfulness, gratitude or acknowledgment by humans, being a highly esteemed virtue in Islam. The term may also be used if the subject is God, in which case it takes the meaning of "divine responsiven ...
After his removal in the year 400 AH (1010) AD.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abul-Futuh al-Hasan ibn Jafar
10th-century births
1030s deaths
10th-century Arabs
11th-century Arabs
11th-century caliphs
11th-century people from the Fatimid Caliphate
11th-century rulers in Asia
Hasanids
Rebellions against the Fatimid Caliphate
Sharifs of Mecca
Vassal rulers of the Fatimid Caliphate