View source for Al-Mahdi al-Husayn

{{Short description|Imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen from 1003 to 1013}}
'''al-Mahdi al-Husayn''' (987 - 1013) was an [[imam]] of the [[Zaidiyyah|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 [[Rassids|Rassid]] line. His genealogy was as follows: Al-Husayn bin Imam al-Qasim bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Imam al-Qasim al-Rassi bin Ibrahim Tabataba bin Isma'il al-Dibaj bin Ibrahim bin al-Hasan al-Ridha bin Imam al-Hasan bin Imam Ali bin Abi Talib.
Al-Husayn was a [[Sayyid]] originally from Tarj, Tihamah. His father was the imam [[al-Mansur al-Qasim al-Iyyani]] who briefly held power in the Yemeni inland in 999–1002, and died in 1003. After the death of al-Mansur, al-Husayn set forth his claim to the imamate, in rivalry with his distant relative [[ad-Da'i Yusuf]]. He declared himself with the title al-Mahdi.<ref>''Enzyklopädie des Islam'', Vol. IV. Leiden 1934, p. 1296.</ref> He was supported by large groups from [[Himyar]] and [[Banu Hamdan|Hamdan]]. At this time, the key city [[San'a]] was governed by the Zaidi [[sharif]] al-Qasim bin al-Husayn. The sharif was expelled from the city, pursued and killed in 1012. The rival imam ad-Da'i died in the same year. With this, the power of al-Mahdi al-Husayn extended from Alhan to [[Sa'dah]] and San'a. However, in 1013, the imam was attacked by a Hamdanite force near Dhu Bin and lost his life.<ref>H.C. Kay, ''Yaman; Its early Medieval History''. London 1892, pp. 228-9.</ref> Like many Zaidi imams, al-Mahdi al-Husayn was a prominent author. After his demise, his brother Ja'far played a political role as [[emir]] in the Yemeni highlands for several decades. He established himself in the impenetrable stronghold Shahara and was the main opponent of the [[Sulayhid dynasty]] in the second half of the eleventh century.<ref>''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', Vol. XI, Leiden 2002, p. 479.</ref>
==See also==
* [[Imams of Yemen]]
* [[Rassids]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[al-Mansur al-Qasim al-Iyyani]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Zaydi]] [[Imams of Yemen|Imam of Yemen]]<br>''contested by [[ad-Da'i Yusuf]]''|years=1003&ndash;1013}}
{{s-aft|after=[[al-Mu'ayyad Ahmad]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahdi al-Husayn}}
[[Category:Zaydi imams of Yemen]]
[[Category:987 births]]
[[Category:1013 deaths]]
[[Category:11th century in Yemen]]
[[Category:Rassid dynasty]]
[[Category:10th-century Arab people]]
[[Category:11th-century Arab people]]
[[Category:10th-century Zaydis]]
[[Category:11th-century Zaydis]]