Zaydiyya: Difference between revisions

After him, Yahya b. 'Abd Allah b. al-Hasan came to Iran and secretly settled in Daylam and called people to support his Imamte and was able to gain supporters. However, his uprising failed as Fadl b. Yahya al-Barmaki, the commander of Harun al-Rashid's army, was able to make Yahya's supporters leave him by threatening or bribing them. As a result, Yahya had to make peace with Fadl and return to Baghdad, where he was sent to jail. Yahya passed away there in 172 AH.

When the people of Tabaristan invited Da'i Kabir, he went there from Rayy in 250 AH and the people paid allegiance to him. After defeating the Tahirid governor, he entered Amol and ruled there for twenty years.

When Da'i Kabir passed away, his brother Muhammad b. Zayd, called Da'i Saghir, became the ruler of Tabaristan. His reign lasted seventeen years until he was killed in a battle with the Samanids in 287 AH. After this defeat, Tabaristan came under Samanid rule.

Thirteen years later, al-Hasan b. Ali b. al-Hasan, also known as Nasir Utrush or Nasir Kabir, was able to retake Tabaristan from the Samanids and enter Amol in 301 AH. Nasir Utrush is one of the Zaydi Imams who produced many works. Unlike other Zaydi Imams who were more influenced by the Mu'tazila, he was more inclined to the Imamiyya.

After Nasir Utrush and the twelve-year long reign of his cousin al-Hasan b. al-Qasim, the Alid rule in Iran was dissolved and the Shi'a dynasty of Buyids was established. During the Buyid period, some Zaydi Imams were able to establish temporary, local rules in Iran.

From the fourth century onwards, Zaydis were greatly supported and respected by the Buyids, such that, according to some historians, Zaydi Imams reached the zenith of their power and had Tabaristan, Daylam, Gilan, and Gorgan under their control. An important development in Zaydi history in this period was the increase of intra-faith scholarly debates and conflicts.