Zaydiyya: Difference between revisions

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In the past, Zaydis had dynasties in Yemen, [[Tabaristan]], and Morocco. Zaydi Imams ruled in Yemen for about eleven centuries until the establishment of the republic of Yemen in 1962. Since then, Zaydis were mostly in seclusion for two decades, but they have become increasingly active in social and political spheres recently. The revolutionary movement of [[Ansar Allah]] is among the influential Zaydi currents of Yemen today.

After the martyrdom of [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]], some Alids regarded military revolt against unjust rulers as a condition of [[imamate]]. After the demise of [[Imam al-Sajjad (a)]], the adherents of this idea supported Zayd b. Ali in his uprising against Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik and regarded him as their Imam. This marked the formation of Zaydiyya in early 2nd century AH.

When fifteen thousand men paid allegiance to Zayd in [[Kufa]]—and so did many others in [[Basra]], [[Mada'in]], and [[Khurasan]]—Zayd made his decision to rise up against Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik, the [[Umayyad]] [[caliph]]. Zayd's supporters were not yet organized, when the governor of [[Iraq]] attacked Zayd's hiding place. As a result, Zayd was forced to start his uprising sooner than planned in 122/740 with a small army of two-hundred men; an uprising that was suppressed and resulted in Zayd's martyrdom in [[Muharram]] 24 or 25/January 3 or 4.

Husayniyya, Qasimiyya, Hadawiyya, Nasiriyya, Sabahiyya, and Ya'qubiyya are some of the Zaydi sects mentioned in historical sources.

One of the earliest Zaydi works on [[fiqh]] is ''Musnad Zayd b. 'Ali'', also called ''Majmu' al-fiqhi wa l-hadithi'' or ''Majmu' al-fiqhi al-kabir''. Among the fiqhi viewpoints of Zaydiyya are saying "Hayy 'ala khayr al-'amal" in [[adhan]], permissibility of wiping on the shoes in [[wudu]], prohibition of [[mut'a]], and permissibility of eating the animals slaughtered by [[Ahl al-Kitab]]. They emphasize on the necessity of [[enjoining the good and forbidding the evil]], and as a result Zaydi Imams would revolt against unjust rulers, even though it led to their massacre. Some Zaydis used [[qiyas]] in their [[ijtihad]]. Zaydis believe the [[consensus]] of the scholars of ummah to be the foundation of fiqhi viewpoints.

In the issue of intelligibility of good and evil, Zaydis are inclined to the Mu'tazila. Al-Shahrastani believes that the reason behind this is the fact that Zayd studied under Wasil b. 'Ata', the founder of the Mu'tazila.

Zaydis do not believe in [[Bada']] and [[Raj'at]] and also do not regard [[taqiyya]] as permissible. They believe, an Imam has to be a descendant of Imam al-Hasan (a) or Imam al-Husayn (a); he has to be knowledgeable, pious, brave, generous, call people to accept his imamate, and rise up against the unjust rulers.  Zaydis agree that it is not permissible for two Imams to rise up at the same time in the same land. However, there is disagreement among them as to whether it is permissible for two Imams to rise up in different lands at the same time.

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After the martyrdom of Zayd b. Ali, several revolts were carried out, most of which were suppressed by the rulers.

{{main|Yahya b. Zayd}}

Yahya b. Zayd, who went to Mada'in and then to Ray and Sarakhs after the martyrdom of his father, started his revolt in Khurasan. He was able to defeat the army of Nasr b. Sayyar, the Umayyad governor of [[Iraq]], but was martyred in another battle that took place in [[Juzjan]]. The people of Khurasan mourned for him for seven days. It is reported that [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] wrote a letter to Yahya, prohibiting him from uprising.

In 145/762 (towards the end of Mansur's reign), two revolts were conducted in [[Medina]] and [[Basra]], one by Muhammad and the other by Ibrahim, the sons of 'Abd Allah b. al-Hasan. During the lifetime of Zayd, 'Abd Allah did not support him, but when Zayd was killed, he adopted Zayd's idealogy and became the leader of the revolts of his sons.

{{main|Uprising of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya}}

Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah b. al-Hasan, also known as [[al-Nafs al-Zakiyya]] (the Pure Soul), was regarded by some people as the Mahdi. Before the victory of Abbasid revolution, al-Mansur and al-Saffah paid allegiance to him and were of his missionaries. Muhammad's revolt took place in 145/762-763 in Medina, where he was called Amir al-Mu'minin (the Commander of the Faithful). When al-Mansur became the [[caliph]], he wrote Muhammad letters, threatening him but at the same time giving him safety if he ended his revolt. Muhammad disregarded al-Mansur's letters, so the latter send an army to Medina. In the battle that took place there, Muhammad's revolt was suppressed and Muhammad himself was killed; his head was circulated in [[Kufa]] and then taken to the caliph.

{{main|Uprising of Martyr of Bakhamra}}

When Zaydi revolts in Kufa and Medina were being defeated and Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah was killed, his brother [[Ibrahim b. 'Abd Allah]] started a revolt in Basra, where he had settled in 143/760. With the help of 'Isa b. Zayd b. 'Ali, he organized his uprising, and many Zaydis, Mu'tazilis, as well as many other people from Fars, Ahwaz, and other places joined him. However, in a battle that took place in Bakhmara between Ibrahim's army and that of the caliph, Ibrahim and four-hundred Zaydis were killed.

{{main|Tragedy of Fakhkh}}

The uprising of [[Husayn b. 'Ali b. al-Hasan]], well-known as the Martyr of Fakhkh, took place in 169/785 and was suppressed by Muhammad b. Sulayman. Al-Husayn was killed, together with a number of his companions in a place called [[Fakhkh]] near Mecca and their bodies were left in the desert.

During the reign of [[Harun al-Rashid]] (170/786-193/808), one of the companions of Husayn b. 'Ali b. al-Hasan, who was present in the massacre of Fakhkh, went to the land of Daylam and, with the help of some Zaydis, organized an uprising. However, his supporters left him, so he had no choice other than making peace with the caliph.

Idris was another survivor of the massacre of Fakhkh, who went to [[Egypt]] in 172/788 and from there to Morocco, where he called people to support the Zaydiyya. He was able to attract the support of the local tribes and establish the Idrisid dynasty, whose territory extended from Kairouan to the Atlantic Ocean.  The Idrisid rule lasted from 172/788 until 375/985.

Sari b. Mansur al-Shaybani, known as Abu l-Saraya, started a revolt in 199/815 in Kufa. He was able to gain victory by calling people to "the Chosen One from the Family of Muhammad (s)." Despite initial victories, his uprising was suppressed in 200/815.

==Zaydi Dynasties==

Zaydi Rule in Iran was established in Tabaristan and Daylaman, allegedly by al-Hasan b. Zayd b. Isma'il, also known as Da'i Kabir. This rule lasted until 316 AH.

According to some reports, Zaydis entered Iran in early 2nd century AH, and their first uprising was that of [[Yahya b. Zayd]] who revolted against the Umayyads in [[Sabziwar]] and was killed in 126/. The people of Sabziwar named all their children Yahya to show their sympathy and support for him.

There is no report as to Zaydi revolts in Northern Iran between 6th and 8th centuries. However, in 776 AH, the allegedly Zaydi dynasty of Al Kiya was established in Gilan by Sayyid Ali b. Sayyid Amir Kiya.

In the [[Safavid]] period, Shah Tahmasp defeated Khan Ahmad Gilani, the last ruler of the Al Kiya dynasty. According to some historians Khan Ahmad left Zaydism in 960 AH, and as a result the people of Northern Iran converted to [[Twelver Shiism]].

Zaydis form 35% of Yemen's population today; they reside mostly in Saadah, Hajjah, Dhamar and Sana'a provinces.

There are four active Zaydi currents in Yemen.

After the union of Yemen in 1990 and the ratification of the law of free parties, a good opportunity was provided for Zaydis to come out of the isolation they had undergone for more than twenty years.  In this context, a current was formed consisting of Zaydi scholars who aimed at reviving Zaydi heritage. They started to teach and train the youth according to the teachings of Zaydiyya. Later they established "al-Haqq party", which was the first political party established after the fall of the rule of the Zaydi Imams.

However, this current issued a declaration in which the necessity of establishing a Zaydi rule was regarded as belonging to the past and so revolting against the existing rule was declared to be impermissible.

Among Zaydi religious authorities and scholars, there was a current inclined to the Jarudi Zaydis, who were close to the Imamiyya in matters of [[theology]] and [[jurisprudence]]. This current insisted on [[imamate]] as a fundamental Zaydi principle and preserved the revolutionary attitude of the Zaydiyya. Emphasizing on the principle of [[enjoining the good and prohibiting the evil]], they maintained that uprising against an unjust ruler is an obligation. This group regarded the approach of the conservative current as insufficient, so they established a new educational institution, called "Muntada l-Shabab al-Muminin" (Association of Believing Youths), to train and educate Zaydi youths, which later expanded and changed its name to "Tanzim al-Shabab al-Mu'minin" (Organization of Believing Youth). The spiritual leader of this organization was Badr al-Din al-Houthi and its political founder and theoretician was Husayn al-Houthi.

Since 2013, the Houthi current changed its name to Harakat Ansar Allah (Ansar Allah Movement) and gained greater popularity among Yemeni tribes and people. [[Ansar Allah]] Movement started a revolution against Yemeni government in 2014, whose president was Abd Rabbih Mansour Hadi, because of the government's corruption, despotism, and failure to fulfill people's demands.

The development of the Zaydi intellectual current in Yemen can be traced back to the revolution of 1947 against the government of Yahya Hamid al-Din, the last leader of the Zaydi rule. This current believed that the election of the Imam has to be conducted by all people. They believed that the government has to have four branches: executive branch consisting of the Zaydi Imam and his officials, parliament, judiciary branch, and religious scholars. The family of Al Wazir is the leader of the intellectual current. After the revolution of 1962, while rejecting the Western model of government, they supported establishing an Islamic government based on their proposed model.

This current includes those Zaydis who believe that their traditional teachings on politics and society is insufficient. The supporters of Ali Abd Allah Saleh and many of the Republicans belong to this current. The most important political party of the secular current is General People's Congress.

* The material for this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/زیدیه زیدیه] in Farsi WikiShia.

[[Category:Zaydiyya]]

[[Category:Islamic sects and denominations]]