The Revivers of the Third Hijri Century

Al-Zulaf:
31 – And he raised high the banners of prophethood, defending… of the religion, Yahya ibn al-Husayn, who fights
Al-Tuhaf:
Imam al-Hadi ila al-Haqq, Yahya ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him)
He is Imam al-Hadi ila al-Haqq al-Mubin, Abu al-Husayn Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim ibn Isma’il ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon them all.
He was born in the Pure Madinah in the year 245 AH. He was carried to his grandfather al-Qasim, peace be upon them both, who placed him in his blessed lap and sought refuge for him with Allah, then said to his father, “What have you named him?”
He replied: “Yahya”—and al-Husayn had a brother named Yahya who had died earlier—so al-Qasim wept when he mentioned him and said, “By Allah, he is Yahya, the one of Yemen.” He said this because of reports that had been narrated concerning him.
Al-Qasim, peace be upon him, lived for one more year after that, and Imam al-Da’i Yahya ibn al-Muhsin alluded to this when he said:
وأَعْلَنَ القاسمُ بالبَشارَه … بقائمٍ فيه له أَمَاره
من الهدى والعلم والطَّهاره … قد بثَّ فيه المصطفى أَخْبارَه
… بفضله وأوجبَ انْتِظَارَه
“Imam al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim had previously announced the glad tidings of the emergence of a true Imam and leader, in whom the signs of guidance, the indications of knowledge and pure purity are manifest; he is the very Imam of whom the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his Household, had previously spoken, explaining his great virtues, calling upon people to await his emergence and making it obligatory to support him”

His description, peace be upon him: Imam al-Mansur bi-Allah, peace be upon him, said: He was lion-like, with bright eyes, thick forearms, a wide span between his shoulders and chest, and slender legs and lower back, like a lion.
His rise, peace be upon him: In the year 280 AH, Allah established the religion through him in the land of Yemen and revived through him the rituals of the obligatory duties and Sunnahs; thus, he renewed the rulings of the Seal of the Prophets and the legacy of the Master of the Successors. He fought some seventy-two battles against the Qarmatians—those who had apostatized from Islam—in all of which he prevailed, and some seventy-two battles against the Banu al-Harith. He delivered sermons in Mecca al-Musharrafah for seven years, as mentioned in Umdat al-Talib and other works.
Imam Abu Talib, peace be upon him, said: “Imam al-Nasir al-Atrush used to urge people to support al-Hadi Yahya ibn al-Husayn, saying: ‘Whoever is able to support him and is close to him, it is obligatory upon him to support him; and whoever is able to support me and is close to me, let him support me.’
Some of the traditions attributed to him:
It also contains traditions from his grandfather, the Prophet, and his father, the Guardian, including the following from the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, who said: “There is no tribulation but that I know its instigator and its herald.” He then mentioned a tribulation that would occur in the 280s AH, saying: “A man from my lineage will emerge, bearing the name of a Prophet; he will distinguish between truth and falsehood, and Allah will unite the hearts of the believers through him.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, pointed with his hand toward Yemen and said: “A man will emerge from my descendants in this direction whose name is Yahya al-Hadi; through him, Allah will revive the religion.”
And Allah granted him the knowledge of al-Jafr (3)—which Allah revealed to His Prophet, containing knowledge of what will occur until the Day of Resurrection—and with him was Dhu al-Fiqar, the sword of the Commander of the Faithful. The author of the book Al-Basama alluded to this by saying:
من خُصَّ بالجَفْرِ من أبناء فاطمةٍ … وذي الفَقَارِ ومَنْ أرْوَى ظَمَى الفِقَر
‘He is that Imam from the descendants of Fatimah who was uniquely entrusted with the inheritance of the knowledge of al-Jafr (the news of the unseen which Allah revealed to the Prophet), who carried the sword of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and who, with his justice and wisdom, addressed the needs and ignorance of the ummah, bringing them happiness through fairness.’

—part of what was said about him:
Among the authentic historical testimonies is what al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar attested regarding Imam al-Hadi’s rightfulness and that of the Imams from Ahl al-Bayt in Fath al-Bari, his commentary on al-Bukhari, where he interpreted the Prophetic hadith narrated in al-Bukhari and elsewhere through them, which is: “ ‘This matter will remain with the Quraysh as long as two of them remain’.” He stated that the hadith was fulfilled by the matter remaining with the Quraysh in Yemen from the third century onward among a group of the Banu al-Hasan. He said: “And no one among them shall assume the imamate except one who is a scholar and seeks justice.”
He continued: “As for the one in Sa’dah and other parts of Yemen, there is no doubt that he is a Qurayshi, for he is a descendant of al-Hasan ibn Ali.”
Yahya ibn Abi Bakr al-‘Amiri, the eminent scholar and leading hadith scholar of his time, author of Bahjat al-Mahafil, stated in Riyadh al-Musta’bba, in words to this effect: Then, during the reigns of al-Mu’tamid, al-Mu’tadid, and al-Muqtadir, up to al-Musta’sim—the last of the Abbasid caliphs—Ahl al-Bayt sought refuge in regions where they could not be subjugated, such as Gilan, Dilman, and the neighboring lands of the non-Arabs, as well as regions of Yemen such as Najd, Sana’a, Sa’ada, and their surrounding areas. Their position was secured, and they assumed the imamate in accordance with its conditions, prevailing openly and triumphantly, Among them, some twenty-odd Imams arose in Najd and Yemen, the first and foremost of whom was Imam al-Hadi, Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim ibn Isma’il ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan al-Muthanna. He was born in Medina, raised in Hijaz, and educated there and in Iraq; his authority emerged in Yemen in the year 280. He arrived in Yemen at a time when the Qarmatians and the Batiniyyah had spread widely throughout the region, so he waged a fierce struggle against them, engaging in over eighty battles with them, none of which he lost. He possessed vast knowledge and extraordinary courage.
He continued: “After al-Hadi came his son al-Murtada Muhammad ibn Yahya, followed by his son al-Nasir Ahmad ibn Yahya. Both possessed the same qualities of perfection and virtue as their father, and they were buried beside him in Sa’dah. Most of Yemen’s nobility are descended from them.”
He then proceeded to list the imams, citing a historical passage and a valuable treatise that demonstrate the depth of his knowledge and erudition, as well as his fairness, acknowledgment of the truth, and avoidance of bias.
He even said: “Ibn al-Jawzi and others have mentioned that the imams followed in the various schools of jurisprudence each pledged allegiance to one of the imams of Ahl al-Bayt: Abu Hanifa pledged allegiance to Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Hasan; Malik pledged allegiance to his brother Muhammad; and al-Shafi‘i pledged allegiance to their brother Yahya.”
Ibn Hazm, author of Al-Muhalla, said—in mentioning the sons of Imam al-Nasir—in words to this effect: “Al-Hasan al-Muntakhab, al-Qasim al-Mukhtar, and Muhammad (al-Mahdi), the sons of Ahmad al-Nasir ibn Yahya al-Hadi ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim al-Rasi ibn Ibrahim Tabataba. As for this Yahya, who is known as al-Hadi, he had opinions on matters of fiqh that I have seen, and in them he did not stray far from the consensus of the scholars… and so on.”
Nashwan al-Hamiri said in his book Al-Hawr al-‘Ayn, p. 196, in essence: “The first to call for the Zaidi school of thought in Yemen and to spread the teachings of their imams was Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim ibn Isma‘il ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, whose epithet was ‘al-Hadi ila al-Haqq’ (the Guide to the Truth). He settled among the Khawlan and said:
واللهِ واللهِ العظيم إليَّةً … يهتزُّ عرْشُ الله منها الأعظَمُ
I swear by Almighty Allah, a solemn and majestic oath that makes the majesty of the Throne of the Most Merciful tremble
إني لوِدِّكَ يا حسينُ لمضمرٌ … في الله أبديهِ وحيناً أكْتُمُ
I harbour in my heart the purest love and loyalty for you, Hussein, for the sake of Allah. Sometimes I show this love, and sometimes I conceal it.

up to his saying:
وَلوِدِّ سائرِ بيتِ آل محمد … فودادُهم فرْضٌ عليَّ ومَغْنَمُ
I harbour love for all the members of the Prophet Muhammad’s Progeny; loving them is a divine duty and a great spiritual reward.
قومٌ أَدِينُ بحبّهم وبدينهم … ونصوصهم أفتي الخصومَ وأحْكمُ
They are the people through whose love and adherence to their way I draw nearer to Allah, and I rely on their texts and their well-known sayings to adjudicate and pass judgement between those in dispute

His Departure to Yemen:
When his virtues became widely known, and his radiance and noble qualities became apparent, a delegation from the people of Yemen came to him and asked him to save them from the trials. He aided them and set out on his first expedition, Then he returned when he saw that some of the soldiers were taking a small portion of the people’s wealth. Consequently, the people of Yemen were afflicted with hardships and tribulations they could not bear, so they renewed their request and implored him. He responded to them and set out a second time in the year 284 AH.
Among his famous sayings is: “O people of Yemen, I owe you three things: to judge among you according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family; to give you priority in the distribution of provisions; and to lead you in battle against the enemy. And I expect from you: sincere advice and obedience—as long as I obey Allah.” Indeed, he swore on certain occasions that the only thing missing from the Messenger of Allah for them would be his physical presence (if they obeyed him).
A scholar from among the Shafi’i scholars—who had traveled from Iraq to visit him—related stories of his knowledge, justice, virtue, and prophetic conduct that dazzled the minds. He reported seeing him personally tend to the wounded with his own noble hands, feed orphans and the poor himself, and perform other well-known deeds recorded in the pages of history.
إذا كانَ فَضْلُ المرءِ في الناس ظاهراً … فليس بمحتاجٍ إلى كثرةِ الوَصف
“Whenever a person’s virtues and noble character are plain for all to see, there is no need for lengthy praise or description.”

And Allah has spread his light across the corners of the earth and bestowed his blessings and blessings upon blessed Yemen—for eleven centuries—for no other reason than a great cause. Indeed, he has filled Yemen with security and faith, knowledge and justice, mosques and institutes, and imams of guidance. How true are the words spoken of him, peace be upon him:
فسائِلِ الشُّهْبَ عنه في مَطَالِعِها … والفجرَ حين بدا والصبحَ حين أضا
Ask the stars high in the heavens, and the dawn and the morning light when they break, of his lofty status and great renown, which have filled the horizons with clarity and radiance.
سلْ سنَّةَ المصطفى عن نجلِ صاحبِها … مَنْ علَّمَ الناسَ مسنوناً ومُفْتَرضا
“You cited the Prophetic tradition concerning this grandson and dutiful son of the Prophet; for it was he who revived the Sharia and taught people the obligations and practices of the religion.”

And his illuminating miracles, and his well-known, renowned blessings—lights that shine brightly, enduring through the passage of the ages. How fitting are the words spoken about his grandfather, al-Husayn al-Sibt, may the prayers of Allah be upon him:
أرادوا لِيُخْفُوا قَبْرَهُ عن ولِيِّهِ … فطيبُ ترابِ القبر دلَّ على القبر
“His enemies wanted to conceal the location of his grave from his followers, but the sweet scent emanating from his grave led people to its location.”

between him and al-Da’am:
And from a poem by him, peace be upon him, addressed to al-Da’am ibn Ibrahim al-Arhabi, urging him to strive in the cause of Allah, and recalling the events of Hamadan with the Commander of the Faithful and the brother of the Master of the Messengers—may the prayers and peace of Allah, the Exalted, be upon them all:
انهضْ فقد أَمْكَنَتْنا فرصة اليمن … وصِلْ فضائِلَ كانت أوَّلَ الزَّمَنِ
Rise up, for a historic opportunity has arisen in Yemen; revive the glories of your forefathers and their noble deeds of old.

وسابقاتٍ وإكراماً ومكرمة … كانت مع الطَّاهر الهادي أبي الحسنِ
Carry on the sacrifices, the noble deeds and the generosity shown by your forefathers in support of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib.

ويوم صفّين والفرسان معلمة … تخوضُ في غَمَرَاتِ الموت في الجُنَنِ
And I recall the valour of your knights at the Battle of Siffin, and how they wielded their weapons whilst facing the horrors of death, their armour shielding them.

والرَّوْع حامٍ ويوم النهروان لكم … والنقع مرتفع بالبيض والحُصُن
And recall your magnificent stand at the Battle of Nahrawan, when the fighting raged fiercely and thick clouds of dust rose amidst the clang of white swords and the neighing of fine steeds.

ونصرهم لأمير المؤمنين على … محْضِ المودّة والإحياء للسننِ
It is worth noting that their support for the Imam of the Muslims was motivated by sincere and pure love and a desire to revive the Prophetic traditions.

وقُمْ فزد شرفاً يعلو على شرفٍ … في حيّ همدان والأحياء من يمنِ
Rise up now, O tribes of Hamdan and all the districts of Yemen, and add a new honour to that of your forefathers

ففيكَ ذاكَ بحمْدِ الله نعرفُه … إذ أنتَ لَيْثُ الوغا في السِّلْمِ والفتنِ
For we recognise in you this courage and nobility, and we praise Allah for it; you are the valiant hero in times of war and peace.

واستغنم الأمرَ نهضاً يا دعامُ به … ما دام روح حياة النفس في البَدَن
Come on, Da’am, seize this opportunity to uphold and promote the truth, whilst there is still life in you.

and so on.
So Dham replied with this poem:
أتى كتاب إمام صادق لَقِنِ … بالفرضِ يأمرنا منه وبالسّننِ
Here is a book by a truthful, perceptive and insightful Imam, in which he urges us to observe the obligatory duties and the Sunnah.

هذا أبوه رسولُ الله يتبعه … خيرُ البرايا إمامٌ من بني الحسنِ
This Imam, whose grandfather—the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his household—called upon us to support him, was also the grandson of Imam ‘Ali, peace be upon him; he is a noble Imam descended from al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali.

أبو الحسين الزكي الهاشمي فما … خِذْلانه بحلالٍ يا ذوي الفِطَنِ
He is the pure Hashemite Imam Abu al-Hussein, and no sensible or discerning person should abandon or forsake him.

وكيف ذاكَ وفي خمّ لطاعته … فرض علينا به قد قام لم يَهُنِ
And how can we let him down, when Allah has enjoined us to obey him on the Day of Ghadir Khumm, as a permanent and unchanging obligation that must not be taken lightly?

أنت المقدَّم يا ابن المصطفين فما … لنا سواكم برغم الكاشح الضَّغِنِ
You are our leader and commander, O descendant of the righteous and the chosen; we have no leader but you, in spite of the spiteful enemy.

أَقْدِمْ على الرُّشْدِ والتوفيق معتمداً … على الإله فعندي النصر بالبَدَنِ
Strive towards whatever Allah shows you to be right, placing your trust in Him; for I devote my strength and my very being to supporting you.

وبالبنين وبالأموال قاطبةً … وبالعشائر من همدان في سَنَنِ
And I shall support you with my sons and all my wealth, and with the throngs of the Hamadan tribes, who are rushing forward in orderly ranks along the path to your support.

تَتْرَى بنصرك يا ابن الطاهرين كما … تترى من الماء أسبالٌ من المزن
Our multitudes come to you one after another, O son of the pure ones, just as raindrops pour down from the clouds.

معي فوارسُ من همدان ناصِحَةً … لله صادقة في القول والدِّيَنِ
And I have knights from Hamadan whose intentions are purely for Allah, and who are sincere in their faith and beliefs.

أنا سنانك أُوْهِي حَدَّ سَورَةِ من … ناواكَ يا ابن رسول الله في اليمن
I am the tip of your spear, with which I shall break the strength and might of all who oppose you, O Son of the Messenger of Allah, in Yemen.

أقودُ خيلك أحْمِي عن مكارهها … بذي كعوب وماضٍ حدُّه أَرِنِ
I lead your horses forward and protect them from danger, using my sturdy spear and my sharp, cutting sword.

شفى الصدور كتاب أنت كاتبه … هذا وأيقظنا من نَوْمَةِ الوسن
Your message has warmed our hearts and relieved us of our worries; it has roused us from our slumber of indifference and lethargy to come to your aid.

ذكرتَ سالف أجدادي الذين سعوا … في نصر جَدِّكَ في ماض من الزمن
It reminded us of the history of our forebears, who sacrificed themselves to support your grandfather in times gone by.

أنا خليفتُهم في نَسْلِ قائدهم … يحيى الإمام بلا عَجْزٍ ولا غَبَن
I am the successor to those forefathers who supported Imam Ali, and you are a descendant of Imam Ali; I shall support you just as my forefathers supported your grandfather.

ما بعدَ قولك من قولٍ فنتبعه … يا ابن الحطيم ويا ابن الحجر والرُّكنِ
No words can surpass yours, so we shall follow them, O descendant of the Sacred House, Mecca, the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner.

يا ابن الوصي أمير المؤمنين ويا … نَسْلَ البتول ومن قد فاز بالمنن
O descendant of ‘Ali, the Prophet’s successor, and O grandson of Fatimah al-Zahra’, and O one who has been granted divine favour and grace.

حبلي بحبلك موصول بلا كذب … والودّ مني لكم ينقاد بالرَّسن
My bond with you is close and sincere, untainted by falsehood, and my devotion to you is wholehearted and unreserved, committed to following your lead and adhering to your approach.

إلى اتباعك فاحْفَظْها منحلة … من سامعٍ لك لا ينساك في الوطن
So accept this poem as a gift from a man who is devoted to you and will never forget you.

إنا نرى من تنحّى عن ولايتكم … كجاحِدٍ مالَ من جَهْلٍ إلى وَثَنِ
We believe that anyone who turns away from your authority and support is like an unbeliever who, through his ignorance, has strayed into the worship of idols.

And among them:
واعزم على ما آراك الله من رَشَدٍ … حتى تميز عن كشف من المِحَنِ
Press on steadfastly towards the guidance to which Allah has led you, until your troubles are lifted and your trials are overcome.

وتستبين فعالي في مسيركم … حقاً وليس مقالي فيكَ بالأَفِنِ
My sacrifices and my sincere actions will become apparent as you go on your journey; for my words are truthful and true, not weak or false.

A portion of his words (A):
He, peace be upon him, said in his exegesis of verses from the Book of Allah: “As for the Qur’an, it was revealed to the Arabs in their own language, and Allah addressed them therein using their own words. The Arabs incorporate the ‘nafs’ into their speech as a connector for all that they express in their discourse, and they may add other elements to their address and to the narratives they record, such as:
“ma” and “la,” and other such words that have no meaning in and of themselves, yet they serve to embellish their speech and connect their statements.”
He continued: “And in this regard, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate—in what He revealed to His Prophet from the Great Criterion, from the words of Moses, peace be upon him—says: {He said, “O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray, from following Me? Did you disobey My command?”} [Ta-Ha: 92–93], until he said: And there are many such examples in what the Possessor of Majesty and Honor has revealed.
Among them is His saying, Exalted be He: {So by the mercy of Allah, you were lenient with them; and if you had been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you} [Al-‘Imran: 159], and His saying: {But because they broke their covenant} [An-Nisa’: 155], … and so on until the end of His words (1).
He said—explaining what Allah addressed to His creation—and you asked about the words of Allah, the Exalted: {And the heavens are folded up in His Right Hand} [Az-Zumar: 67], and this, may Allah have mercy on you, is a parable that Allah set forth for them based on what the Arabs know and use as an analogy; for the Arabs say of the owner of a thing: “It is in his hand” or “It is in his right hand,” thereby affirming his ownership of it; because whatever is in the owner’s hand is in the best possible state.
He even said: As for His statement, {folded up in His right hand}, this is a declaration to them that the heavens are folded up within His dominion, subject to His command, and gathered under His rule—just as the one who folds something gathers and possesses it, and the one who folds it encloses it within himself. so he illustrated to them the extent of His authority in the heavens and His power over them using what they know of their own ability to fold and unfold things… until the end of his words.
And he, peace be upon him, said in response to the question regarding prophethood and imamate among the prophets: Then He clarified for them the knowledge and evidence indicating that they are messengers sent with his message to His creation.
He referred to the miracles of the Messenger, until he said, mentioning the successors: “And the knowledge and evidence are their distinction over the people of their time, and their superiority over all the people of their faith.”
He continued: “Their knowledge and proof consist in their knowledge of the hidden aspects of the prophets’ knowledge and their insight into the secret mysteries of the messengers.”
He said: “Among these is what was possessed by the successor of Moses and the successor of Jesus, peace be upon them—things not found among anyone else of their time—and among these is what was possessed by the successor of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his Household, Ali ibn Abi Talib.”
He said: “Among these things was what he possessed of the Book of Jafr, and what he possessed of knowledge of what will occur until the Day of Resurrection.”
And he said, describing those among the Prophet’s descendants who are worthy of the Imamate: by descent from the Prophet, peace be upon him and his Household; by their knowledge of the All-Glorious and All-Honorable; by the piety that Allah has made the pillar of Islam; by their knowledge of what is lawful and unlawful in the sight of Allah; and by their understanding of what all people need in matters of religion.
He even said: “By uncovering heads, unsheathing swords, raising banners for Allah, the Exalted, and in the cause of Allah, the Almighty, confronting the enemies of Allah, and openly calling upon Allah.”
He continued: “And by reviving the Qur’an and the Sunnah; establishing truth and justice among the people; and gaining insight into the profound meanings of the Book of Allah and His revelation—which are known only to those whom Allah has entrusted with governance and appointed as Imams…” until he completed his statement.
His Worship:
Salim, who was in charge of his service, narrated: He followed him one night as he walked with the Imam to the place where he would spend the night, then turned away. On that night, he decided to spend the night at the door—without the Imam’s knowledge—to see what he would do. He said: He spent the entire night in prostration and bowing, and I could hear the sound of his tears and a choking sob in his throat (peace be upon him).
His Works:
He, peace be upon him, was usually unable to dictate a legal ruling except while mounted on his horse. Among his works are: The Book of Rulings, Al-Muntakhab, Al-fonoon, The Book of Issues, The Issues of Muhammad ibn Sa’id, The Book of Tawhid, The Book of Qiyas, Al-Mustarshid, The Book of Refutation Against the People of Deviation, The Book of Will and Decree, The Book of Breastfeeding, The Book of Musa’rah, The Book of the Mothers of Children, The Book of the Covenant, The Exegesis of the Qur’an (six volumes), The Meanings of the Qur’an (nine volumes), The Book of Benefits (two volumes), The Book of al-Razi’s Questions (two volumes), The Book of the Sunnah,
The Refutation of Ibn al-Hanafiyya, The Exegesis of the Sins of the Prophets, The People of This World, Loyalty, The Questions of al-Husayn ibn ‘Abdullah (al-Tabari), The Questions of Ibn As’ad, The Book of Answers to the Questions of the Christians of Najran, The Book of the Destruction of the Qarmatians, The Book of the Fundamentals of Religion, *The Book of the Imamate and the Proof of Prophethood and Guardianship “Willayah” *, The Book of the Questions of Abu al-Husayn, The Book of the Refutation of the Imamiyyah,
The Book of the Response to the People of Sana’a, The Response to Sulayman ibn Jarir, The Book of the Baligh al-Mudrak fi al-Usul (commented on by Imam Abu Talib), and The Book of the Position Between the Two Positions.
Imam al-Mansur bi-Allah, peace be upon him, said: “We have omitted some thirteen books to avoid prolixity, though they are well-known and in our possession.” End of the Imam’s words, peace be upon him.
I said: Consider this, even as he was occupied with manifesting the pure religion and striking down the leaders of misguidance and distortion with Dhu’l-Fiqar,
and their authorship began during the era of Wasi, peace be upon him. They used to write down what he dictated to them of divine knowledge and profound wisdom, which Allah had bestowed upon the people of this noble House. Their works, circulating among the nation, are filled with rational arguments and confirmed by authentic narrations.
As for monotheism and justice, their Imam and father in these matters is Al-Wasi, who preached them and conveyed them to all creation from the pulpits, and who instilled them in his descendants, who inherited them from one generation to the next.
As for the Sunnah of their forefather, they entered through the gate of Madinah (Imam Ali) , and the Master of the House knows best what is within it; indeed, some of them transmitted seventy thousand hadiths from al-Baqir, the possessor of the knowledge of the prophets, Muhammad ibn Ali.
As for the sciences of language, they were nourished by them; in them they grew and flourished, and from their pure waters they drank, receiving them from father to father. They were not defiled by the tongues of foreigners, nor altered by the distortions of those born of mixed lineage; rather, they were raised in the laps of their pure fathers, whose sole concern was to explain what Allah had revealed of the obligatory duties and to clarify the ambiguities from which humanity had strayed. Between them and their father—the Commander of the Faithful and the brother of the Master of the Messengers—whose speech stands above that of the created and below that of the Creator, from whose footsteps the eloquent of the nation followed, and from whose light the orators of the Imams drew inspiration
—except for an earlier Imam and a later follower of the middle path—and they are the pure Arabs, the masters of Zamzam, Al-Abatih, and Al-Hatim. Had what was transmitted by the linguists not been in accordance with the words of Allah, His Messenger, and the People of His Family, we would not have accepted it from them, nor would we have taken it from them. It is thus grounded in these wise principles and well-established, sound rules,
and whoever is diligent in following in the footsteps of the Prophet’s Household can derive from their speech the fundamentals of the language—its grammar, inflection, and conjugation—as well as its meanings, eloquence, rhetorical artistry, and composition, along with the truths of interpretation and the methods of revelation. Allah did not entrust His religion to them unless they were worthy of bearing it and imparting it,
{Allah knows best where to place His message} [Al-An’am: 124].
His Death: Allah took him as a martyr through poisoning at the age of fifty-three, on the night of Sunday, the 20th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 298 AH, and he was buried on Monday in his noble grave opposite the mihrab of the mosque he had founded in Sa’dah.
Sayyid Abu al-Abbas, peace be upon him, narrated that the news of his passing was conveyed to Imam al-Nasir al-Atrush, who wept bitterly and sobbed, saying, “Today, a pillar of Islam has collapsed.”
His shrine in Sa’ada, in the land of Yemen, and he, peace be upon him, had seen a radiant light during his lifetime, and he laid the foundation for the sacred mosque upon the embers of that light. This is mentioned in full in Al-Asanid al-Yahwiyya in a story that cannot be recounted here in its entirety, and that was the first foundation for this city of Sa’ada, which flourishes by his blessing; and Old Sa’ada was located beneath Mount Tolommos, as is well known.
His sons who had descendants were: Muhammad, Ahmad, and al-Hasan.
Muhammad ibn Ubaydullah and his son Ali:
Among those who undertook jihad under the leadership of Imam al-Hadi and his sons were the noble Alids, descendants of al-Abbas, son of the Commander of the Faithful. Among them was Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ubaydullah, who was treacherously martyred alongside Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him, in Najran.
His case resembles that of Imam al-Husayn at Karbala, where hatred, vengeance, and audacity reached their peak. Suffice it to quote the Qarmati poet, who recited a poem while beheading Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ubaydullah al-Alawi:
شفيتُ نفسي وبلَغْتُ مأْرَبي … ولا أبالي بعدَ ذا ما حَلَّ بي
من سَخَطِ الله ومن لَعْنِ النبيّ
I have avenged my grievance, taken my revenge, and achieved my aim; and now that I have achieved my aim, I care not what befalls me, be it the wrath of Allah or the curse of His Messenger.

The son of Muhammad ibn Ubaydullah wrote a long poem to al-Hadi, peace be upon him, in which he says:
ابنَ الحسين تحالَفَتْ حَارُ على … أن يقتلونا يا بني العباسِ
O son of al-Husayn, the Banu al-Harith tribe has conspired and agreed to wipe out us, the family of al-Abbas ibn Ali.

يا ابنَ الحسين تقاسموا أموالَنا … وخيولنا فافرج بصولة قاسي
They have divided our wealth and our horses amongst themselves as spoils; come to our aid with Your mighty and relentless power against our enemies, and deliver us from this calamity.

عجّل بنصرك يا ابن أكرم هاشمي … وافكك عشيركَ من يد الخنّاس
Hurry to our aid, O son of Ashraf al-Hashimiyin, and save your clan and your family from the tyranny of the wicked enemies.

فيها الأراقم والأفاعي كلها … يسقيننا سمَّ الحتوف بكاس
We are surrounded by enemies such as vipers and poisonous snakes, who pour the poison of death and utter destruction into our cups of tragedy.

لا خير في حار ولا أحلافها … (يام) فإنهم من النسناس
No good can be expected from the Banu al-Harith or their allies (the Yam), for they are like those deformed creatures known as ‘nassnas’ in the cruelty of their deeds and their vileness.

لا يشكرون صنائعاً أَوْلَيْتَهم … بل يكفرون وكلّهم متناسي
People who turn a blind eye to the kindness and generosity you have shown them, and repay your kindness with ingratitude and indifference.

And he also said:

ظَهَرَ الفساد بأرضنا وبلادِنا … قامت بذاك قرامط أشرارُ
Injustice and corruption have spread throughout our lands due to the tyranny of the wicked Qarmatians.

كفروا بربّ الناس يا ابن محمد … والكفر شيمتهم فهم كفار
They have disbelieved in the Lord of mankind, O son of Muhammad; for disbelief is their nature, their character and their disposition, and they are known to be disbelievers.

And he said in an elegy for his father:
مَنَعَ الحزن مقلتيَّ أن تناما … وذرى الدمع من جفوني سجاما
My deep sorrow and grief kept me awake, and my tears streamed from my eyes in an unceasing, torrential flow.

يوم ناديت حي الأحلاف للنصر على … (مذحج) وناديت (ياما)
I remember the day I sought the aid of the Allies and the Yam tribes to repel an attack by the Mazhaj tribe.

ودعونا لنصرنا (الوادعيين) … فلم ينصروا الأمين الهماما
We called upon the Wada’is to come to our aid, but they failed to support the great and trustworthy leader.

لا يجيبون صارخاً قام يدعو … يا لهمدان انصروا الإسلاما
They did not respond to those who appealed to them, calling on the tribes of Hamadan to save the faith and defend Islam.

فدعونا (ثقيف) كي ينصرونا … فأجابوا، ولم يكونوا لئاما
We called upon the Thaqif tribe to come to our aid, and they responded to us with generosity; they were neither treacherous nor base.

نصرونا على العدوّ وقاموا … دوننا يدفعون عنا الطغاما
They stood by us against the enemy, and protected and defended us against the wicked and the mob.

فخرجنا بهم إلى (حار كعب) … بخيول إلى العدو ترامى
So, accompanied by them, we set off towards the tribe of Harith ibn Ka‘b on galloping horses, rushing towards the battlefield.

فأتانا الخبير يخبر أن قد … قتل (الهاشمي) وذاق الحماما
Then came one who brought us the certain news, announcing that Commander al-Hashimi had been killed, had become a martyr, and had tasted the bitterness of death.

قَتَلَتْ حارثُ بنُ كعب شريفاً … خير من وَحَّدَ الإله وصاما
The tribe of Harith ibn Ka’b killed a noble and virtuous man, who was amongst the best in worshipping Allah and observing the fast for His sake.

قتلوه، فأفحشوا القتل فيه … حين أضحى لديهم مستضاما
They killed him and mutilated his body in a most heinous and wanton manner when he fell defenceless and wronged into their hands.

لهف نفسي عليه ما حنَّت النيب … وما داعت الحمام الحماما
I am consumed by grief and sorrow for him, as the camels have not yearned for their homelands, nor have the doves called out to their beloved with sorrow.

لهف نفسي عليه لهف لهيفٍ … لهف حيران لا يلذّ مناما
I grieve for him with the grief of one who is bereaved, devastated and bewildered, and whose deep sorrow has robbed him of the joy of sleep.

لهف نفسي عليه من لي من بعـ … ـد ومَنْ للنساء أو لليتامى؟
Alas for him! Who will look after our affairs after him, and who will protect the women and care for the orphans?

كان حرزاً للمسلمين وكهفاً … ورجاءً، ومعقلاً، ونظاما
It was a safe haven for Muslims, an impregnable fortress, a source of hope, a refuge, and a source of justice and order.

قتل الله (مذحجاً) شرّ قتل … بأبي جعفر وأُصْلُوا غراما
May Allah destroy the tribe of Mazhij in the most terrible way for their crime of killing Abu Ja’far, and may He make them taste the most grievous torment.

فجزى الله والدي غرف الخلـ … ـد وأعطاه جنة وسلاما
We ask Allah to reward my father with the highest ranks in Paradise and to shower him with His peace and mercy.

فلقد كان وافي العهد للـ … ـه وبالحق والهدى قواما
For he was true to his word, devoted to Allah, steadfast in the truth and a fighter in the cause of guidance.

نصر الدين واستقام على الحـ … ـق وأوفى بالبيعتين الإماما
He upheld the cause of Allah, remained steadfast in the truth, and fulfilled the pledges of his complete allegiance to the Imam he followed without wavering.

When he arrived at the fortress, the people of Hamadan came to him to console him regarding his father, and they apologized to him for their failure to come to his aid. Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and his family in abundance (pp. 382–383–384 of the biography “Al-Sirah”).
His son, Ali ibn Muhammad —the author of the Imam’s biography—was also wounded at Najran and died in Khaywan. Imam al-Hadi, may Allah be pleased with them, eulogized him, saying:
قبرٌ بخيوانَ حوى ماجداً … منتخبَ الآباء عباسي
The grave in Khaywan was the final resting place of a generous and honourable man, a descendant of the distinguished forefathers of the Banu al-Abbas ibn Ali.

قبرُ علي بن أبي جعفرٍ … من هاشمٍ كالجبلِ الرَّاسي
This is the grave of the martyr Ali ibn Abi Ja’far, a Hashemite hero who stood as steadfast and honourable as a towering mountain.

مَنْ يطعنُ الطعنةَ خوَّارة … كأنَّها طَعْنَةُ جسَّاس
A hero who struck down his enemies with a piercing, lethal thrust, comparable in its ferocity to the famous Jassas thrust.

Among his descendants are the Al-Muta’ family in Sana’a, the Dar al-‘Umar family in Sanhan, and others.

Al-Zulaf:
32 – And among his contemporaries was the finest of those who stood firm… and the bravest of those summoned when calamity struck
Al-Tuhaf:
Imam al-Nasir li-l-Haqq al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Atrush (peace be upon him)
He is Imam al-Nasir li-l-Haqq Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn ‘Umar al-Ashraf ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon them all, and he is known as al-Atrush.
It is narrated from his grandfather, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, that he said: “
O Ali, among your descendants will be a man named Zayd al-Mazlum, who will come on the Day of Resurrection with his companions on steeds of light, passing over the heads of all creation like a flash of lightning, and following them will be a man named Nasir al-Haqq until they stand at the gate of Paradise … …to the end of the hadith.” There are other such reports, and the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, mentioned this in his sermon in Kufa and his sermon at Nahrawan.
His physical description, peace be upon him: Imam Abu Talib said: He, peace be upon him, was tall, with a tendency toward a brown complexion, and had a slight hearing impairment—his hearing was somewhat impaired—due to an injury.
His Life: In the year 284 AH, he called people to the worship of Allah in Jil and Daylam -Iran-, and Allah granted victory through him; by his blessing, a million polytheists embraced Islam, and he taught them the tenets of Islam.
He, peace be upon him, said: “I have memorized a dozen or so of the books of Allah, but none benefited me as much as two of them: the first is the Furqan, for the solace it brings to our father, and the second is the Book of Daniel, for what it contains about the deaf old man who will emerge in a land called Dilman…” and so on, until the end of his words, peace be upon him.
Imam al-Mansur bi-Allah, peace be upon him, said in al-Shafi: “He, peace be upon him, would walk between the ranks, carrying his Mushaf and his sword, and say: ‘I am the son of the Messenger of Allah, and this is the Book of Allah. Whoever responds to this, well and good; otherwise, this [sword]’”—end quote.
Both his supporters and his opponents agree that he was one of the Imams of Guidance who upheld justice. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari said in his Tarikh: “The people have never seen anyone like al-Atrush in terms of justice, good character, and upholding the truth.”
Ibn Hazm said, in essence: Al-Hasan al-Atrush—through whom the Daylamites embraced Islam—was the son of Ali, son of al-Hasan, son of Ali, son of ‘Umar, son of Ali, son of al-Husayn, son of Ali, son of Abu Talib.
He continued: “This al-Atrush was a virtuous man of sound doctrine, just in his rulings, and the governor of Tabaristan…” to the end of his statement.
In one of his campaigns, he killed twenty thousand of the soldiers of misguidance in a single battle.
Among his miracles (may Allah be pleased with him) is the following:
Some enemies approached him while he was alone and unarmed, so he reached for a massive boulder, and Allah softened it for him; the spot where his noble hand touched it is now sought for blessing.
Another of his miracles was that when some kings set out to wage war against him, his companions became preoccupied with this matter. One day, he went out to them and said, “You need not concern yourselves with that man; I have already sent an army against him.” They asked, “When did you dispatch them?” He replied, “Yesterday I prayed two rak’ahs and then supplicated to Allah against him,” and news soon reached them that Allah had killed him. His miracles are numerous and well-known.Among his works are: Al-Basāt, Al-Mughnī, Al-Masfar, Al-Safi, and Al-Bahir—the latter compiled by some scholars of his time in accordance with his doctrine—and Al-Alfāẓ al-Nāṣir, which was also arranged by one of his contemporaries. This scholar would attend his gatherings and transcribe his sayings, compiling in it a variety of sciences that dazzle the mind,
as well as Al-Tafsir, which comprised one thousand stanzas from one thousand poems; Al-Imama; Al-Amali, which contains many noble virtues of Ahl al-Bayt; and many others.
It is said that Imam al-Nasir’s works number more than three hundred, and they were enriched by their preaching of the true religion from the pulpits and by their striking the necks of the people of misguidance with sharp swords.
From the words of Imam al-Nasir in Al-Basat: My brother al-Husayn ibn Ali and Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Muradi narrated to us, saying: Ali ibn al-Hasan—meaning my father, peace be upon him—narrated to us from Ali ibn Ja’far, from his brother Musa ibn Ja’far, from his father Ja’far ibn Muhammad, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his Household, said:
“Whoever performs ablution thoroughly, prays properly, pays the zakat on his wealth, guards his tongue, restrains his anger, and offers sincere counsel to the descendants of his Prophet—such a person has fulfilled the essentials of faith, and the gates of Paradise are open to him.”
He also said—in response to the determinists regarding the verse in which Allah, the Exalted, says: {And they cannot harm anyone thereby except by Allah’s permission} [Al-Baqarah: 102]—: “They and their forebears were led astray solely by their dialect and their limited knowledge of the language.” He then elaborated on the linguistic meanings of this, concluding that “permission” in the Arabic language has three aspects: command, knowledge, and abandonment.” We mention this merely to draw attention to what lies beyond it; otherwise, it is but a drop from the ocean.
His Death: He passed away, may peace be upon him, on the night of Thursday, the 25th of Sha’ban in the year 304 AH. His soul departed while he was in prostration at the age of seventy-four, and on the night of his death, a radiant light was seen emanating from the house where he was, reaching up to the heavens.
Imam Abu Talib, peace be upon him, said: “He used to urge people to support al-Hadi, Yahya ibn al-Husayn, saying: ‘Whoever is able to support him and is close to him, it is obligatory upon him to support him; and whoever is able to support me and is close to me, let him support me.’”
His shrine is in Amal, Tabaristan. Regarding his shrine and the shrine of Imam al-Hadi, it has been said:
عرِّجْ على قبرٍ بصعـ … ـدة وابكِ مرموساً بآملْ
Visit the holy shrine in Sa’ada and weep in reverence; weep for the Imam buried in the city of Amal in Tabaristan.

واعلمْ بأنَّ المقتدي … بهما سيبلُغُ حيثُ ياملْ
Be absolutely certain that whoever follows in the footsteps of these two Imams and emulates their example will see their wishes fulfilled and achieve their goals.

And even more exalted than this is the saying of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his Household, as narrated by the Great Imam Abu Talib, peace be upon him: “Whoever visits a grave among the graves of our People of the House, and then dies within the same year in which he visited it, Allah will assign seventy angels to his grave who will glorify Him until the Day of Resurrection.”
His sons, peace be upon him: Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Adib, the poet; Abu al-Qasim Ja’far; and Abu al-Husayn Ahmad. End.
Al-Zulaf:
34 – And the Asbat of Yahya al-Murtada and his brother… with their swords, their feats are too numerous to count
Al-Tuhaf: In this poem there are two Imams:
Imam al-Murtada Muhammad ibn Yahya (peace be upon him)
Imam al-Murtada Ladin Allah Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim ibn Isma’il ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon them all.
He called people to Allah after his father’s death, and when Imam al-Hadi passed away, he went out to the people, reminded them of Allah, and consoled them regarding Imam al-Hadi, then said:

يُهَوِّن ما ألقى من الوجد أنني … مُجَاوِرُهُ في قَبْرِه اليوم أو غدا
It eases the burden of my longing and the pain of losing my father, knowing that I will soon be by his side in his final resting place.

Among his works are: The Book of Principles in Tawhid and Justice, The Book of Clarification in Fiqh, Al-Nawazel (in two volumes), Answers to the Questions of al-Maghfali, Answers to the Questions of Mahdi, The Book of Prophethood, The Book of Divine Will, The Book of Divine Decree, The Book of Repentance, The Book of Refutation Against the Rafidah, A Book on the Virtues of the Master of the Successors, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah’s blessings be upon him, The Book of Refutation Against the Qarmatians, The Book of Explanation and Clarification (in three parts), The Book of Breastfeeding, The Book of Questions of Al-Qudamis, The Book of Questions of the Confused, The Exegesis of the Qur’an (nine volumes), The Questions of the Tabaris (five volumes), The Questions of al-Mahdi (four volumes), The Questions of Ibn al-Nasir, The Questions on Sales (three volumes), The Questions of Abdullah ibn Sulayman, The Response to Ibn Fadl al-Qarmati, Fasl al-Murtada, and The Book of Prohibition.
He died during the reign of his brother, Imam al-Nasir, in the year 310, at the age of thirty-two. He is buried in the shrine of his father, peace be upon them.
His sons: Abu Muhammad al-Qasim, Isma’il, and Ibrahim, Ali, whose descendants settled in Jurjan; Abdullah, whose descendants settled in Dailaman and Yemen; Musa; Yahya, whose descendants settled in Dailaman; al-Hasan, whose descendants settled in Shiraz, Tabaristan, Asbahān, and Isfahan; al-Husayn, whose descendants settled in al-Rayy and its environs, Ahwaz, and Tabaristan; al-Qasim; Isa; and Muhammad.

Imam al-Nasir Ahmad ibn Yahya (peace be upon him)
Imam al-Nasir li-Din Allah Abu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn Imam al-Hadi ila al-Haqq (peace be upon them), Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim ibn Isma’il ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), was in the Hijaz at the time of his father’s death, and when he arrived after Imam al-Murtada had abdicated and withdrawn to devote himself to worship, the two Imams met, and Imam al-Murtada pledged allegiance to his brother, Imam al-Nasir.
Imam al-Murtada said—in a sermon he delivered upon his abdication from the imamate—: “Then, O Muslims, you came to me upon the death of al-Hadi, peace be upon him, and urged me to accept your allegiance.
… I administered your affairs as al-Hadi, may Allah be pleased with him, used to administer them, and I did not concern myself with any of the trappings of your worldly life, nor did I take anything—whether little or much—from your wealth, But when Allah humiliated the Qarmatians and spared the believers from battle—and Allah is Mighty and Exalted—I reflected on my own affairs and yours, and I observed the conduct I was exposed to among you. I found that your affairs were not being conducted according to their proper norms, and I saw that you were inclining toward falsehood and turning away from the truth.
He continued: “And as for what we command you—to obey Allah—you turn away from it and shun it, while you lean toward the enemies of Allah and the enemies of His religion—the ignorant and the dissolute. The All-Wise, All-Knowing has said in the Authoritative Revelation: {And do not lean toward those who have wronged, lest the Fire touch you. And you have no protectors other than Allah, and then you will not be helped. 113} [Hud: 113]. Since I found among you none—save for a few in the tribe and a small number in the community—who would support the truthful and righteous, enjoin what is good, desire jihad, and choose the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, over the pleasure of His creatures, I have cast this worldly life from myself to the lowest of stations and chosen the Hereafter.
Up to His saying: “And this is not out of any indifference on my part toward striving against the oppressors, shunning the wicked, and distancing myself from the unjust, despite my knowledge of what Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has enjoined upon His servants at the appropriate time and season. And I have become convinced, given the circumstances I have described and the obstacles I have mentioned, that safety lies with Allah in renouncing this world, devoting oneself to the worship of the Lord of the Worlds, and withdrawing from all of creation—and this is after my return to the Book of Allah, the Exalted, and the engagement of my mind in reflecting upon His verses, and applying my intellect and reflection to His commands and prohibitions, His clear and ambiguous verses, His specific and general rulings, His commands and prohibitions, and His abrogating and abrogated verses. I found that it obligates me to disassociate myself from this matter in an absolute and definitive manner, and obliges me to abandon it with absolute certainty. I therefore obeyed the command of Allah and submitted to His judgment. If Allah, Exalted and Glorious, should present an argument against me thereafter,
and if I find allies for the truth and brothers in the faith, I will carry out Allah’s command, seeking His reward, ruling by His Book, adhering to His command, and following the Sunnah of His Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. I will neither abandon it nor deviate from it until Allah establishes the truth and nullifies falsehood, and I am joined with my righteous predecessors—those who passed away in obedience to Allah, and who stood firm in His command. But if I had not found sincere supporters for this cause, nor brothers who follow the command of Allah, I would not have allowed doubt to enter my certainty, nor would I have assumed a position for which I have no justification before Allah. In that, I would have been as Allah, the Exalted, said:
{So turn away from them; you are not to be blamed} [Adh-Dhariyat: 54], … and so on).
To them, peace be upon them both, belongs the greatest merit in renewing the religion and erasing the traces of the unbelievers.
And to the scholar and guardian of the Progeny of Muhammad, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Tamimi—may Allah be pleased with him and may Allah, the Exalted, reward him with the best of rewards for the doers of good—for standing up for the rights of the purified People of the Prophet’s Household and their allies, the supporters of the religion, when Imam al-Murtada al-Din Allah pledged allegiance to his brother, Imam al-Nasir al-Din Allah, and the people pledged allegiance to him at the Mosque of Imam al-Hadi—peace be upon them all—
A vast and numerous crowd had gathered on Friday, and the author of Al-Hadaiq al-Wardiyya and Matalib al-Badur—may Allah be pleased with him—uttered these magnificent words:
عاداتُ قلبِكَ يوم البَيْنِ أن يَجِبَا … وأن يراجع فيه الشوق والطَّرَبا
It is the nature of your heart, when loved ones part or depart, to be stirred and to beat fiercely with sorrow, so that the pangs of longing and the old fire of passion are rekindled within it. (Beginning a poem with words reminiscent of flirtation is an ancient Arab custom designed to draw young people’s attention to the poem.
… to his words in praise:
قومٌ أبوهم رسولُ الله حَسْبُهُمُ … بأن يكون لهم دون الأنام أَبَا
These are a people for whom it is honour and privilege enough, setting them apart from all other human beings, that the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, is their forefather and their supreme ancestor.
مَنْ ذا يفاخرُ أولادَ النبيِّ ومَنْ … هذا يداني إلى أنسابهم نَسَبَا
For there is no one amongst all creation who can boast of being a descendant of the Prophet, nor is there any lineage in existence that comes close to the nobility and supreme honour of their lineage.

قومٌ إذا افتخر الأقوام واجتهدوا … وجدتَ كلَّ فخارٍ منهم اكْتُسِبَا

They are a people such that, were nations to compete in showcasing their glories and go to extremes in doing so, one would find that all true pride amongst humankind is derived from and acquired through their honour and guidance.

لولا الإله تلافانا بدينهمُ … لما فتينا عُكُوفاً نعبد الصُّلُبا
Had it not been for Allah’s mercy in saving humanity and guiding us through the true religion brought by their forefather and upheld by them, we would have been engulfed by misguidance and would have continued to worship idols and crosses.

أقامَ جبريلُ في أبياتهم حِقَباً … يتلو من الله في حافاتها الكُتُبا
For long periods, the Angel Gabriel would stay in their homes, bringing down divine revelation and reciting the verses of Allah and His scriptures in every corner of those pure dwellings.

أنتم أناسٌ وَجَدْنا الله صيَّركم … لنا إليه إذا لُذْنا به سَبَبا
You are the people whom Allah, by His command, has made a means and a guiding path to lead us to Him and protect us when we hold fast to the Creator, Glorified be He, and take refuge in Him in times of distress.

And among them:
لا يَصْلُحُ الدّين والدنيا بغيركمُ … ولا يقال لمن سامى بكم كَذَبَا
Consequently, neither religious nor worldly affairs can be set right without you, just as those who take pride in and boast of their affiliation with you cannot be accused of lying, for their claim is a clear truth.

من عَابَكُمْ حَسَداً عابَ الإله ومَنْ … عاب الإلهَ فقد أودى وقد عَطِبا
Anyone who criticises and slanders you out of envy is, in effect, criticising Allah’s choice and selection of you; and whoever objects to the Lord’s judgement is surely doomed and has fallen into the depths of loss.

ومن يسالمكمُ يَسْلَمْ بسلمكمُ … ومن يحاربكمُ جهلاً فقد حَربا
Whoever makes peace with you and enters into your peace and allegiance is assured of salvation and safety for himself; but whoever fights you and wages war against you out of ignorance and misguidance has brought upon himself destruction and ruin.

لم يفرض الله أجْراً غير حبّكم … لجدّكم خاتم الرُّسْلِ الذي انْتُخِبَا
And Allah, may He be glorified, has imposed upon the Ummah no reward for conveying the Message other than the affection of the family of His Prophet, the Chosen One and the Seal of the Prophets.

حقّ الصلاة عليكم والدعاء لكم … فَرْضٌ على كلِّ مَنْ صَلَّى ومن خطبا
Allah has made sending blessings upon you and praying for you a constant duty and an obligatory obligation upon every Muslim who performs his prayers, and upon every preacher who ascends the pulpit.

تشوّف الملحدون النُّوكُ إذ عَلِمُوا … أنّ الإمامَ علينا اليوم قد عَتِبَا
The atheist enemies and fools looked on with greed and glee when they learnt that the former Imam had become angry and expressed his displeasure at his followers, deluding themselves into thinking that this was an opportunity to split the state.

فقلتُ لا ترفعوا جَهْلاً رؤوسَكمُ … فيأخذَ السيفُ من هاتِيْكَ ما انْتَصَبَا
So I said to these adversaries, in a tone of rebuke and warning: ‘Do not raise your heads in ignorance and delusion at the mere appearance of a dispute, for such insolence will be met with military force, and the sword will sever every head that is raised in arrogance.’

إنّ الإمامَ وإن أَبْدَى مُعَاتَبَةً … منه لَيُشْبِهُ فينا الوالد الحدبا
Know, then, that even if the Imam appears to be publicly reproaching or rebuking you, in reality it is like the rebuke of a compassionate and loving father towards his children; outwardly it appears to be punishment, but inwardly it is mercy and concern, and there is no schism for you to exploit.

كانت أمورٌ وكان الله بالغها … ومحنةٌ منه قد كانت لنا أدَبَا
The events and disputes that took place were merely a trial from Allah that had reached its culmination; this trial was not intended to bring about destruction, but was rather a divine test designed to refine and discipline us

وقد تولَّى أمورَ الناس كلّهم … بعدَ الإمام فتمَّ الأمر أو كَرُبا
As a result of the conclusion of that scrutiny, a new Imam succeeded the previous Imam in assuming the reins of government and overseeing the affairs of the nation; thus, the affairs of the state were settled and the system of allegiance was stabilised, or was close to being fully stabilised.

صِنْوُ الإمامِ ومَنْ سَدَّ الإمامُ به … نهج الثغورِ ولمَّ الصدعََ وارْتأبا
This new Imam is the brother and counterpart of the previous Imam, and the valiant commander on whom the Imam relied to fortify the country’s borders, protect its frontiers, unite the people, heal divisions and rectify shortcomings.

هذا أبو حسن والجود في قَرَنٍ … أمسى بذي يمنٍ أمناً لمن رَهِبا
He is Imam Abu Hasan, who is inseparably linked to generosity and magnanimity, as if they were bound together by a single cord; and through his presence in Yemen, he has become a source of safety and reassurance for all who fear and seek refuge.

ساسَ الأمور وكانت قبل مُهْمَلَةً … وقام فينا بدين الله مُحْتَسِبا
Through his wisdom, he was able to bring order to and manage the affairs of state and governance, which had previously been left in disarray due to earlier strife; and he ruled over us faithfully in accordance with the law of Allah, seeking reward and recompense from the Creator, not from His creation.

إذا تحجّب أهلُ المالِ وامتنعوا … لم تُلْفِهِ خشيةَ الإمْلاق محتجبا
In times of hardship and famine, when the wealthy hide away and are miserly with their money, you will never find him closing his door or shunning his flock for fear of poverty; rather, he devotes himself and his generosity without fear of want.

صلب له شِيَمٌ أقواله نَعَمُ … أفعاله كَرَمٌ يرتاح إن طُلِبا
He is a resolute man, steadfast in upholding the truth, with noble and steadfast character; his answers never include the word ‘no’—they are always ‘yes’—and all his actions are characterised by absolute generosity; indeed, he is delighted and overjoyed whenever someone in need approaches him and asks for his help.

يعطي الجزيل ولا يرضى القليل ولا … يجفو الخليل لذنب جدَّ أو لعبا
It is in his nature to bestow great gifts, regarding small matters as insignificant; he is also characterised by magnanimity and forbearance, and will not abandon or cut ties with a friend because of a mistake the friend has made, whether the offence was truly intentional or a mere passing indiscretion.

لماّ بدا ابنُ رسول الله منصلتاً … يوم العروبة في خولان إذ ركبا
These leadership qualities were evident when this Imam (the son of the Messenger of Allah) appeared, riding swiftly and valiantly on his steed on a Friday, heading towards the tribes of Khawlan to consolidate his rule and secure their allegiance.

تَحُفُّه عُصَبٌ ضاقت بها عُصَبٌ … من حولها عُصَبٌ تتلو بها عُصَبا
As he mounted his horse, he was surrounded by huge, densely packed military battalions and units, so numerous that they seemed to fill the ground; and other battalions gathered around them, followed by endless processions of troops, in a majestic, unending spectacle.

رجالُ سعد بن سعد والربيعة إذ … أتوا إليه جميعاً جَحْفلاً لجبا
The fighters who made up these crowds were men from the tribes of Sa‘d ibn Sa‘d and the Rabi‘ah tribes, who flocked to him in great numbers to form a vast, boisterous army, loud and noisy, possessing immense military might.

كأنه اليمّ إذ جاشت غَوَارِبُه … إذا تلاطَمَ موجُ البحر وارْتَكَبا
It is as though this army, with its vast numbers, strength and clamour, were a deep, raging sea when its towering waves rise, crash and pile up upon one another with a thunderous roar, making it impossible to stand in their way.

أو كالعريض إذا التفّت سحائِبُه … وطبّق الأرض والآفاق وانسكبا
Or it is like a heavy, expansive cloud, when its dense masses swirl and gather to cover the earth and the horizon completely, and then pour down torrential rain, bestowing strength, absolute control and universal goodness upon the land.

راقَ العيون وسُرَّ المسلمون به … وساء من عاند الإسلام فاكتأبا
This majestic sight of the Imam’s army and its unity delighted the eyes and gladdened the hearts of sincere Muslims; conversely, it angered and distressed all those who opposed and denied the march of Islam, filling them with anguish, despondency and depression.

And among them:
على شفا جرفٍ هارٍ مواقفهم … لا يستطيعون من إشعاعها هرباً
The situation and the clashes between these two warring tribes, between whom the Imam had gone to mediate, were as though they were standing on the edge of a cracked precipice on the verge of collapse, unable to escape the fragmenting turmoil that was spreading around them.

حتى تداركهم منها فأنقذهم … ربٌّ بجدِّك منها أنقذ العربا
Until Allah, in His mercy, had mercy on them and saved them from that abyss; through your blessings, Allah saved the Arabs from that tribulation

فألَّف الله بالإحسان بينهما … بيمنكم فأماط الحرب واصطحبا
‘Of the two warring tribes, Allah reconciled them through Imam al-Hadi, the Guide to the Truth, and his sons (peace be upon them), just as He reconciled the Aws and the Khazraj through the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family,

تلك الصنائعُ عند العالمين لكم … لا يعدلون بها الأوراق والذهبا
These acts of generosity and the great favours you have bestowed in preventing bloodshed and reconciling differences are deeds held in the highest regard by all people; they cannot be exchanged or equated with either minted silver or gold, for their value transcends worldly wealth.

فأنتمُ رحمة فينا لأوَّلنا … وآخرينا وهذا الشكر قد وجبا
For you embody the enduring divine mercy within us, which has encompassed our earliest forebears and will encompass our descendants through the generations; and because of this generosity and this historic act of kindness, offering you our thanks, loyalty and commitment to our allegiance has become an inescapable duty that we cannot neglect.
End.

Praise be to Allah, how sweet are its words, how delightful its expression, and how true its meaning: “Indeed, in eloquence there is magic, and in poetry there is wisdom.” Ahmad narrated it in these exact words in his Musnad, and Abu Dawud from Ibn ‘Abbas, as mentioned in Al-Jami’ al-Saghir.
Abu Dawud also narrated from Buraydah: “Indeed, eloquence has its magic; knowledge has its ignorance; poetry has its wisdom; and speech has its folly.”
Imam al-Nasir continued to uphold the command of Allah, steadfast against the enemies of Allah, and Allah granted him victory over all the regions of Yemen, where the rulings of the Hanif faith were established, the banners of the Prophetic lineage were raised, and the leaders of the atheistic movement—the esoteric Qarmatians—were eradicated. who had formed factions and caused the earth to tremble beneath them; the swords of Imam al-Nasir overtook them. Forty-eight of their leaders were killed in a single battle, and as for the soldiers and followers, the number of their dead was so great that blood flowed like rivers.
Abdullah ibn ‘Umar al-Hamadani, the author of the Imam’s biography and one of his knights, said: “I witnessed the battle, and I have never seen a day like the Day of Naghash, when more of the enemies of Allah, the Qarmatians, were killed, and I had tied my horse in a place where the dead were numerous; I heard the gurgling of blood like the gurgling of water as it flows downhill. When defeat befell them, they swarmed the mountain in great numbers, and wild beasts entered among them and killed them.
He said: “We found some of them dead, still armed, with no wounds on their bodies—and that was due to Allah’s victory for the descendants of His Prophet.” End.
With this battle, the pillars of the atheists were toppled, and Allah eradicated them from the land of Yemen after they had attempted to destroy Islam and undermine the foundations of the religion. Imam al-Nasir entered Aden and Abyan accompanied by eighty thousand of Allah’s soldiers, including forty thousand archers and one thousand five hundred horsemen.
This was the state of Imam al-Nasir, peace be upon him, as he guided the ummah and clarified what Allah had revealed, until Allah took him on the eighteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 325 AH, and the duration of his imamate was twenty-three years.
His sons: Abu Muhammad al-Qasim al-Mukhtar, Ali, and Yahya, whose descendants settled in Yemen; Isma’il, whose descendants settled in Aleppo and elsewhere; al-Hasan al-Muntajab, whose descendants settled in Baghdad; Dawood, whose descendants settled in Ram Hormuz and elsewhere; al-Rashid, whose descendants settled in Damascus; Ibrahim, whose descendants settled in Egypt; and Muhammad, whose descendants settled in Aleppo, along with al-Husayn and al-Mahdi there. There is no doubt that these Imams were the reformers of the third century, and the greatest influence on the renewal was exerted by al-Hadi ila al-Haqq and al-Nasir al-Atrush.
His Works: Imam al-Mansur bi-Allah, peace be upon him, said: He authored numerous works in various fields of knowledge, the first of which is: The Book of Tawhid: The Conclusion of Explanation and Refinement, The Book of Salvation (thirteen volumes), The Book of the Issues of the Tabaris (two volumes on jurisprudence), The Book of the Sciences of the Qur’an , And four volumes in jurisprudence, The Book of Al-Tanbih, The Book in Which He Responded to the Khawarij Ibadis, and The Book of Al-Damgh (four volumes).
His grave: at the shrine of his father, peace be upon them.