The Zaidis of Gilan and Deylam
The Most Prominent Zaidi Sects
September 19, 2024Yemeni Zaidism
September 19, 2024BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
The Zaidis of Gilan and Deylam
The Zaidi order was not organised after the martyrdom of Zaid ibn ‘Ali and his son Yahya, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah Dhu al Nafs al Zakiyyah, and his brother Ibrahim until al Nasir al Atrush, al Hassan ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Ali ibn al Hussain ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib appeared in Khorasan in the year 284 AH, and some say in 287 AH. He was sought, thus disappeared and withdrew from the matter (leadership) in the year 302 AH, then moved to the lands of Gilan and Deylam. There, he called people to Islam according to the doctrine of Zaid ibn ‘Ali rahimahu Llah which they accepted. They supported him and the Zaidiyyah remained dominant in those lands.[1]
However, they later deviated from the doctrine of the Imamah of the less qualified [being valid], and criticised the Companions as the Imamiyyah did[2], after the emergence of the Buyid dynasty (320-447 AH/932-1055 CE) which was initially Zaidiyyah but then turned to extremist Shia, introducing innovations not based on knowledge, the Qur’an, or Sunnah. Among these, for example, was celebrating the festival of Ghadir, building shrines for their Imams in places they claimed to be the burial sites of their dead, and criminalising those who preceded ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu among the Rightly Guided Khalifas radiya Llahu ‘anhum.
[1] Tarikh al Tabari, 10/149; al Kamil, 8/26.
[2] Al Milal wa al Nihal, 1/156; Muqaddamat Ibn Khaldun, 2/525.
BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
The Zaidis of Gilan and Deylam
The Zaidi order was not organised after the martyrdom of Zaid ibn ‘Ali and his son Yahya, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah Dhu al Nafs al Zakiyyah, and his brother Ibrahim until al Nasir al Atrush, al Hassan ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Ali ibn al Hussain ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib appeared in Khorasan in the year 284 AH, and some say in 287 AH. He was sought, thus disappeared and withdrew from the matter (leadership) in the year 302 AH, then moved to the lands of Gilan and Deylam. There, he called people to Islam according to the doctrine of Zaid ibn ‘Ali rahimahu Llah which they accepted. They supported him and the Zaidiyyah remained dominant in those lands.[1]
However, they later deviated from the doctrine of the Imamah of the less qualified [being valid], and criticised the Companions as the Imamiyyah did[2], after the emergence of the Buyid dynasty (320-447 AH/932-1055 CE) which was initially Zaidiyyah but then turned to extremist Shia, introducing innovations not based on knowledge, the Qur’an, or Sunnah. Among these, for example, was celebrating the festival of Ghadir, building shrines for their Imams in places they claimed to be the burial sites of their dead, and criminalising those who preceded ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu among the Rightly Guided Khalifas radiya Llahu ‘anhum.
[1] Tarikh al Tabari, 10/149; al Kamil, 8/26.
[2] Al Milal wa al Nihal, 1/156; Muqaddamat Ibn Khaldun, 2/525.