"Zaydi" redirects here; not to be confused withZaidi.
Zaydis
A calligraphic logo used by theHouthis, aZaydirevivalist andIslamist political and military organization in Yemen, with Arabic text reading: "Oh ye who believe, be supporters of God" (Quran 61:14)
Zaydism is typically considered the Shia branch that is closest to Sunni Islam, although the "classical" form of Zaydism (usually referred to asHadawi) historically changed its stance on Sunni and Shia traditions multiple times, to the point where Zaydis' simply acceptingAli as a rightful successor toMuhammad was enough to consider them Shia.[4]
In the 7th century some early Muslims expectedAli to become the firstcaliph of theRashidun Caliphate, successor toMuhammad. After the ascension ofAbu Bakr, supporters of Ali (and future Shia) continued to believe only people from Muhammad's family qualify as rulers. They selected an imam from each generation of Muhammad's family. (The proto-Sunni, in contrast, recognized Abu Bakr as alegitimate first caliph).[5] The Zaydis emerged in reverence ofZayd ibn Ali'sfailed uprising against theUmayyad caliphHisham ibn Abd al-Malik (r. 724–743). While a majority of the early Shia recognized Zayd's brother,Muhammad al-Baqir, as the fifth leader, some considered Zayd as the fifth imam, and thus in the8th century formed the Zaydi or "Fivers" offshoot of Islam.[5]
UnderHasan ibn Zayd, the Alavids establisheda Zaydi state inDaylam andTabaristan (northern Iran) in 864.[16] It also expanded intoSa'dah (Yemen) around 893, underal-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya, a descendant of Imam Hasan ibn Ali; Yahya thereby founded theRassid dynasty. The Zaydi state in Tabaristan lasted until the death of its leader at the hand of the SunniSamanids in 928. Roughly forty years later, the state was revived in Daylam andGilan (northwest Iran) and survived until 1126. Historically, there was a small community of ZaydiKurds between Iran and Iraq.[17]
AfterMarzuban ibn Justan converted toIslam in 805, the ancient family of Justan's became connected to the Zaydi Alids of the Daylam region. Thus the rulers of Daylam were also called theJustanids (Persian: جستانیان).[citation needed]
TheBuyid dynasty was initially Zaydi[18] as were theBanu Ukhaidhir rulers of al-Yamama in the 9th and 10th centuries.[19] The leader of the Zaydi community took the title ofCaliph. As such, the ruler of Yemen was known as the Caliph.[citation needed] From the 12th to the 13th century, Zaydi communities acknowledged theImams of Yemen or rival Imams within Iran.[20]
TheKarkiya dynasty, or Kia dynasty, was a Zaydi Shia dynasty which ruled overBia pish (easternGilan) from the 1370s to 1592. They claimedSasanian ancestry as well.[21]
The Zaydis in Yemen had initially lived in the highlands and the northern territories, but the extent of their dominance away from their capital of seven centuries, Sa'dah, had been changing over time. The Rassid dynasty was re-established underAl-Mansur al-Qasim after anOttoman invasion in the 16th century. After another conflict with the Ottomans, a new succession line was started in the 19th century byMuhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-Din.[citation needed] With minor interruptions, these two dynasties ruled in Yemen until the creation of theYemen Arab Republic in 1962.
The Rassid state had been founded underJarudiyya thought;[23] however, increasing interactions withHanafi andShafi'i schools of Sunni Islam led to a shift to Sulaimaniyyah thought, especially among the Hadawi sub-sect. While the rulers ostensibly conformed to Hadawi law (thus the "imamate"), the doctrines had to be modified to allow hereditary, as opposed to traditional merit-based, selection of imams.[24]
This transition did not happen abruptly, but through a long-lasting process from the fifteenth century onwards (termed "Traditionism" byBernard Haykel[25]) that saw the gradual merging of Zaydi doctrine with elements ofShafi'iSunnism. By the mid-eighteenth century, the rulers of theQasimi Imamate had become dynastic, a more formal statebureaucracy was established, and the traditional Zaydi notion ofkhurūj (revolt against unjust rule) was deemed unacceptable.[26][27]: 102
Zaydi regions (orange) inYemen's interior, excludesTihamah on the coast.
After the fall of the Zaydi Imamate in 1962 some Zaydi Shia in northern Yemen converted to Sunni Islam.[28][dubious –discuss]
The end of imam rule, with the new rulers in Yemen no longer conforming to the requirements of Zaydism, caused a number of Zaydi scholars to call for the restoration of the imamate. This contributed to theNorth Yemen Civil War that lasted from 1962 to 1970.[29] The national reconciliation of 1970 paused the fighting with traumatized Zaydis following three main routes:[30]
joining the new political system (the religiousParty of Truth was created in 1990);
restoring the spiritual and cultural heritage of Zaydism by opening religious centers and encouraging the tribes to send their youth for education there;
Throughout the Republican era, the position ofSaudi-backedSalafis and other Sunni groups in Yemen steadily increased, as did the position ofSheikhs who sometimes cooperated with these Salafi groups for pragmatic reasons. The Salafis reportedly pursued an aggressive "policy of provocation" towards the Zaydis who inhabited the surrounding area, often accusing them ofapostasy and sometimes even destroying theircemeteries.[27]: 106–112 Despite this, the Salafi school enjoyed the support of both the Saudi andNorth Yemeni regimes. This situation helped sow the seeds for mounting discontent among the Zaydi population and ultimately Zaydirevivalist movements such as theHouthis, an armed rebel group.[27]: 106–112
Since 2004, the Houthis have been wagingan uprising against factions belonging to theSunni majority group in the country.[31][32] The group has asserted that their actions are for the defence of their community from the government and discrimination, though theYemeni government in turn accused them of wishing to bring it down and institute religious law.[33]
On 21 September 2014, an agreement was signed inSana'a underUN patronage essentially giving the Houthiscontrol of the government after a decade of conflict.[34] Tribal militias then moved swiftly to consolidate theirposition in the capital, with the group officially declaring direct control over the state on 6 February 2015.[35] This outcome followed theremoval of Yemen's PresidentAli Abdullah Saleh in 2012 in the wake of protractedArab Spring protests. Saudi Arabia has exercised the predominant external influence in Yemen since the withdrawal ofNasser's Egyptian expeditionary force marking the end of the bitterNorth Yemen Civil War.[36][37]
In matters ofIslamic jurisprudence, the Zaydis followZayd Ibn 'Ali's teachings, which are documented in his bookMajmu' Al-Fiqh (Arabic:مجموع الفِقه). Zaydifiqh is similar to theHanafi school ofSunni Islamic jurisprudence,[23] as well as theIbadi school.Abu Hanifa, the founder of theHanafi school, was favorable and even donated towards the Zaydi cause.[41] Zaydis dismiss religious dissimulation (taqiyya).[42] Zaydism does not rely heavily onhadith, but uses those that are consistent with theQur'an, and is open tohadith. Some sources argue that Zaydism is simply a philosophy of political government that justifies the overthrow of unjust rulers and prioritizes those who areAhl al-Bayt.[43][44]
Haider[45] states that mainstream Zaydism (Hadawi) is a result of the interaction of two currents,Batrism andJarudism, their followers brought together during the originalrevolt of Zayd ibn Ali. The names, also designated as Batri and Jarudi, do not necessarily represent cohesive groups of people; for example, Batri ideas (proto-Sunni) were dominant among Zaydis in the 8th century, and Jarudism (Shia) took over in the 9th century.[45][46] The following table summarizes the differences between Batri and Jarudi beliefs per Haider:[47]
Zaydis' theological literature emphasizessocial justice andhuman responsibility and their political implications—i.e., Muslims have an ethical and legal obligation by their religion to rise up and depose unjust leaders, including unrighteoussultans andcaliphs.[48]
Zaydis believeZayd ibn Ali was the rightful successor to theimamate because he led a rebellion against theUmayyad Caliphate, which he believed was tyrannical and corrupt.Muhammad al-Baqir did not engage in political action, and the followers of Zayd believed that a true Imām must fight against corrupt rulers.[49] The renowned Muslim juristAbu Hanifa, who is credited with founding theHanafi school ofSunni Islam, delivered afatwā or legal statement in favour of Zayd in his rebellion against the Umayyad ruler. He also secretly urged people to join the uprising and delivered funds to Zayd.[50]
Zaydis rejectanthropomorphism and instead take arationalist approach to scriptural uses of anthropomorphic expressions, as illustrated in works such as theKitāb al-Mustarshid by the 9th-century Zaydi imamal-Qasim al-Rassi.[53]
There was a difference of opinion among the companions and supporters ofZayd ibn 'Ali, such as Abu al-Jarud Ziyad ibn Abi Ziyad, Sulayman ibn Jarir, Kathir al-Nawa al-Abtar and Hasan ibn Salih, concerning the status of the first threeRashidun caliphs who succeeded to the political and administrative authority ofMuhammad. The earliest group, calledJarudiyya (named forAbu'l-Jarud al-Hamdani), was opposed to the approval of certaincompanions of Muhammad. They held that there was sufficient description given by Muhammad that all should have recognizedAli as the rightfulcaliph. They therefore consider the companions wrong in failing to recognise Ali as the legitimate Caliph and deny legitimacy toAbu Bakr,Umar andUthman; however, they avoid accusing them.[54]
The second group, the Sulaymaniyya, named for Sulayman ibn Jarir, held that theImamate should be a matter to be decided by consultation. They felt that the companions, including Abu Bakr and 'Umar, had been in error in failing to follow 'Ali, but it did not amount to sin.[citation needed]
The third group is known as theBatriyya, Tabiriyya, or Salihiyya for Kathir an-Nawa al-Abtar and Hasan ibn Salih. Their beliefs are virtually identical to those of the Sulaymaniyya, except they see Uthman also as in error but not in sin.[7]
The termrāfiḍa was a term used by Zayd ibn Ali on those who rejected him in his last hours for his refusal to condemn the first two Caliphs of theMuslim world, Abu Bakr and Umar.[56] Zayd bitterly scolds the "rejectors" (rāfiḍa) who deserted him, an appellation used bySalafis to refer to Twelver Shi'a to this day.[57]
A group of their leaders assembled in his (Zayd's presence) and said: "May God have mercy on you! What do you have to say on the matter of Abu Bakr and Umar?" Zayd said, "I have not heard anyone in my family renouncing them both nor saying anything but good about them...when they were entrusted with government they behaved justly with the people and acted according to theQur'an and theSunnah"[58]
According to Zaydi traditions,Rāfiḍa referred to thoseKufans who deserted and refused to supportZayd ibn Ali, who had a favourable view of the first twoRashidun Caliphs.[59][60][61][62] The term "Rāfiḍa" became a popular pejorative term used by the Zaydi scholars againstImami Shias to criticize their rejection ofZayd ibn Ali.[63][64]
Twelver Shias sometimes consider Zaydism to be a "fifthschool" of Sunni Islam.[65]
In Twelver accounts, ImamAli al-Ridha narrated how his grandfather,Ja'far al-Sadiq, also supported Zayd ibn Ali's struggle:
he was one of the scholars from the Household ofMuhammad and got angry for the sake of the Honorable the Exalted God. He fought with the enemies of God until he got killed in His path. My father Musa ibn Ja’far narrated that he had heard his father Ja’far ibn Muhammad say, "May God bless my uncle Zayd... He consulted with me about his uprising and I told him, "O my uncle! Do this if you are pleased with being killed and your corpse being hung up from the gallows in the al-Konasa neighbourhood." After Zayd left, As-Sadiq said, "Woe be to those who hear his call but do not help him!".
Jafar al-Sadiq's love for Zayd ibn Ali was so immense that he broke down and cried upon reading the letter informing him of his death and proclaimed:
From God we are and to Him is our return. I ask God for my reward in this calamity. He was a really good uncle. My uncle was a man for our world and for our Hereafter. I swear by God that my uncle is a martyr just like the martyrs who fought along with God’s Prophet orAli orAl-Hassan orAl-Hussein
However, in other hadiths, narrated inAl-Kafi, the main Shia book ofhadith, Zayd ibn Ali is criticized by his half-brother, ImamMuhammad al-Baqir, for his revolt against theUmayyad Dynasty. According to Alexander Shepard, anIslamic Studies specialist, much of Twelver hadith and theology was written to counter Zaydism.[67]
^abArticle by Sayyid 'Ali ibn 'Ali Al-Zaidi,At-tarikh aṣ-ṣaghir 'an ash-shia al-yamaniyeen (Arabic: التاريخ الصغير عن الشيعة اليمنيين, A short History of the Yemenite Shi‘ites), 2005 Referencing: Momen, pp. 50, 51. and S.S. Akhtar Rizvi, "Shi'a Sects"
^Hodgson, Marshall (1961),Venture of Islam, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 262
^Article by Sayyid 'Ali ibn 'Ali Al-Zaidi,At-tarikh aṣ-ṣaghir 'an ash-shia al-yamaniyeen (Arabic: التاريخ الصغير عن الشيعة اليمنيين, A short History of the Yemenite Shi‘ites), 2005 Referencing:Iranian Influence on Moslem Literature
^كتاب دائرة المعارف: من سليكون الى صلاح الدينية. ١٠, Volume 10, Buṭrus al- Bustānī, 1898, pp. 614
^Walker, Paul Ernest (1999),Hamid Al-Din Al-Kirmani: Ismaili Thought in the Age of Al-Hakim, Ismaili Heritage Series, vol. 3, London; New York: I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, p. 13,ISBN978-1-86064-321-7
^Madelung, W. "al-Uk̲h̲ayḍir."Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2007.[1]Archived 15 August 2025 at theWayback Machine
^Article by Sayyid 'Ali ibn 'Ali Al-Zaidi,At-tarikh aṣ-ṣaghir 'an ash-shia al-yamaniyeen (Arabic: التاريخ الصغير عن الشيعة اليمنيين, A short History of the Yemenite Shi‘ites), 2005 Referencing:Encyclopedia Iranica
^abArticle by Sayyid 'Ali ibn 'Ali Al-Zaidi,At-tarikh aṣ-ṣaghir 'an ash-shia al-yamaniyeen (Arabic: التاريخ الصغير عن الشيعة اليمنيين, A short History of the Yemenite Shi‘ites), 2005
^Haider, Najam (2014). "Zaydism in the Balance between Sunni and Shi'a".Shi'i Islam: An Introduction. New York:Cambridge University Press. pp. 103–122.
^abcBrandt, Marieke (2024).Tribes and Politics in Yemen: A History of the Houthi Conflict. London:Hurst.ISBN9781911723424.
^Ardic, Nurullah.Islam and the Politics of Secularism: The Caliphate and Middle Eastern.
^Ahab, Bdaiwi (8 May 2024)."The Beliefs of the Zaydis: A Conspectus".Islamic Thought and History atLeiden University. Retrieved25 December 2024.Their origins trace back to the proto-Shiʿi movement that emerged in the first century of Islam (late seventh and early eighth century CE) which coalesced around the rights of the Family of the Prophet, the Ahl al-Bayt, regarded as the legitimate temporal and spiritual successors to the mantle of the Prophet Muḥammad.
^Abdullah, Lux (Summer 2009). "Yemen's last Zaydi Imam: theshabab al-mu'min, theMalazim, andhizb allah in the thought of Husayn Badr al-Din al-Huthi".Contemporary Arab Affairs.2 (3):369–434.doi:10.1080/17550910903106084.
^Islamic Dynasties of the Arab East: State and Civilization during the Later Medieval Times by Abdul Ali, M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd., 1996, p97
^Ahkam al-Quran By Abu Bakr al-Jassas al-Razi, volume 1 page 100, published by Dar Al-Fikr Al-Beirutiyya
^abImmortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces. Steven R Ward, p. 43
^Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution. Nikki R Keddie, Yann Richard, pp. 13, 20
^The Waning of the Umayyad Caliphate by Tabarī, Carole Hillenbrand, 1989, p. 37
^The Encyclopedia of Religion Vol.16, Mircea Eliade, Charles J. Adams, Macmillan, 1987, p. 243."They were called "Rafida by the followers of Zayd...the term became a pejorative nickname among Sunni Muslims, who used it, however to refer to the Imamiyah's repudiation of the first three caliphs preceding Ali..."
^The waning of the Umayyad caliphate by Tabarī, Carole Hillenbrand, 1989, pp. 37, 38 The Encyclopedia of Religion Vol. 16, Mircea Eliade, Charles J. Adams, Macmillan, 1987, p. 243.
^Ahmad Kazemi Moussavi; Karim Douglas Crow (2005).Facing One Qiblah: Legal and Doctrinal Aspects of Sunni and Shi'ah Muslims. Pustaka Nasional Pte Ltd. p. 186.ISBN9789971775520.
^Najam Haider (26 September 2011).The Origins of the Shī'a: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century Kūfa. Cambridge University Press. pp. 196–7.ISBN9781139503310.
^Suleiman, Yasir, ed. (21 April 2010).Living Islamic History: Studies in Honour of Professor Carole Hillenbrand (illustrated ed.).Oxford University Press. p. 11.ISBN9780748642199.
^The Encyclopedia of Religion Vol.16, Mircea Eliade, Charles J. Adams, Macmillan, 1987, p. 243. "They were called "Rafida by the followers of Zayd...the term became a pejorative nickname among Sunni Muslims, who used it, however to refer to the Imamiyah's repudiation of the first three caliphs preceding Ali..."
^abIbn Bābawayh al-Qummī, Muḥammad ibn ʻAlī.Uyūn Akhbār al-Riḍā.
^'"Al-Kulayni’s Sectarian Polemics: Anti-Zaydi and Anti-Ghulat Hadiths in Twelver Literature". Center for the Study of Middle East, Global and International Studies Building, 5 November 2019. 'https://www.academia.edu/video/lvaQP1
