Origin and Naming
The Zaydiyyah are a Shia sect named after Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 122 AH). He held that the imamah (leadership) of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman was valid, while believing Ali was the most virtuous. He also held that khuruj (rising against tyrants) is obligatory.
When he rose in Kufa during the reign of Hisham ibn Abd al Malik (d. 125 AH), some followers asked him to disavow Abu Bakr and Umar. He refused and declared loyalty to them. They abandoned him, so he told them, “You have rejected me,” and they came to be called Rafidah (rejectors).
Zayd was killed by the governor Yusuf ibn Umar al Thaqafi. His grave was later uncovered, and he was crucified and burned. His son Yahya ibn Zayd (d. 125 AH) later rose in Khurasan during the reign of al Walid ibn Yazid (d. 126 AH) but was killed by the forces of Nasr ibn Sayyar (d. 131 AH).
Poetry About Zayd and Yahya
- Yahya ibn Zayd mourned his father with verses on the killing of Banu Hashim and the silence of the Iraqis.
- Dhuʿbal al Khuzai (d. 246 AH) composed poetry mourning Yahya, naming his grave in Jawzjan along with other graves of Ahl al Bayt.
Reports from Zayd on the Companions
- Al Dhahabi in Siyar Aʿlam al Nubala (5/390) and al Baladhuri in Ansab al Ashraf (10/301) recorded from Hashim ibn al Barid that Zayd said: “Abu Bakr is the imam of the grateful,” then recited the verse “And Allah will reward the grateful” (Aal Imran: 144). He added: “Disavowal from Abu Bakr is disavowal from Ali.”
- Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq (19/461) narrated from Adam ibn Abd Allah al Khathʿami, a companion of Zayd, that he asked Zayd about the verse “And the foremost, the foremost, they are the ones brought near.” Zayd said: “Abu Bakr and Umar. May Allah not grant me the intercession of my grandfather if I do not show loyalty to them.”
- Ibn Asakir (19/461) narrated from Kathir al Nawa that he asked Zayd about Abu Bakr and Umar. Zayd said: “Have loyalty to them.” Kathir asked: “What about one who disavows them?” Zayd replied: “I disavow him until he dies.”
- Ibn Asakir (19/462) and al Baladhuri (10/301) recorded from Hashim ibn al Barid that Zayd said: “Disavowal from Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman is disavowal from Ali, and disavowal from Ali is disavowal from them.”
- Ibn Asakir (19/463–464) narrated from al Suddi that Zayd said: “The Rawafid are my enemy and the enemy of my father in this world and the Hereafter.”
- Ibn Asakir (19/464) narrated from Isa ibn Yunus, through Ahmad ibn Dawud al Huddani, that when the Rawafid first became Rafidi, they told Zayd: “Disavow Abu Bakr and Umar and we will support you.” He said: “I declare loyalty to them and disavow whoever disavows them.” They said: “We reject you.” So they were called Rafidah. He added: “The Zaydiyyah declare loyalty to them and disavow those who disavow them.”
These reports show Zayd’s firm rejection of the Rawafid and his loyalty to the early caliphs.
Sects of the Zaydiyyah
The Jarudiyyah
Followers of Abu al Jarud. They claimed the Prophet appointed Ali by description but not by name, and the ummah disbelieved by not following him. After Ali, the imamah passed to Hasan, then Husayn. They split into factions:
- Some said Ali appointed Hasan, Hasan appointed Husayn, then after them imamah is shura among their descendants.
- Others said the Prophet directly appointed Hasan then Husayn.
- Later divisions included claims that Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn al Hasan (d. 145 AH), Muhammad ibn al Qasim, or Yahya ibn Umar were alive and would return.
The Sulaymaniyyah
Followers of Sulayman ibn Jarir al Zaydi. They said imamah is valid through shura even if the less virtuous is chosen. They affirmed the imamah of Abu Bakr and Umar but argued the ummah abandoned the more virtuous. Sulayman accused Uthman of kufr due to criticised actions. He insisted Ali never erred and that this was established by authentic reports, not common knowledge.
The Batriyyah
Followers of Hasan ibn Salih ibn Hayy (d. 167 AH) and Kathir al Nawa (al Abtar). They said Ali was the best after the Prophet, but Abu Bakr and Umar’s imamah was valid since Ali accepted it. They withheld judgment on Uthman and his killers. They denied rajʿah (return of the dead) and only acknowledged Ali’s imamah once he received bayah.
The Naimiyyah
Followers of Naim ibn al Yaman. They said Ali was most deserving but the ummah erred in giving bayah to Abu Bakr and Umar. They declared Uthman and those who fought Ali kafir.
The Fifth Group
This group rejected Abu Bakr and Umar entirely and affirmed rajʿah.
The Yaqubiyyah
Followers of Yaqub. They affirmed Abu Bakr and Umar and denied rajʿah. They disassociated from those who affirmed it.
Other Beliefs of the Zaydiyyah
On the Creator
- The majority said Allah is a shay (thing) unlike other things.
- Others refused to say He is or is not a thing.
On Attributes
- One group (Sulaymaniyyah) said Allah’s knowledge, power, hearing, etc. are “things” separate from Him. They said His anger is His will to punish, His pleasure is His forgiveness.
- Another group said Allah is knowing, powerful, hearing, and seeing without attributes distinct from Him.
On Oppression and Lying
- Some said Allah cannot oppress or lie, and this is impossible.
- Others said He is able but never does.
On Deeds
- Some said all actions are created by Allah.
- Others said actions are created by humans themselves.
On Ability (Qudrah)
- Some said ability only exists with the act.
- Others said ability exists before but is busy during the act.
- Others said ability is before the act, but one is only described as able when acting.
On Iman and Kufr
- Majority: iman is knowledge, affirmation, and avoiding major sins. Committing sins is kufr of blessing, not shirk.
- Others: iman includes all obedience, and sins do not necessarily mean kufr.
On Major Sins
All Zaydis agreed that major sinners are punished eternally in Hell.
On Arbitration of Ali
They held Ali was correct to accept arbitration, and the arbiters erred.
On Ijtihad
They differed: some allowed ijtihad of opinion, others rejected it.
On Rulers and Prayer
All agreed tyrannical rulers must be opposed. They forbade prayer behind a fasiq (open sinner).
Relation to Other Shia and Ahl al Sunnah
- Zaydiyyah and Rafidah both give preference to Ali.
- Zaydiyyah are closer to Ahl al Sunnah, since early ones accepted Abu Bakr and Umar.
- Imamiyyah (Twelvers) restricted imamah to Ali only, declared the companions misguided, and the ummah judged them kafir.
- Later Zaydis mixed with Imamiyyah and became Rafidi.
Later History
After Zayd and Yahya, uprisings continued: Muhammad al Nafs al Zakiyyah and his brother Ibrahim, both sons of Abd Allah ibn al Hasan, rose. Abu Hanifah supported Ibrahim, while Imam Malik was accused of supporting Muhammad through a fatwa on coerced bayah. Both imams suffered persecution under Abu Jaʿfar al Mansur.
Later the Zaydi madhhab weakened, absorbed by other Shia. Many later Zaydis rejected Abu Bakr and Umar.
The madhhab survived mainly in Yemen, closer to its early form.
Our Stance
- Early Zaydiyyah: affirmed Abu Bakr and Umar, avoided reviling companions, not Rafidah but innovators.
- Later Zaydiyyah: rejected Abu Bakr and Umar, counted among Rafidah.
Most scholars judged them people of bidah (innovation), but less extreme than Imamiyyah.
The Zaydiyyah are one of the Shiite sects, and their name goes back to Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, d. 122 AH.
He held the validity of the imamate of Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them all, yet he held that Ali ibn Abi Talib is superior to the rest of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with him and with them all. He held the obligation of rising against tyrannical rulers.
It was narrated by Hashim ibn al-Barid, from Zayd ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 122 AH), who said: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was the imam of the grateful. Then he recited: “And Allah will reward the grateful” (Al Imran: 144).
Then he said: Disavowal from Abu Bakr is disavowal from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).
Siyar A’lam Nubala By Ad Dhahabi (5/390)
This is also narrated in Ansab al-Ashraf By al-Baladhuri (10/301)
“وحدثني أبي قال: سمعت زيد بن علي يقول: البراءة من أبي بكر وعمر وعلي سواء.”
The Zaydiyyah are from the Shia.
They were named Zaydiyyah because of their adherence to the opinion of Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 122 AH).
Zayd ibn Ali was given bayah in Kufa during the time of Hisham ibn Abd al Malik (d. 125 AH). The governor of Kufa then was Yusuf ibn Umar al Thaqafi.
Zayd ibn Ali held Ali ibn Abi Talib to be superior to all the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, yet he affirmed allegiance to Abu Bakr and Umar, and he considered it obligatory to rise against tyrannical rulers. When he appeared in Kufa with those who had given him bayah, some among them began to criticise Abu Bakr and Umar.
He strongly rejected that from whoever he heard it from, so those who had pledged to him split away from him. He said to them, “You have rejected me.” It is said they were named Rafidah because of his saying to them, “You have rejected me.”
He remained with only a small group, fought against Yusuf ibn Umar, was killed, and was buried at night. With him was Nasr ibn Khuzaymah al Absi. Later his grave was discovered, he was dug up and crucified naked. His story is long, and if we were to mention it in full it would lengthen the book.
Then his son Yahya ibn Zayd (d. 125 AH) rose after him in the time of al Walid ibn Yazid ibn Abd al Malik (d. 126 AH). Nasr ibn Sayyar (d. 131 AH), the governor of Khurasan, sent against him his chief of police Salm ibn Ahwar al Mazini, who killed him.
Yahya ibn Zayd recited about his father Zayd when he was killed in Kufa:
My two friends, go from me and deliver in Madinah,
To Banu Hashim, people of wisdom and experience.
How long will Marwan continue to kill your best ones,
While time is filled with strange events.
How long will you accept humiliation from them,
When you were the fathers of honour in experience.
Every people demand vengeance for their slain,
But Zayd has none to demand vengeance in the two Iraqs.
And Dhuʿbal al Khuzai (d. 246 AH) mourned Yahya ibn Zayd saying:
Graves in Kufa, and another in Taybah,
And another in Fakh, may my prayers reach them.
And another in the land of Jawzjan is its place,
And another in Bakhmara near the caravans.
He meant by the graves in the land of Jawzjan the grave of Yahya ibn Zayd and those who were killed with him.
The Zaydiyyah are six sects:
The Jarudiyyah:
Among them are the Jarudiyyah, the followers of Abu al Jarud. They were named Jarudiyyah because they followed the view of Abu al Jarud. They claim that the Prophet designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as the imam after him by description but not by name, and that the people went astray and disbelieved by leaving him after the Messenger. Then al Hasan after Ali was the imam, then al Husayn after al Hasan.
The Jarudiyyah divided into two factions. A faction said Ali designated al Hasan, and al Hasan designated al Husayn, then the matter is shura among the descendants of al Hasan and al Husayn. Whoever among them rises calling to the way of Allah, being knowledgeable and virtuous, he is the imam. Another faction said the Prophet designated al Hasan after Ali, and al Husayn after al Hasan, one after another.
The Jarudiyyah divided in another way into three factions. A faction said Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn al Hasan (d. 145 AH) did not die and will return and prevail. Another faction said Muhammad ibn al Qasim, the companion of al Talaqan, is alive and will return and prevail. Another faction said the same about Yahya ibn Umar, the companion of Kufa.
The Sulaymaniyyah:
The second faction of the Zaydiyyah are the Sulaymaniyyah, the followers of Sulayman ibn Jarir al Zaydi. They claim the imamate is by shura, and that it is valid if two men from the best of the Muslims agree upon it. It may be valid in the less virtuous even if there is one more virtuous. They affirm the imamate of the two Shaykhs Abu Bakr and Umar.
Zarqan narrated from Sulayman ibn Jarir that he claimed the bayah of Abu Bakr and Umar was a mistake, but they do not deserve the name of fisq for it because of their interpretation. He said the ummah abandoned the more virtuous by choosing them. Sulayman ibn Jarir would place others before Uthman and would declare him a kafir because of the events criticised against him. He claimed it was established that Ali ibn Abi Talib does not go astray, and no upright testimony can establish misguidance against him. He said knowledge of this subtle matter is not obligatory on the common folk, for it is only established by authentic narrations in his view.
The Batriyyah:
The third faction of the Zaydiyyah are the Batriyyah, the followers of al Hasan ibn Salih ibn Hayy (d. 167 AH) and the followers of Kathir al Nawa who was nicknamed al Abtar. They claim Ali is the best of people after the Messenger of Allah and the most deserving of imamate. They held that the bayah of Abu Bakr and Umar was not wrong, since Ali left the matter to them. They withheld judgement on Uthman and his killers, neither declaring him a kafir nor affirming his correctness. They denied the return of the dead to this world, and they only affirmed imamate for Ali when he was given bayah. It has been narrated that al Hasan ibn Salih ibn Hayy would disassociate from Uthman after the events criticised against him.
The Naimiyyah:
The fourth faction of the Zaydiyyah are the Naimiyyah, the followers of Naim ibn al Yaman. They claim Ali was deserving of the imamate and was the best after the Messenger of Allah. They held that the ummah was not guilty of sinful error by giving allegiance to Abu Bakr and Umar, but they were guilty of a clear error in abandoning the better. They disassociated from Uthman and from those who fought against Ali, declaring them kafir.
The fifth faction of the Zaydiyyah:
They disassociated from Abu Bakr and Umar, and they did not deny the return of the dead to the world before the Day of Resurrection.
The Yaqubiyyah:
The sixth faction of the Zaydiyyah are the Yaqubiyyah, followers of a man named Yaqub. They affirmed Abu Bakr and Umar and did not disassociate from those who dissociated from them. They denied the return of the dead, and they disassociated from those who affirmed it.
The opinion of the Zaydiyyah about the Creator:
The Zaydiyyah differed about the Creator, the Mighty and Majestic. Should it be said He is a thing or not? They divided into two groups. The first, the majority of the Zaydiyyah, claimed that the Creator is a thing unlike other things and nothing resembles Him. The second said we do not say He is a thing. If asked, “Do you say He is not a thing?” they said, “We do not say He is not a thing.”
Their opinion on the names and attributes:
The Zaydiyyah differed about the names and attributes. They are two groups. The first, the followers of Sulayman ibn Jarir al Zaydi, claimed that the Creator is knowing with a knowledge that is neither Him nor other than Him, and that His knowledge is a thing, and He is powerful with a power that is neither Him nor other than Him, and His power is a thing. They said likewise regarding the attributes of the essence such as life, hearing, and seeing. They said the Face of Allah is Allah.
They claimed Allah has always been willing, and He has always hated sins and disobedience. Willing something means hating its opposite. They said He has always been pleased, and has always been angry. His anger at the disbelievers is His pleasure in punishing them, and His pleasure in punishing them is His anger at them.
His pleasure with the believers is that He does not punish them, and His anger is that He punishes them, which is His pleasure in forgiving them. They said we do not say His anger at the disbelievers is His pleasure with the believers.
The second group said the Creator is knowing, powerful, hearing, and seeing without knowledge, life, power, hearing, and sight. They said the Creator is not to be described as having always been willing, hating, pleased, or angry.
The opinion of the Zaydiyyah on the Creator’s ability to oppress or lie:
The Zaydiyyah differed about the Creator’s ability to oppress or lie. They are two groups. The first, the followers of Sulayman ibn Jarir, said the Creator is not to be described as having ability to oppress and act unjustly. Nor is it to be said He is unable. Rather, it is impossible for Him to oppress or lie.
They said if something has been reported in revelation that it will not happen, then it is impossible. As for what has not been reported and reason does not reject, then it is permissible to say Allah can do it. The permissibility is due to our ignorance of the unseen and because reason does not disallow it, and we have seen similar among creation.
The second group said the Creator is described as able to oppress and lie, though He does not oppress and does not lie. He is able to do what He informed us He would never do.
The opinion of the Zaydiyyah on the creation of deeds:
The Zaydiyyah differed about the creation of deeds. They are two groups. The first said the actions of the servants are created by Allah. He created them, brought them into being, and innovated them after they were not, so they are originated and innovated by Him. The second said the deeds are not created by Allah, nor originated or innovated by Him, but are acquisition of the servants. They originated them, invented them, and performed them.
The opinion of the Zaydiyyah on ability:
The Zaydiyyah differed about ability. They are three groups. The first said ability is with the act, and the command is before the act. The thing by which faith is done is the same by which disbelief is done. This is the saying of some of the Zaydiyyah. The second said ability is before the act, and with the act it is occupied with the act, so a person is only capable when he does the act.
This was narrated by some of the mutakallimeen from Sulayman ibn Jarir. I read in the book of Sulayman ibn Jarir that ability is part of the able one, and ability is adjacent to him, mixing with him like the mixing of two oils. The third said ability is before the act, and the command is before the act, and a person is not to be described as able over a thing in the state before doing it.
The opinion of the Zaydiyyah on iman and kufr
The Zaydiyyah differed about iman and kufr. They are two groups.
The first group claimed that iman is knowledge, affirmation, and avoidance of what Allah has warned against. They held that committing what carries a warning is kufr, but not shirk and not outright denial. Rather, it is kufr of blessing. They also said the same about those who interpret wrongly when their statement is sin and fisq.
The second group claimed that iman is all acts of obedience, and that committing what carries a warning is not always kufr. This was the saying of some of their later members, but their majority and their early ones held the first saying.
The opinion of the Zaydiyyah on the one who commits a major sin
The Zaydiyyah all agreed that those who commit major sins will be punished in the Fire, abiding there forever, never leaving it and never being absent from it. They also all agreed that Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 40 AH) was correct in his fighting, and that those who opposed him were wrong.
Their opinion on ijtihad of opinion
The Zaydiyyah differed about ijtihad of opinion in rulings. They are two groups. The first claimed that ijtihad of opinion is permissible in rulings. The second denied this and rejected ijtihad in rulings.
Their opinion on Ali’s arbitration
The Zaydiyyah all agreed that Ali was correct in his acceptance of arbitration, and that he only did so because he feared corruption within his army. The matter was clear to him, but he looked after the interests of the Muslims to unite them. He had only ordered the two arbiters to judge by the Book of Allah, but they opposed that, so the mistake was theirs, and he was correct.
Their opinion on rising against rulers and praying behind opponents
The Zaydiyyah all hold that it is obligatory to fight and remove tyrannical rulers, to repel oppression, and to establish truth. They all agreed that prayer should not be performed behind an open sinner, and it should only be performed behind one who is not a fasiq.
The Rafidah and the Zaydiyyah all agreed on preferring Ali over all the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, and that after the Prophet there was none better than him.
Mention of those from the family of the Prophet who rose up
The killing of al Husayn ibn Ali (d. 61 AH):
Al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib rose up against Yazid ibn Muawiyah (d. 64 AH), denouncing the oppression he showed. He was killed at Karbala. His story is well known. Umar ibn Saad killed him, while Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad (d. 67 AH) had ordered the fight against him. The head of al Husayn was taken to Yazid ibn Muawiyah. When placed before him, he struck his blessed teeth with a stick, those very teeth that the Prophet ﷺ would kiss. The sons and daughters of al Husayn, and the rest of his women, were taken on bare saddles. Yazid considered killing the male children, but he exposed their private parts to see if they had grown hair, and when he saw they had not, he spared them.
Along with al Husayn were killed from the family of the Prophet ﷺ: his son Ali al Akbar, from the children of his brother al Hasan: Abd Allah ibn al Hasan, al Qasim ibn al Hasan, and Abu Bakr ibn al Hasan.
From his own brothers: al Abbas ibn Ali, Abd Allah ibn Ali, Jaʿfar ibn Ali, Uthman ibn Ali, Abu Bakr ibn Ali, and Muhammad ibn Ali known as Muhammad al Asghar. From the children of Jaʿfar ibn Abi Talib: Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Jaʿfar and Awn ibn Abd Allah. From the children of Aqil: Abd Allah ibn Aqil, Muslim ibn Aqil who was killed in Kufa, Abd al Rahman ibn Aqil, Jaʿfar ibn Aqil, and Abd Allah ibn Muslim ibn Aqil.
Maqalat Al Islamiyeen By Abu Hasan Al Ashari Pages 68-77
Al Samani (d. 562 AH) said: Al Zaydi, with the zay pronounced open, the ya with two dots below it pronounced still, and at the end a dal without dots, this is the attribution to Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them all.
The group of the Zaydiyyah are those who trace themselves back to him either by lineage or by madhhab.
The Rafidah were named with this title in his time, because he held the imamate to be valid for Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both. When the extremists of the Shia heard this from him they rejected his saying, meaning they abandoned him, so they were called Rafidah.
The Zaydiyyah and the Imamiyyah are opposites. The Zaydiyyah are better than them, for they permit the imamate of the less virtuous even if there is one more virtuous, and they affirm the imamate of Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, while holding that Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was more virtuous than them.
The Imamiyyah say that the imamate was only for Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and they do not permit the less virtuous in it, nor do they affirm the imamate of the two Shaykhs, may Allah be pleased with them both. The Imamiyyah all agreed on declaring the Companions misguided, since they gave the imamate to other than Ali. The ummah agreed on declaring the Imamiyyah kafir, because they believe the Companions were misguided, they deny their consensus, and they attribute to them what is not befitting of them. Most of the ulama held that the Zaydiyyah are people of innovation.
Among those well known with this attribution: Abu Abd Allah al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Umar ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Alawi, the Husayni, Zaydi in madhhab. Also Abu al Fadl Sulayman ibn al Fadl al Zaydi, who narrated from Ibn al Mubarak (d. 181 AH).
And Abu Saʿid Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rumiḥ ibn Wakiʿ, the hafiz, Zaydi in madhhab, from whom al Hakim Abu Abd Allah al Hafiz (d. 405 AH) narrated and praised. And Abd al Aziz ibn Ishaq ibn Jaʿfar ibn Ruzbahan al Zaydi Abu al Qasim, a compiler upon the madhhab of the Zaydiyyah, about whom Ibn Abi al Fuwaris (d. 412 AH) said, “He was not strong in narration.”
Among the later ones was our shaykh Abu al Barakat Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Hamzah ibn Yahya ibn al Husayn ibn Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Husayni, the Zaydi by lineage and madhhab, from Kufa. He was Zaydi in lineage and madhhab, a man of much virtue and sound mind. He lived long until fathers and sons both wrote from him.
My father, may Allah have mercy on him, heard from him, and I too heard much from him. In Kufa he heard from Abu al Faraj Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Allan al Khazin and Muhammad ibn al Hasan ibn Dawud al Khuzai. In Baghdad he heard from Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Thabit al Khatib (d. 463 AH) and Abu al Husayn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al Nufur al Bazzaz, and others. He narrated much hadith, and he was a great scholar in grammar and language.
I heard much from him in the masjid of Abu Ishaq al Sabiʿi in Kufa. He used to say, “I am Zaydi in lineage and Zaydi in madhhab, but I give fatwa according to the madhhab of the sultan,” meaning Abu Hanifah (d. 150 AH), may Allah have mercy on him.
His sons Abu al Hasan Ali and Abu al Manaqib Haydara were also Zaydis. I heard from them from Turad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al Zaynabi and from Abu al Baqa al Muammar ibn Muhammad al Habbal.
And his nephew Abu al Ghunaim Muhadhdhab ibn Maʿd ibn Ibrahim al Zaydi, I heard from him ahadith from Abu al Baqa ibn al Habbal. The birth of al Sayyid Abu al Barakat Umar ibn Ibrahim al Zaydi was in the year 442 AH in Kufa, and his death was in the year 539 AH.
As for Zayd ibn Abd Allah al Zaydi al Madini, from the descendants of Zayd ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, he narrated from Ishaq ibn Abd Allah ibn Kharijah, and Abd al Aziz ibn Abd Allah al Uwaysi narrated from him. And Sulayman ibn al Fadl al Zaydi Abu al Fadl narrated from Abd Allah ibn al Mubarak (d. 181 AH).
And Abu Ahmad Hamid ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al Zaydi al Marwazi, the hafiz, was only called al Zaydi because he was concerned with gathering the hadith of Zayd ibn Abi Unaysah (d. 136 AH) and seeking it, so he was attributed to him.
He was a faqih and a hafiz. He heard from Abu Raja Muhammad ibn Hamduyah al Sanji. He was narrated from by Muhammad ibn Ismail al Waraq and Abu al Hasan al Daraqutni (d. 385 AH) and others. He died in Baghdad in Ramadan in the year 329 AH, and he was born in 282 AH.
And there are others attributed to Zayd Allah ibn Madhhij. Among them Ammar ibn Imran al Zaydi, who narrated from Saʿid ibn Jubayr (d. 95 AH). He was narrated from by al Ala ibn Abd al Karim.
And Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Muhammad al Shawki al Zaydi, from a village known as al Zaydiyyah in the district of Baduwaya. This is how Abu Bakr al Khatib (d. 463 AH) mentioned him in his Tarikh. I said, I think I passed by this village, which is from Nahr al Malik, and Allah knows best.
Abu Bakr al Zaydi was among the people of Quran and knowledge, skilled in faraid and inheritance distribution. He heard from Muhammad ibn Ismail al Waraq and Abu Hafs Umar ibn Ahmad ibn Shahin (d. 385 AH). Abu Bakr al Khatib said, “I wrote from him. His residence was in a village known as al Zaydiyyah in the district of Baduwaya. There I heard from him. He died in Ramadan in the year 438 AH.”
And al Sayyid Abu Yaʿla Hamzah ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Alawi, the Husayni, the Zaydi, from Qazwin, in shaa Allah. Al Hakim Abu Abd Allah al Hafiz (d. 405 AH) mentioned him in his Tarikh and said: “Abu Yaʿla al Zaydi was the star of the Ahl al Bayt in his time, noble in lineage, lofty in ambition, in word and deed, in predecessors and successors.
I do not know that I ever saw among the Alawiyyah or others from the mashayikh of Islam anyone like him, equal to him, or resembling him in greatness, appearance, intellect, completeness, firmness, eloquence, inclination to hadith and its people, spreading the virtues of the caliphs, the Muhajirun and the Ansar, defending them and rejecting criticism against them.”
Al Hakim said, “I heard him, and in his presence the mention of Yazid ibn Muawiyah (d. 64 AH) came up. He said: I do not declare Yazid a kafir. We say the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘I asked Allah not to place authority over my ummah in the hands of others, and He granted me that.’” Then al Hakim said: Abu Yaʿla came to Naysabur in the year 337 AH. He would ride at night to the mashayikh to hear hadith.
He stayed in Naysabur until the year 337 AH, then he went to al Rayy. People gathered wanting him to take bayah, but he refused. This was when Abu Ali ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abi al Muzhaffar Abu al Jaysh was heading to al Rayy. He arrested him and sent him to Bukhara, saying, “This noble man should be kept at that court, for he is a door to fitnah.”
His appearance was disfigured, and he was handed over to a harsh Turk who took him to Shapur without anyone knowing. Abu Yaʿla wrote to Abu Bakr ibn Ishaq, saying: “My condition with this Turk has reached the point that he does not let me purify myself for prayer times.” So the shaykh himself rode to that Turk, admonished him, and he repented to Allah and promised not to repeat. The shaykh visited him, then he was taken to Bukhara in the year 339 AH.
He remained there for a time, then he sought permission to return to his homeland in Naysabur. Permission was granted, and he returned there in the year 340 AH. From that time we kept attending his gatherings until his death in Naysabur. He died in mid Rajab of the year 346 AH. His coffin was carried on mules to Qazwin, and I witnessed his funeral. He had suffered a stroke for four days, and then died from it.
Kitab ul Ansab by Al Samani (3/188-190)
After the martyrdom of al Husayn ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, partisanship began to rise in extremism.
The sect of the Kaysaniyyah and the Mukhtariyyah appeared, and many of the extremist Shiites appeared. Some of them sought to win over Ali ibn al Husayn, Zayn al Abidin, d. 94 AH, to their side, but he kept away from tribulations. He did not seek to contest the Umayyads for rule, and he did not support everyone who rose against them in Madinah or in Makkah or in Iraq. (See Siyar Aʿlam al Nubala by al Dhahabi 4, 389, 391, 395 to 397, al Shiah wa al Tashayyuʿ by Ihsan Zahir p. 204, al Imam Zayd by Abu Zahrah p. 23.)
Page 391
Al-Mukhtar sent one hundred thousand (dirhams) to ʿAli ibn al-Ḥusayn. He disliked accepting it but also feared to reject it, so he held it until al-Mukhtar was killed. Then he sent word to ʿAbd al-Malik about it and said, “Send someone to collect it.” ʿAbd al-Malik replied, “O cousin, take it, I have made it lawful for you.” So he accepted it.
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Abu Nuʿaym said: ʿIsa ibn Dinar, reliable, reported: I asked Abu Jaʿfar about al-Mukhtar. He said: My father stood at the door of the Kaʿbah and cursed al-Mukhtar. It was said to him, “You curse him when he killed (the enemies) for your sake?” He said: “He used to lie against Allah and His Messenger.”
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Al-Ḥakam narrated from Abu Jaʿfar, who said: We used to pray behind them, meaning the Umayyads, without taqiyyah. And I testify that my father used to pray behind them without taqiyyah.
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ʿUmar ibn Ḥabīb narrated from Yaḥya ibn Saʿīd that ʿAli ibn al-Ḥusayn said: By Allah, ʿUthmān, may Allah have mercy on him, was not killed upon the truth.
Page 398
He had an extraordinary dignity, and by Allah he deserved it. For he was worthy of the supreme imamate due to his nobility, leadership, knowledge, devotion, and perfection of intellect.
Siyar A’lam Nubala By Ad Dhahabi (4/391-398)
Ali ibn al Husayn had many sons, the most famous of them were two.
- Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al Husayn, al Baqir, d. 114 AH, the father of Jafar al Sadiq, d. 148 AH.
- Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn, d. 122 AH. (See Ansab al Ashraf by al Baladhuri 3, 147.)
Muhammad was older than Zayd and more learned, and both of them had virtue and knowledge. The Shiites differed over which of them was more entitled to the imamate after their father.
- The Rafidi Imamiyyah held that the imamate after Ali ibn al Husayn moved to his son Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al Husayn, al Baqir.
- The Zaydiyyah held that the one more entitled to the imamate is Zayd ibn Ali, so they were called Zaydiyyah. They arrange the imams beginning with Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, then his son al Hasan, then al Husayn, then after that it is shura among their children as the Jarudiyyah among them hold, then his son Ali ibn al Husayn Zayn al Abidin, then his son Zayd, then his son Yahya ibn Zayd, d. 125 AH, then his son Isa ibn Zayd, as the Husniyyah among them hold. They require in the imam that he go forth with his sword, whether he is from the descendants of al Hasan or from the descendants of al Husayn. (See al Maqalat wa al Firaq by al Qummi p. 18 and 74, al Shiah wa al Tashayyuʿ by Ihsan Zahir p. 204.)
Saʿd ibn ʿAbdullah al-Ashʿarī al-Qummī (d. 299 AH) was one of the major early scholars of the Imamiyyah (Twelver Shiʿah) and he said: A group of them are called the Jarudiyyah, the followers of al Jarud, Ziyad ibn al Mundhir ibn Ziyad al Aʿjami. They said that Ali is to be preferred, and they did not see anyone equal to him in position. They claimed that whoever raises anyone above Ali in this position is a kafir, and that the ummah became disbelievers and misguided when they abandoned giving him bayah.
Then they made the imamate after him in al Hasan ibn Ali, then in al Husayn ibn Ali. After that, it is shura among their children. Whoever from among them rises, unsheathes his sword, and calls to himself, then he is deserving of the imamate. These two groups are the ones who ascribe themselves to the affair of Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn and to the affair of Zayd ibn al Hasan ibn al Hasan ibn Ali. From them branched the sects of the Zaydiyyah.
As for the Zaydiyyah who are called the Husayniyyah, they say that whoever from the family of Muhammad calls to the obedience of Allah, he is an imam whose obedience is obligatory. Ali ibn Abi Talib was an imam when he called the people and made his affair public. After him, al Husayn was the imam at the time of his rising and even before that, for he opposed Muawiyah and Yazid ibn Muawiyah until he was killed.
Then Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn, who was killed in Kufa, and his mother was an umm walad. Then Yahya ibn Zayd ibn Ali, who was killed in Khurasan, and his mother was Raytah bint Abi Hashim Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn al Hanafiyyah. Then his other son Isa ibn Zayd, whose mother was an umm walad.
Then Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn al Hasan, whose mother was Hind bint Abi Ubaydah ibn Abd Allah ibn Zumʿah ibn al Aswad ibn al Muttalib ibn Asad ibn Abd al Uzza ibn Qusayy. After him, whoever from the family of Muhammad calls to the obedience of Allah is an imam.
al Maqalat wa al Firaq by al Qummi Pages 18 and 74
The Zaydiyyah generally are the closest of the Shiite sects to Ahl al Sunnah. Not all of the Zaydiyyah are moderate in tashayyuʿ.
Among them are extremists who attack Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them, and they are the Jarudiyyah, for they are in reality Rawafid, as will be mentioned. The Zaydiyyah in creed are two categories.
- A moderate category who acknowledge the imamate of the two Shaykhs Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, and they do not attack the Companions, even if they hold that Ali is the best of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with all of them.
- A Rafidi category who reject the imamate of the two Shaykhs and revile them and attack the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. (See Tarikh al Madhahib al Islamiyyah by Abu Zahrah 1, 52.)
After the killing of Zayd, his son Yahya rose, but he was killed at the end of the Umayyad rule.
Then after him rose Muhammad al Imam and his brother Ibrahim, the two sons of Abd Allah ibn al Hasan, who had been a teacher of Abu Hanifah, may Allah be pleased with him. Ibrahim rose in Iraq, and Muhammad rose in Madinah. Because of their uprisings two great imams were harmed, Abu Hanifah in Iraq and Malik in Madinah.
As for Abu Hanifah, he did not forbid rising in support of Ibrahim al Imam in Iraq. Rather, he encouraged it, gave approval for it, or pointed towards it.
The eyes of Abu Jaʿfar al Mansur were watching him, so when the movement ended and matters returned as they were, he recorded everything against him until he found an opportunity to punish him. This came through the issue of the judiciary. When Abu Hanifah refused, al Mansur inflicted upon him what he wished. What happened will be explained in the section on the fiqh madhhabs.
As for Malik, he had given a fatwa that an oath taken under compulsion is not binding. Many of those who rose with Muhammad al Nafs al Zakiyyah claimed that the bayah to al Mansur was taken by coercion. They used that fatwa, which is based on the text of hadith, as a justification to break allegiance. It is narrated that Imam Malik was asked about this rising. He said, “If it is for someone like Umar ibn Abd al Aziz, then it is not permissible. If it is not for someone like him, then leave them. Allah will take vengeance upon a wrongdoer by another wrongdoer, and then Allah will take vengeance upon both.”
The eyes of Abu Jaʿfar, ever watchful, did not neglect him either. He inflicted severe harm on him in Madinah, then later claimed that he had not ordered it. This will be referred to more clearly when discussing the life of Imam Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, in the context of the fiqh madhhabs.
After that, the Zaydi madhhab weakened, and the other Shia madhhabs overcame it, absorbed it, or mixed into it some of their principles. Those who carried the name of this madhhab afterwards no longer affirmed the imamate of the less virtuous, but rather they rejected the imamate of the two Shaykhs Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both. Thus they came to be counted among the Rafidah, those who reject the imamate of the two Shaykhs.
Therefore, we say the Zaydiyyah are of two kinds. The early ones, who are not counted among the Rafidah and who affirmed the imamate of Abu Bakr and Umar. And the later ones, who rejected their imamate and came to be counted among the Rafidah.
The Zaydi madhhab now exists in Yemen, and it is closer to the Zaydi madhhab of the early ones.
Tarikh al Madhahib al Islamiyyah by Abu Zahrah (1/50-52)
From the madhhab of the Zaydiyyah in imamate is that they restrict the right of the caliphate to the children of Ali ibn Abi Talib from Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, only, whether they are from the descendants of al Hasan or from the descendants of al Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them, and they stipulate conditions for the obligation to obey him. (See al Milal wa al Nihal by al Shahristani 1, 154, and see Firaq al Shiah by al Nawbakhti p. 43.)
al Milal wa al Nihal by al Shahristani (1/154-155)
The biography of Zayd ibn Ali. He is Zayd ibn Ali ibn al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib. He was born around the year 80 AH. His mother was a bondwoman named Jayda. It is said that al Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd gifted her to his father Ali Zayn al Abidin, and she bore him Zayd. (See Ansab al Ashraf by al Baladhuri 3, 147, Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir 19, 457 and 477 and 479, Tarikh al Islam by al Dhahabi 3, 416, al Imam Zayd by Abu Zahrah p. 22.)
Zayd was a man of knowledge and fiqh and Quran and piety and virtue. His father Ali ibn al Husayn died when Zayd was fourteen years old. He narrated some knowledge from him, and he took much knowledge from his elder brother Muhammad al Baqir. He narrated from Urwah ibn al Zubayr ibn al Awwam, d. 94 AH, and Aban ibn Uthman ibn Affan, d. 105 AH, and Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Rafiʿ. (See Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir 19, 450 and 451, Siyar Aʿlam al Nubala by al Dhahabi 5, 389.)
It is said that Zayd ibn Ali connected with Wasil ibn Ataʿ, d. 131 AH, the head of the Muʿtazilah, and he took from him some of the madhhab of iʿtizal. Allah knows best about the soundness of that. (See Tabaqat al Muʿtazilah by al Murtada 1, 17 and 33. Al Murtada the Zaydi transmitted from Ibn Yazdad who said, Zayd ibn Ali did not disagree with the Muʿtazilah except in the issue of the station between two stations. Tabaqat al Muʿtazilah 1, 34. Ibn Asakir narrated from Matlab ibn Ziyad who said, A man came to Zayd and said, O Zayd, are you the one who claims that Allah intended to be disobeyed. Zayd said to him, Was He disobeyed by compulsion. Tarikh Dimashq 19, 460. This report shows that Zayd ibn Ali disagreed with the Muʿtazilah in their saying that the acts of the servants are created by them and are not by the will of Allah, Exalted.)
It is also said that he met Abu Hanifah, d. 150 AH. The Zaydiyyah after Imam Zayd became Muʿtazili in creed and Hanafi in rulings. (See the introduction of Saud al Khalaf to al Intisar fi al Radd ʿala al Muʿtazilah al Qadariyyah al Ashrar by al ʿUmrani 1, 72 to 74. For further reading see al Silah bayna al Zaydiyyah wa al Muʿtazilah by Ahmad Abd Allah Arif.)
Zayd ibn Ali rose against Hisham ibn Abd al Malik the Umayyad, denouncing injustice and tyranny. It is said that he did not intend to rise against Hisham ibn Abd al Malik, and he did not seek the caliphate, but there occurred from Hisham and his officials humiliation and harm to Zayd which he could not bear while living at peace with Hisham ibn Abd al Malik.
Then the governor of Iraq, Yusuf ibn Umar al Thaqafi, killed him in the year 122 AH. (See Muruj al Dhahab by al Masʿudi 3, 217 to 220, Maqatil al Talibiyyin by al Asfahani p. 86 to 102, Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir 19, 467, al Kamil by Ibn al Athir 5, 229 to 235 and 242 to 247, al Bidayah wa al Nihayah by Ibn Kathir 9, 329 to 330.)
Al Dhahabi, d. 748 AH, said, Zayd ibn Ali was one of the righteous scholars. Abu al Yaqzan narrated from Juwayriyyah ibn Asmaʿ and others that Zayd ibn Ali came from Madinah as a delegate to Yusuf ibn Umar al Thaqafi, the governor of the two Iraqs and al Hirah. He treated him well with a gift. Then he returned to Madinah.
Some people from Kufah came to him and said, Return, for Yusuf is nothing. We will secure Kufah for you. He returned and many people pledged to him, and they went out with him. He encamped. The Iraqi army met him. Zayd was killed in the battle. Then he was crucified and remained hanging for four years. Then he was brought down and burned. We belong to Allah and to Him we return. (Tarikh al Islam 3, 415 to 416, with slight adaptation.)
Many reports are narrated from Zayd ibn Ali that show his veneration of Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them, and his innocence from the Rawafid who attack the Companions. Among them are the following.
- From Hashim ibn al Barid from Zayd ibn Ali who said, Abu Bakr al Siddiq is the imam of the thankful. (Narrated by Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq 19, 460.)
- From Adam ibn Abd Allah al Khathʿami, who was from the companions of Zayd ibn Ali, he said, I asked Zayd ibn Ali about the saying of Allah, the Most Mighty and Majestic, And the foremost, the foremost, they are the ones brought near. Who are these. He said, Abu Bakr and Umar. Then he said, May Allah not grant me the intercession of my grandfather if I do not have loyalty to them. (Narrated by Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq 19/461.)
- From Kathir al Nawaʾ, he said, I asked Zayd ibn Ali about Abu Bakr and Umar. He said, Have loyalty to them. I said, What do you say about one who disavows them. He said, I disavow him until he dies. (Narrated by Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq 19/461.)
- From Hashim ibn al Barid from Zayd ibn Ali that he said, Disavowing Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman is disavowing Ali, and disavowing Ali is disavowing Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman. (Narrated by Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq 19/462. Al Baladhuri narrated it in Ansab al Ashraf 10, 301 through the route of Hashim ibn al Barid from Zayd ibn Ali that he said, Disavowal from Abu Bakr and Umar is only like disavowal from Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them all.)
- From al Suddi, he said, Zayd ibn Ali said, The Rawafid are my enemy and the enemy of my father in this world and the Hereafter. The Rawafid rebelled against us as the Khawarij rebelled against Ali, peace be upon him. (Narrated by Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq 19, 463 to 464.)
- From Ahmad ibn Dawud al Huddani, he said, I heard Isa ibn Yunus, and he was asked about the Rawafid and the Zaydiyyah. He said, As for the Rawafid, the first time they became Rafidi, they came to Zayd ibn Ali when he rose and said, Disavow Abu Bakr and Umar so that we will be with you. He said, Rather I have loyalty to them and I disavow whoever disavows them. They said, Then we will reject you. So they were named Rafidah. He said, As for the Zaydiyyah, they said, We have loyalty to them and we disavow whoever disavows them. They went out with Zayd, so they were named Zaydiyyah. (Narrated by Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq 19, 464.)
Another report is transmitted from Zayd ibn Ali that is fabricated about him. Al Jaʿabi, d. 355 AH, said, Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al Muʾammil narrated to me, he said, Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Khalaf narrated to us, he said, Muhammad ibn Kathir narrated to us, he said, I heard Hashim ibn al Barid say, I heard Zayd ibn Ali say, The infallible among us are five, the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, Ali, Fatimah, al Hasan, al Husayn. Ibn Asakir narrated it in Tarikh Dimashq 19, 464 through the route of Muhammad ibn Umar al Jaʿabi. He is a Shiite hadith transmitter with wide narration and memory, but he was a sinner of weak religion, and he has many odd and denounced reports. (See Lisan al Mizan by Ibn Hajar 7, 409 to 411.)
Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Khalaf al ʿAttar al Kufi is a Shiite Rafidi. Ibn ʿAdi accused him and said he has astonishing things. (See Mizan al Iʿtidal by al Dhahabi 3/651, al Nukat al Jiyad by al Sabihi 1/555.) Muhammad ibn Kathir al Kufi is a Shiite very weak.
Al Bukhari said, his hadith is denounced. Ibn al Madini said, we wrote from him astonishing things. (See Lisan al Mizan by Ibn Hajar 7/459.)
So this report has a chain that is very weak. Most likely it is from the lies of the Shiites about Zayd. It is not allowed to rely on it. Far be it from Zayd to say that.
Among the Zaydiyyah there is a book they call, The Collected Epistles of Imam Zayd ibn Ali. It contains several epistles which they claim are from the speech of Zayd. Some of them are transmitted with chains that include lying Shiites, like Ibrahim ibn al Hakam ibn Zahir al Kufi and his father, and Abu Khalid al Wasiti, and Abu al Jarud al Kufi.
Some of them have unknown men. Some of them are transmitted without a chain. Whoever looks into this book with knowledge and fairness will be certain that most of what is in it cannot be correctly attributed to Zayd. Far be it from Zayd to say that. In those epistles there is what shows excessive tashayyuʿ and exaggeration about Ali ibn Abi Talib and his household, like the claim of the infallibility of Ali.
