Al-Mahdi Ahmad (1633 - July 10, 1681) was an Imam of Yemen, who ruled in 1676-1681. He belonged to the Qasimid family that was descended from the Prophet Muhammad.
Contents |
Ahmad was a son of al-Hasan bin al-Qasim (d. 1639), a brother of the former imam al-Mutawakkil Isma'il. In the reign of his uncle, in 1658, he led forces that loosely incorporated Hadramaut in the Yemeni kingdom. When al-Mutawakkil Isma'il died, the imamate was claimed by Ahmad. He had, however, to fight his cousin and rival al-Qasim who controlled Shaharah, an almost impregnable fortress north of San'a. Ahmad collected forces which besieged Shaharah and forced al-Qasim to accept his claim.[1]
At his accession, the imam was already a mature man in his upper forties. He upheld the Yemeni suzerainty in Hadramaut, and was reported to be a pious figure. His residence was al-Ghiras north-east of San'a. In 1679 the imam expelled the Jewish population from San'a. Instead, they temporarily settled in Mawza close to Mocha. The Jews were later allowed to move to Qa'at al-Yahud, a suburb situated two kilometers from San'a.[2] At the death of the imam in 1681, his son Muhammad was prevented to take the imamate due to counter-claims by relatives in Rada, Shaharah, Sa'dah and Mansura. Through mediation of the ulema, one of these, al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad II, took power.
| Preceded by al-Mutawakkil Isma'il |
Imam of Yemen 1676–1681 |
Succeeded by al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad II |