Al-Mutawakkil Muhammad (died 11 December 1849) was an Imam of Yemen who reigned in 1845-1849. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.
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Muhammad bin Yahya was a grandson of Imam al-Mansur Ali I. In 1845 he claimed the imamate from the weak incumbent al-Mansur Ali II. In this he was supported by Sharif Husayn of Abu Arish, who acted as autonomous lord in the Yemeni lowlands (Tihamah) under formal Ottoman suzerainty. With a strong force he appeared outside the capital San'a. The inhabitants endorsed his claim, opened the gates of the city and deposed al-Mansur Ali II. The usurper took the name al-Mutawakkil Muhammad.[1] The friendship between the new imam and Sharif Husayn was short-lived. Al-Mutawakkil Muhammad was probably enjoined by the Sharif of Mecca, Muhammad bin Awn, to attack Abu Arish. The imam, on the other side, aimed to win back Zaidi power in the Yemeni lowland. In 1847-1848, the imam's forces defeated Sharif Husayn and took him prisoner. Important cities like Zabid, Bayt al-Faqih and Mocha were captured by al-Mutawakkil Muhammad's forces. Sharif Husayn was kept in the mountain fort al-Qutay. However, the valuable prisoner was liberated through a coup, and took up arms against the imam again. Yam tribesmen from Najran and Haraz chose to support Sharif Husayn and defeated the Zaidi forces. Mocha was recaptured by the Sharif through treachery of the garrison. Al-Mutawakkil Muhammad's position was now precarious, but he resumed the offensive in late 1848 and early 1849, capturing Ta'izz and Yarim.[2]
By now, however, the Ottoman government resolved to settle the unruly conditions of Yemen by imposing direct control. In April 1849 the Turkish commander Tevfik Pasha arrived with a strong detachment to Hudaydah at the coast and forced Sharif Husayn to surrender. The Sharif later died on his way to Constantinople where he would plead his cause (1851). As for al-Mutawakkil Muhammad, he was summoned to appear in Hudaydah and hesitantly came to meet the pasha. A convention was signed, to the effect that the imam would continue to govern the country under his sway, but only as a vassal of the Porte. Parts of the revenues were to go to the Ottoman treasury, and a garrison was to be placed in San'a.[3] Al-Mutawakkil Muhammad arrived to San'a with Tevfik Pasha and the Turkish troops on 15 July 1849. On the next day, however, a general rising in the city broke out and a hundred Turks were killed. Tevfik Pasha, who had been critically wounded, immediately deposed al-Mutawakkil Muhammad and raised his kinsman and predecessor al-Mansur Ali II to the imamate again. After 25 days the Turkish troops found it best to retreat to Hudaydah, leaving the Zaidi state to its own devices for the next 23 years. Al-Mansur Ali imprisoned the deposed imam on grounds of treachery, and beheaded him on 11 December 1849. According to one writer, "he was one of the most accomplished of men, but fate was not on his side".[4]
| Preceded by al-Mansur Ali II |
Imam of Yemen 1845–1849 |
Succeeded by al-Mansur Ali II |