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Excerpts from Abrahamov’s article about

Imam Rassi’s” Theory of the Imamate”

Al-Ḳāsim Ibn Ibrāhīm’s Theory of the ImamateAuthor(s):

Binyamin AbrahamovSource: Arabica, T. 34, Fasc. 1 (Mar., 1987),
pp. 80-105Published by: BRILLStable URL:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4056845Accessed: 30/10/2010
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Arabica.http://www.jstor.orgAL-KASIM IBN IBRAHIM’S THEORY
OF THE IMAMATE*BYBINYAMIN ABRAHAMOVAL-KASIM ibn
Ibr&him ibn Isma’il ibn IbrThim ibn al-Hasan ibntX al-Hasan ibn
‘All was born in 169/785. The biographical sourcesprovide no
information about his youth, but he probably grew up in al-
Madina. Al-Kasim came to Egypt before 199/815 and stayed
there till211/826. The reason for his coming to Egypt is
uncertain. One sourceindicates that he was sent to Egypt by his
brother Muhammad to gainrecruitsw ho would sweara llegiancet
o the latter,b ut others ourcesm akeno mentiono f any such
recruitingm issioni n Egypt.A lso, al-Kasimw asnot likely to have
prepared a rebellion in Egypt, as is related by laterZaydite
sources, in addition to his religious activity (see below).
Afterleaving Egypt al-Kasim settled in al-Rass near al-Madina
where he diedin 246/860.A l-Kasima ppearsi n his writingsa s a
teachera nd preachero fthe true religion, and its defender against
internal enemies (oppressors,sinners,a nthropomorphistsa)n d
externale nemiesa s well (philosophers,ChristiansM,
anicheans)H. e was influencedt o a largee xtentb y
Mu’tazilismand his writings paved the way for the acceptance of
Mu’tazilitedoctrines by the later Zaydites of Yemen. Al-Kasim’s
main theologicalsubjects are as follows: the arguments for the
existence of God and thecreation of the world, God’s unity and
qualities, theodicy, belief andunbelief, the imamate1.IThe aim of
this article is to examine al-Kasim’s theory of the
imamate,comprising three main themes: a. The obligation to
appoint an imam b.* The present article is a revised version of a
chapter of my Ph.D. thesis, originallywritten in Hebrew, on the
theological epistles of al-Kasim ibn Ibrahim. The work
wascarried out under the supervision of Prof. M. Schwarz.1 See
W. Madelung, Der Imam al-Qasim ibn Ibrdhim und die
Glaubenslehre der Zaiditen,Berlin 1965, pp. 86-96. B.
Abrahamov, The Theological Epistles of al-Kdsim Ibn
Ibrdhim,unpublished Ph. D. thesis, Tel Aviv University, 1981, vol.
1.Arabica, tome xxxiv, 1987.[2] AL-KASIM IBN IBRAHIM 81The
signs attesting to the legitimate imam and c. A refutation of
theRafidite doctrines concerning the imamate.At the beginning
of his discussion of the imamate question in al-KasimMadelunga
sserts:< <Al-Kasimdo es not mentiont he imamateq uestioni nhis
five principles2. It is indirectlyi nterwoveni n the fifthp rinciple,a
nd inmost of the rest of his works he does not deal with it at all.
Evidently itwas not his special concern. Certainly he was a
Zaidite to such an extentthat he considered the wrong decision
concerning the succession to theProphett he sourceo f all evils
in Islam.Y et the consequenceso f this faultseemed to him much
graver than the fault itself. Al-Kasim’s adherentswere clearly
much more interested in the imamate question than al-Kasim
himself. Quite a few questions that were directed to him dealt
withthe imamate. In response to a question about the necessity
of theimamatea nd the sign indicatingt he legitimatei mama l-
Kasimc omposedhis Kitab tathbit al-imdma (see
below)3>>.However, the fact that al-Kasim does not mention the
imamatequestioni n his five principleso f Islamd oes not provet
hat <<iwt as not hisspecial concern>>F. urthermore,t he question
of emigrationf rom theabode of unjust people does not figure as
a principle, although al-Kasimdeems it very important and
devotes a long epistly entitled Kitdb al-hidjrato it. In
contradistinctionto this, the thirdp rinciple,t he promisea nd
thethreat, occupies little space in his writings. As a rule, the
relativeimportanceo f al-Kasim’sn otions need not be evaluateda
ccordingt o thecriteriono f his five principless, incet he latterd o
not sum up all his views,but, as Madelung notes, do contain a
summary of most of his arguments4.Most of al-Kasim’s
theological epistles deal with the first twoprinciples, God’s unity
and God’s justice.The imamate question, not in its political
aspect 5, occupies animportant position in al-Kasim, and he
devoted several works to it:2 The five principles of Islam
according to al-Kasim are as follows: a. God is one b.God is just
c. God both promises and threatens d. The Kur’an is a
homogeneous bookwithout contradictions, and the Sunna is
what is mentioned in the Kur’an and what theKur’an intends e. It
is forbidden, where oppressors rule, to use property and to
engage incommerce and profits making. See al-Kasim, Min
kaidmihi, MS. Berlin (W. Ahlwardt,Verzeichnis der arabischen
Handschriften der Koninglichen Bibliothek zu Berlin, Berlin 1887-
1899, BD 4, S. 290, nu. 4876, Glaser 101), fol. 132a-132b. The
text of the five principles wasedited by E. Griffini in RSO 7
(1917), pp. 605 f, and also by M. ‘Imara in Rasd’il al-‘adlwa’l-
tawhid, Cairo 1971, vol. I, p. 142. (Cf. Madelung, Der Imam, pp.
104-105).3 See Madelung, Der Imam, p. 141.4 See ibid., p.
104.Cf. ibid., p. 150.82 B. ABRAHAMOV [3]Kitdb tathbit al-
imdma and Kitdb al-imama6, which deal with thenecessityo f an
imama nd his signs, Kitdba l-radd’ alda l-rdfldaa nd Kitdb6 In
MS. AmbrosianaC 186 (see E. Griffini,R SO 8 (1919-1920)p, p.2
93-297,n o. 442(C1 86) the epistle is entitled al-‘ihtidjddfji ‘l-
imdma.P arts of it were publishedi n R.Strothmann’s Das
Staatsrecht der Zaiditen, Strassburg 1912, ch. 2. Madelung (Der
Imam,pp. 99-100)d oubtst he authenticityo f this work for some
reasons:a . The languageo f theepistlei s poor and sometimesi
ncorrectT. he differenceb etweeni t and the likelya uthenticKitdb
tathbita l-‘imdmab, oth of which treat the same subject,i s very
striking.b . TheZaydiyya’so pponents,a ccordingt o Kitdba l-
imdman, amelya l-Murdji’aa, l-Kadariyyat,h eenemieso f the
Prophet’sf amily,o r Ali’s enemies( al-Nawasib)a nd al-Khawaridaj
re notmentioned in al-Kasim’s other epistles. The adversaries he
always mentions are theHashwiyyaw, ho are missingh ere.Y et
this list of adversarieesx actlyf its the list of enemiesmentioneds
everalt imes in the juridicalw ork attributedt o Zayd ibn ‘All (See
Madelung,Der Imam, p. 55). Possibly the expression Kadariyya
still indicates the opponents ofpredestinationM. adelung,t hen,
concludest hat the authorw as certainlya Zayditeo f theold Kiific
school. But it is evident that already at an early stage the work
passed into al-Kasim’s collection of epistles, since Ibn Nadim
(Kitib al-f hrist, ed G. Flugel, Leipzig 1871,p. 193) and Abu Tilib
al-Natik (Kitdb al-ifdda ft ta’rikh al-a’imma al-sdda, MS.
Berlin,Glaser 37, fol. 25b) include it in al-Kasim’s
writings.Madelung’sc onclusiond oes not seems ufficientlyw ell-
foundedW. hilet he stylei s ratherinferior,a l-Kasim’ss tyle is not
homogeneouse, ven in epistlesM adelungc onsiderst o
begenuine. His style in Kitdb al-radd ‘ald al-zindik and Kitdb al-
radd ‘ala al-nasdrd – a forcedand crude rhymed prose (sadj) – is
different from the style in Kitdb al-dalil al-kabir, whichis also
written in rhymed prose, but is neither forced nor crude. And his
style in the latter isdifferent from that in Kitdb al-mustarshid (See
my The Theological Epistles, vol. II,pp. 108-142. MS. Berlin, fols.
71b-81a), in which, as in other works, he does not
writesometimesi n rhymedp rose. In his Kitdba l-masd’i(l MS.
Brit. Mu. Or. 3977)h e does notuse rhymedp rose at all. Al-
Kaisimse emst o have initiallyw ritteni n rhymedp rose,b ut inthe
course of time he gradually gave it up, so that his late epistles
(e.g. Kitib al-dalil alsaghir)eschew this style.Contraryt o
Nyberg’sd oubts as to the authenticityo f Kitdba l-radd’ alda l-
zindik( SeeOLZ, 32(1929),p p.432 ff), Bergstrassecro ncludest
hat both this work and Kitdba l-radd’alda l-nasdraw erew rittenb
y al-Kasim,b ut the latterw as writtens omewhatl atert han
theformer (See Islamica 4 (1929-31), pp.295 ff. Madelung, Der
Imam, p.90 f.) The style ofKitdb al-radd ‘ald al-nasdrd is
noticeably less crude than that of Kitdb al-radd ‘ald al-
zindik.Moreover,t he key wordm a’din( source,o ccurringin al-
Kasim’sK itdba l-masd’ilf,o l. 57b.Cf. MadelungD, er Imam,p .
143),w hichr eferst o the Prophet’sf amilya s a sourcei n whichthe
imamc an be found,a ppearss everalt imesi n the sames ensei n
Kitdba l-‘imdma(S eee .g.MS. Berlin, fol 57a, 1.1 6, 57b, 111. 2-
13).T here is a possibilityt hat one of al-Kasim’sdisciples wrote
what he had heard from his master, and this might explain the
mistakesoccurringf rom time to time in the text.The Murdji’aa re
mentionedi n al-Kasim’sw ritingsb oth by namea nd by theird
octrines(See Kitib al-masd’il, fol. 47b. Kitdb al-dalil al-kabir in my
The Theological Epistles vol; II,p. 41 (MS. Berlin, fol. 17a.) Kitdb
al-‘adl wa’l-tawhid, in Rasd’il al-‘adl wa’l-tawhid, ed. M.’Imara,C
airo 1971,p p. 121-122T. hel ast epistlei s consideredb y
Madelungt o be spurious).As to the Kadariyya, when in Kitdb
al-‘imdma the author includes them among hisadversariesh, e
meanst he proponentso f predestinationn, ot its opponents.T he
formera reexplicitlym entionedin al-Kasim.I n responset o a
questionp osedb y his son Muhammada sto what is meant by
the designation Kadariyya he says: <the Kadariyya are those
whouphold compulsion? (al-mudjbira. See Kitdb al-masd’il, fol.
47a). Also there is nothingsurprisingin includingt he enemieso f
the Prophet’sf amilya mongt he adversarieso f one[4] AL-KASIM
IBN IBRAHIM 83al-radd ‘ald al-rawafid min ashdb al-ghuluww7
which deal with therefutation of the Rafidite doctrines
concerning the imamate.who holds that an imam shouldb e of
this family.A s to the Khawaridjt,h ey were of theopinion that an
imam should be elected, (See El2, vol. IV, p. 1076), and this may
be thereason why al-Kasim, who opposes this view, counts them
as his adversaries.Madelung’sc onclusiont hat the authoro f
Kitdba l-‘imdmaw as a Zayditeo f the earlyKiific school is
untenable. The Batriyya, who formed the doctrines of the early
Zayditeschoolo f Kiufah, eldt hat an imams houldb e appointedb
y a councilo f electors( shurd)a, ndsome of them held that
accessiont o the imamatew as the privilegeo f everyd
escendanto fAli who took to the swordi n supporto f his claim(
See MadelungD, er Imam,p . 50). But al-Kasim,w ho, in my
opinion, is eithert he authoro f Kitdba l-‘imdmao r the author’sf
irstsource,d isagreest hat an imam shouldb e appointedb y a
council. In Kitdba l-‘imdmaa l-Kasim asks: <<HowG od’s
messengerm, ay God bless him and give him peace,
imposed(farada) the imama upon Abii Bakr, did he name him for
you (sammdhu lakum bi- smihi wa-‘aynihi), or indicate him by his
quality (dalia ‘alayhi bi-sifatihi), or leave it to a council(tarakahd
shzurd)o, r keep silent (sakata)?>>( See ibid. MS. Berlin, fol. 55a,
114. -6.)Al-Kasim rejects all these four ways of appointing an
imam by the usual Kalamdialecticaml ethodo f arguing( See
ibid.,f ol. 55a-57a).F inallyh e drawst he conclusiont
hatMuhammad named his successor according to a message
from God (Abu Bakr ismentionedb y name),b ut afterh imt he
legitimateim ams houldb e appointedo n the basiso fhis
relationship(k ardba)t o the Prophet,h is being the most
obedient,p ious and wisesto fpeople( See ibid., fol. 57a-fol.5 8).
The imamate,a ccordingt o al-Kasim,i s to be found in aknown
place (i.e. in a single specific person): ‘inna al-‘imdma ld takuinu
‘illdf imawdi’ ma’riif(See ibid.,f ol. 57a, 1.1 2).N owhered oes al-
Kasimi ndicater ebelliona s a sign characteristicof the imam.It
may be assumedt hat the authorw as a Djariidite.T he
Djaruiditedsi d not approveo fthe imamate of Abii Bakr, ‘Umar
and ‘Uthman, but declared that the Prophet hadappointed’Al-i
his legatee( wasi)- to be the legitimateim am.T heyr epresentedth
e viewthat the communityh ad made a mistakea nd
transgressedG od’s preceptsw hen it sworeallegiancet o the firstt
hreec aliphsa nd not to ‘All( See MadelungD, er Imam,p p. 44-
46,a l-Nashi’, Kitdb ‘uszul al-nihal, p.42, in J. van Ess, Fruhe
Mu’tazilistische Hdresiographie,Beirut1 971).( Aboutt he
authorshipo f Kitdb’ usula l-nihalw, hichi s attributedb y J. van
Essto al-Nashi’a l-Akbars, ee W. Madelung<, <Fruhme
u’tazilitischHe aresiographied:a s Kitabal-Usuidl es Ga’farb .
Harb?>D>e r Islam,5 7(1980),p art2 , pp.2 20-236).W hereasa
ccordingto kitdba l-imdmait is evidentt hat al-Kasima pprovedo f
the imamateo f AbuiB akr and’Umar, whom he mentions without
rejectingt hem. The Djaruiditesh eld that everydescendanto f al-
Hasana nd al-Husaync ould be an imamb y risingi n rebellion(
khurudj).See MadelungD, er Imam,p . 47. And as we haves een,a
l-Kasimw as not of the opiniont hatrisingi n rebellionw as a sign
characteristioc f the imam.W e shall see below that
notionsexpressed in Kitdb tathbit al-imama appear also in Kitab
al-imdma.7 Madelunga lso doubts the authenticityo f this epistle.
See Der Imam,p p. 98-99. Heargues that the names of al-Kasim
and four of his brothers appear in the epistle (See MS.Berlin,f ol.
147)a nd that its style is differentf rom that in Kitdba l-radd’ aida
l-rdfldaB. utfinally, since there is a connection between the two
epistles with regard to the contents,Madelung draws the
conclusion that Kitdb al-radd ‘ald al-rawdfid was composed
inaccordancew ith al-Kasim’sc onception,b y a disciple,p
robablyo ne of his sons, who allfigured in al-Kasim’s life time as
well versed in his writings.It is not clearw hy Madelungd rawsa
differentc onclusionc oncerningK itdba l-‘imdma,althoughh e has
the samed ata as in Kitdba l-radd’ alda l-rawdfidi,. e., the worksd
isplayadifferencein style, but a similarityin contents,a nd
biographeras nd bibliographerdso notdoubt the authenticityo f
either.84 B. ABRAHAMOV [5]IIMost of the sects in Islam held
that the obligation to appoint an imamwas absolute. Only the
Nadjdites, a sub-sect of the Kharidjites, AbiiBakr al-Asamm and
Hisham al-Fuwati, opposed this principle, maintainingthat if all
the people are righteous and just, all of them are equalto one
another, and there is therefore no reason to obey one of
them8.The controversy has been over the proof that the
appointment of animami s obligatory- whetheri t is based upon
reason( bi’l-‘ak[)o r upontradition (bi’l-sam’), i.e. the Kur’an and
the Sunna. The proof fromreason for the appointment of an
imam is expressed in the assertion thatif a society did not have
an imam, it would be destroyed, since everyperson would aspire
to attain his goals without taking into considerationothers’ needs
and feelings, and this would lead to robbery and killing9.Most of
the Mu’tazilites held that the appointment of an imam
wasincumbent upon the community first according to reason
and secondlyaccordingt o tradition,w hereast he ‘Asheariters
atedt raditioni n the firstplace and reason in the second 0. In this
matter the Twelver Shl’itesThe sole worko f those attributedto al-
Kasim,w hosea uthenticityca n be totallyd eniedi sKitdba l-
kdmial l-munira, refutationo f the KhawaridjT. heZ ayditei mamsd
o not mentionit, it does not occuri n the MSS. in whicha ll al-
Kasim’sw orksa re included,i ts style is verydifferentf rom al-
Kasim’s,a nd the answerst o the Khawaridsj uggestt hat the
authori s aShl’ite Imami. Cf. Madelung, Der Imam, pp. 102-103.8
See al-Shahrastani, Kitdb nihdyat al-akddmfi ‘ilm al-kaldm, ed.
A. Guillaume, Oxford1931, pp.481f . idem., Kitdba l-milalw a’l-
nihalr, ep. of W. Cureton’se d. (London 1846)Leipzig 1923, p.92.
Al-‘Ash’arl, Kitdb makalat al-isldmiyyin wa-‘ikhtildf al-musailin,
ed.H. Ritter,W iesbaden1 963,p .125,11.1 1-12,p .460,11.9-11.A
l-BaghdadiK, itdb’ usi7al l-din,Istanbul1 928,p p.271f .
Accordingt o the Mu’tazilitet heologiana l-Nashi'( See J. van
Ess,FruheM u’tazilitischep, p.49 f. arts. 82-83 of the Arabict ext)
the Mu’tazilaw ere dividedinto two groupsi n regardt o the
obligationt o appointa n imam.O ne maintainedth at
thisobligation was absolute, the other that the Muslims had the
right to appoint an imam ornot. Al-Asamm is not mentioned by
al-Nashi’ (See ibid) among those who denied theobligationt o
appointa n imam.A ccordingt o al-Nashi’h e assertst hat in
disorderlyt imes,when one imamc annotr ule,t herem ay in fact
be severali mams.T hus al-‘Ash’arl’sr eportabout al-Asamm
would seem to be based on an implication rather than on a
clearstatement. Cf. W. M. Watt, The Formative Period of Islamic
Thought, Edinburgh 1973,pp. 226-227.J . van Ess, ((Al-
Asamm)>E,l 2, Supplementp, p. 88-90.9 Cf. Ibn Khaldiin,M
ukaddimae, d. Biilak, pp.4 3-44, 187. trans. by F.
Rosenthal,London 1958, pp. 91-93, 380-381.10 See H. A. R.
Gibb, o(Al-MdwardiT’sh eoryo f the Khilafah>I>s,l amicC ulture2
(1937),p.25. Al-Baghdidi,o p. cit. But some Mu’tazilitesA, biu’ Ali
al-Djubba’iA, buiH ashima l-Djubba’ia nd’Abda l-Djabbarh, eld
that the obligationt o appointa n imamw as basedo ntraditiono
nly. See Madelung,D er Imam,p . 143. Abd al-Djabbara, l-
Mughnifl abwdba ltawhidwa’I-‘adlv, ol. XX, partI , ed. ‘Abda l-
HalimM ahmiida nd SulaymanD unya,p p. 17-40. Cf. Sayf al-Din
al-Amidi,G hdyata l-mardmfl ‘ilma l-kaldme, d. Hasan Mahmiid’
Abdal-Latif, Cairo 1971, pp. 364ff.[6] AL-KASIM IBN IBRAHIM
85followed the Muetazilite”s , while the later Zaiditesd ecidedi n
favor oftradition 12. Al-Kasim based himself upon both reason
and tradition.According to al-Kasim the obligation to appoint an
imam is derivedfrom the necessity of defending the community
from its external enemies,the weak persons from the strong ones
and the holy places. The imam isthe one who watches people to
induce and guide them to obey God’sprecepts. If there were no
imam, people would be lost13. <<Afterth eProphet people
cannot dispense with an imam. If they do, they will shedblood
and violate prohibitions. The strong person will overwhelm
theweak one and the rules and the punishments( al-ahkim wa’l-
hudz7wd)i llbe nullified”?>>.Al-Kasim states that the obligation
to appoint an imam is connectedwith the wisdom (hikma)
observed in Creation. God created the universe,since he wished
(ardda) and chose (ikhtdra) to create it15. It is inadmissibleto
assume God, the Wise, creating things then wishing todestroy
them; He created things in such a manner that they can exist.
Hecreated, for example, various kinds of food by which man can
benourished. Also the division of the year into seasons, months,
days andnights for the benefit of man, and the animals that man
can enslave,demonstrate that God created things for man’s
existence’6.The existence of human beings from infancy to
maturity is dependentupon parents (‘abd’) who take care of their
children and maintain them.The parents-sonsc hain reachesb
ack to the first father,w ho was taughtby God how to exist, i.e.,
to know the damage and the benefit ineverything and to know
how to punish the evil-doer and reward the’7 righteous person
.Al-Kasim divides man’s life into three periods (tabakdt). In the
firstperiod,t he periodo f upbringing( tabakata l-tarbiya)p, eople
are dependentupon their parents. In the second period, the
period of working toacquire food (tabakat ‘i’timil al-‘aghdhiya),
they are independent of theirparents. In the third period of doing
good and evil (‘iktisab’8 al-hasanaSee Ahmad Mahmuid Subhi,
Nazariyyat al-‘imdma ladd al-shi’a al-‘ithna ‘ashariyya,Cairo
1969, pp. 69-77. Madelung, ibid.12 See Madelung, ibid.13 See
Kitdbt athbita l-‘inmma in The TheologicaEl pistles,v ol. II, p.206,
1. 10-p.2 07,1.1 0 (MS. Berlin,f ol. 82a-82b).K itaba l-‘imdmaM,
S. Berlin,f ol. 57a.4See ibid., 1. 10.15 Al-Kasimi dentifiesG od’s
will with His choice.C f. al-Baghdadi’,U sulla l-din,p . 102.16 See
Kitabt athbita l-‘imdmap, p. 207-209( MS. Berlin,f ols. 82b-
83b).17 See ibid., pp. 209 f (MS. Berlin fol. 83a f.).18 The verbsk
asabaa nd ‘iktasabaa re used in kalamp riort o al-Ghazali n the
senseo fperforminga ctionsf or which one is responsibleS. ee M.
Schwarz,? Acquisition( kasb)i n86 B. ABRAHAMOV [7]wa’l-
sayyi’a), they need a guide and an instructor,w ho can punisht
hem.In this period, the desire for sex and food is implanted in
men, and ifthere were not someone to limit and curb it, people
would fight againsteach other to satisfy their desires and
consequently the world would bedestroyed 9. God cstablishedm
arriaget o limita nd curbt he sexuald esireand other known
restrictions to limit people in their other activities.Whoevert
ransgressesth ese restrictionsis punished.P eople need a
guideto teach them these restrictions, and this guide is the
imam. Also, theimam punishes people if they disobey him, and
rewards them if they obeyhim. In this manner people are kept
safe20.Al-Kasim infers the obligation to appoint an imam also
from twoprecepts, prayer and almsgiving. Since the prayer on
Friday is directedby an imam, and the imam is mentioned in the
Friday sermon21, theremust be an imam to direct the prayer, and
since the prayer is anobligation imposed upon Muslims, there is
an obligation to appoint animam.T he precepto f almsgivingt oo
cannotb e fulfilledw ithouta n imamwho takes money from
people and distributes it afterwards to the22 poorThe notion that
an imam should be appointed since the precepts arefulfilled by
people because of his presence and activities is
generallyexpressedi n Kitaba l-‘imama:< <Knowth at the most
obligatoryp recepti sthe precept of the imamate (i.e., appointing
an imam) (afrad al-fard’idwa-awkaduhd fard al-‘imdma), since all
precepts do not exist exceptthrough it (li-‘anna djami’ al-fara’id
ld takuinu ‘ilid bihd). It is forbidden tochange this precept in any
way (wa-ld yadjuizu tabdilfaridat al-‘imdma),since its change (lit.
since in it) entails (lit. there is) damage which is notentailed by
the change of another precept (lit. which is not in
anotherprecept) (li-‘anna fl/hd al-fasdd md laysa fi ghayrihd) 23
,,.Early kaljm>>, in Islamic Philosophy and the Classical
Tradition, eds. S. M. Stern,A. H. Hourani and V. Brown, Oxford
1972, pp. 355-387.19 See Kitdb tathbit al-‘imama, pp.210f. (MS.
Berlin 83b, f.). The distinction al-Kasimmakes between the
second and third periods is not justified, since according to al-
Kasimhimselfw orkf or acquiringfo od musta lso be limited( Seei
bid.).T hus,t herei s no differencebetween the second and third
periods.20 See ibid., pp. 211 f (MS. Berlin 83b, f.).21 The
mention of the imam in the Friday sermon is not explicitly stated
by al-Kasimbut implied in the following: wa-man kdnat tu’kadu
lahu fa-mutakaddim kabla takaddumihd<.<Hefo r whom the
prayeri s establishedp recedest he prayer)>i.b id. p. 222
(MS.Berlin, fol. 87a).22 See ibid.23 See Kitib al-‘imdma, MS.
Berlin, fol. 56b, 112. 2-23. In Kitdb al-masd’il (fol.
58)Muhammad, al-Kasim’s son, says that many of God’s
precepts can be fulfilled onlythrough an imam. Cf. Madelung,
Der Imam, p. 144.[8] AL-KASIM IBN IBRAHIM 87The obligation
to appoint an imam also evidently figures in theKur’an. First al-
Kasim shows that God chooses some of His creaturesand
prefers them to others. He refers, for example, to the following
verse:?He it is who has madey ou vice-gerentso f the eartha nd
has raiseds omeof you above othersi n rank. .. >>(s iira6 , v.
165)24.T hen he quotesv erses(suira2 , v. 124,s iira 32, vv. 23-
24)s tatingt hat God appointedI brThima nimam and also the
other imams among the children of Israel. Accordingto al-
Kasim’s interpretation of siura 3, v. 68 and siira 2, v.
129,Muhammadi s the heir of IbrThim<. <‘Verilyth, e people who
are nearestto Ibrahim are those who followed him and this
prophet and those whohave believed. God is the defender of the
believers’. (siira 3, v. 68).Muhammadt, hen, inheritedt he
prophethoodf rom IbrThima nd Ismaeil,and the call of IbrThima
nd Isma’ilc ame to him since they said: ‘O, ourLord, raiseu p
amongt hem a messengero, ne of themselves…'( siira2 ,
v.129)>>25 .But ?the most obvious proof and the most
illuminating revelationconcerning the obligation of the imamate
and (the fact) that it isobligatoryo n the community( wa-‘abyand
alil. wa-‘anwatra nzil.fi wudjuibal-‘imdma.w a-mdy adjibum inhd’
ald’l-‘ummai)s God’s saying: ‘O youwho have believed, obey
God and the messenger and the men of power(‘ulu al-‘amr)
amongst you. If you quarrel about anything, refer it toGod and
the messenger, if you have come to believe in God and theLast
Day, that is the best interpretation(‘l it. that is better and faireri
ninterpretation)(. sfira 4, v. 59). God, may He be blessed and
exalted,ordered to obey the men of power with His ordering to
obey Him andthe messenger. God, may He be blessed and
exalted, orders only aknown thing (wa-ld ya’muru tabdraka wa-
ta’dla ‘illd bi-ma’lam ghayrmadjhal)>>2A6c. cordingt o al-Kasim,t
he men of power are the imams.The last quoted verse appears
as proof of the obligation of the imamatealso in Kitdb al-imdma
and after quoting it there al-Kasim adds, <<Godorderedt o obey
that which is known (fa-‘amarab i-td’atm a’luimg hayrmad]h)?
>2>7 .The only tradition figuring in al-Kasim as proof of the
obligation ofthe imamate is: ?Whoever dies without having an
imam, dies like anidolater (lit. dies an idolatrous death. man mdta
ld imdm lahu mdta mita24 See also siira 28, v. 68, suira 17, v. 21,
suira 43, v. 32, siira 17, v. 70. Kitab tathbit al-‘imdma, p.204 (MS.
Berlin. fol. 81b).2″ See ibid., pp. 205 f (MS. Berlin 82a), p. 223
(MS. Berlin fol. 87a.f).26 See ibid., p. 206, 11. 3-7 (MS. Berlin fol.
82a).27 See Kitdb al-imdma, MS. Berlin, fol. 57a, 117. -9.88 B.
ABRAHAMOV [91djdhiliyya) 28. An allusion to this tradition
figures in Kitdb al-‘imdmawhere al-Kasim says that if there were
no imam, the religion would againbecome idolatrous (lit. the
religion would return to be idolatry. waradja’aal-din
djfhiliyya)29.IIIAfter provingt he necessityo f the imamatea nd
inferringi ts obligationfrom reason as well as from the Kur’an and
the tradition, there is a needto know who is the imam. According
to al-Kasim, the imam’s identitymust be evident and the signs
attesting to him must be unequivocal, sothat no unrightful
pretender to the imamate can attribute it to himself.Only an
undoubtedi mam can deter transgressorsb y inflicingp
unishmentand bestowing reward to the obedient30.The imams31
are divided into three kinds: a. the messengers and theprophets
(rusul, ‘anbiyd’) b. the legatees (‘awsiyd’)32 of the
messengersand c. the successorso f the prophets( khulafda’
l-‘anbiyd’), who are alsocalled imams (‘a’imma). The distinction
between the messengers, thelegatees and the imams is evident
through the signs by which they can beidentified.A l-Kasimr
ecognizest he prophets,w ho are of the highestr ankamong the
imams,t hroughm iracles( ‘ayaytt)h at have occurredt o them.He
mentions the miracles of Moses, Jesus and Muhammad3 3.

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Imam Zaid’s Biography (chapters 3,4,5

and6)

Chapter Three: Imam Zayd on Political Terrain

Reasons and Motivations—————————————

The Start and Constructive Phases—————————–

Imam Zayd Bids Farewell to His Grandfather’s City——-

Imam Zayd in al-Sham——————————————

Imam Zayd and Hisham Face to Face————————-

A Flagrant Plot—————————————————-

Imam Zayd in Kufah———————————————

Preparing for Armed Conflict———————————–

Dispatching Emissaries and Covert Activities—————-

The Legality of Opposition to Oppressors——————–

Persistent Objectives———————————————

Chapter Four: Armed Confrontation

The Start of the Revolution————————————-

The Battle Flow—————————————————

Nasr Ibn Khuzaymah and Early Reinforcements————-

Hoisting the Banner and Fulfiment of Deen——————

Kufah Under Imam Zayd’s Control—————————-

The Tragic Infliction———————————————

The Eternal Will————————————————–

Chapter Five: In the Aftermath of the Revolution

The Honorable Remains—————————————–

Persecution of Imam Zayd’s Supporters———————-

The Consequence of Oppressors——————————-

Imam Zayd: A Continuing Revolution————————

Chapter Six: Zayd’s Legacy

Some Names of Zayd’s Companions and Narrators——–

His Books and Missives—————————————–

Closing————————————————————-

References and Citations

Chapter Three

Imam Zayd on Political Terrain

Reasons and Motivations

When justice is the order of the day people live without those
mental disturbances associated with tyranny. People become
innovative and creative. Life takes on a pleasant air. But when
rulers turn nasty and become symbols of adoration while they
trample over people’s rights and silence the voices of advice all
the while excluding competent and qualified talent from
participation and production, at that time life becomes disruptive
and unquiet. Society begins to lose its cohesion. The decent
quality of life begins to turn acrid. And the social arena is open to
chaos and mayhem. These dynamics begin to translate into
public discontent and popular disapproval of the authoritarian
decision makers. The stage is set for popular motion towards a
form of government that will guarantee social justice and the
respect and treasure of human rights.

If things get worse and the rulers begin to tighten their noose
around their citizens it is only to be expected to have a public
explosion that tries to obtain the end of tyrannical rule and all its
devices and stratagems for concealment and deceit.

Muslims during the second half of the first hijri century were
subjected to a pack of Umayad rulers who seized power by
force; and this power was not just any power it was the Islamic
khilafah. Then they steered the affairs of state in the wrong
direction. This resulted in the best and brightest in the ummah
coming together and working on dismantling the Umayad power
holders and relieving them of their tyranny generating positions.

One of the most outstanding figures to lead the movement

against this Umayad lapse was Imam Zayd ibn ‘Ali (AS). He
worked on reinstating the right to oppose deviant rulers by the
Muslim public, and towards that end he planted the seeds of
revolution against oppression.

Referring to Imam Zayd’s writings and epistles we may acquaint

ourselves with the main reasons and justifications for his revolt
against the Umayad body politic. And that includes:

1- The Umayads were in violation of Islamic standards and did

not observe the shared Islamic values that all other Muslims
adhered to. This was expressed in how the Umayads played “cut
and loose” with Islamic laws and hudud. A feature of Umayad
rule was to kill innocent people. The rulers did not spare
themselves indulging in vice and clubhouse pursuits. They had
no second thoughts about stifling public expression while
working on curtailing freedom of assembly and conscience. They
turned Islamic khilafah into hereditary rule, for which any
incompetent and bungling son can assume the highest office in
the land: not because of his pious heart and enlightened brain
but because of his genetic material!

2- The Umayads assaulted and insulted what Muslims hold dear

to them. They went as far as having the Prophet of Allah being
maligned and defamed in front of Hisham [ibn ‘Abd al-Melek]
who expressed no objection. Imam Zayd said: “I saw Hisham
who was in the presence of a person cursing the Prophet of
Allah (P). I said to the foul-mouth: Woe to you O kafer! If I were in
a position to do so I would send you to your Maker and expedite
your blazing penalty.” And then Hisham said to me: Ease off our
acquaintance, O Zayd! Zayd said: By Allah [because of that] I
was determined even if it is only me and my son Yahya who are
[1]
going to carry arms against [this tyrant] to perish; and so be it.”
Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Taleb, Fatimeh the daughter of Allah’s Prophet
(P) and Imam Husayn were all anathematized (damned) from the
minbars during Jumu‘ah prayers in they years of this Umayad
dynasty.

3- The Umayads showed fiscal irresponsibility. The wealth and

revenues of the Islamic lands were laundered and pirated by a
clan who spent it on their bellies and body parts. Consequently,
Islamic society had to endure economic crises and hard times. It
has been reported that Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Melek – who was
known for his stinginess – needed six hundred or seven hundred
[2]
camels to carry his wardrobe.

In a letter sent by Imam Zayd to the people of Mosul (Iraq) he

says: “I am aware of the plight you are in and the religious
persecution you endure as well as your deteriorating livelihood.
Your blood has been shed and your resources have been
[3]
confiscated.”

4- There was an official line of jeering and affronting the

Prophet’s progeny. Methodical and day-to-day efforts from the
royal court attempted to disparage their prestige. The official line
was to intimidate and harass the Prophet’s extended family.

The Umayad kings were known to dismiss any advice and ignore
anyone who would try to talk some sense into them [the
Umayads] about this whole issue. Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Melek
exemplified the arrogance and corruption of power when he
stood up in the masjid in Makkah once and said that he will hack
off the head of anyone who would say to him: Ittaqi Illah [Fear
[4]
God]!

Some historians exaggerated the facts as they claimed that

Imam Zayd had a personal ax to grind. Had they known that
such personal scores are never capable of establishing
principles and sustaining methodical opposition to tyranny.

The Start and the Constructive Phases

It was in Madinah that Imam Zayd established his broad

movement. Initially it was underground and secretive. Its
development was unhurried; that is because the general public
was afraid to confront brutal and iron-fisted rulers. Especially if
we know that Madinah was still tending to its wounds. The
Madinians were suffering that after shock of the pitiless and
savage Umayad military campaign led by Muslim ibn ‘Uqbah.
The image of the folks of al-Husayn who had returned from the
tragedy of Karbala was still fresh in their minds. The losses were
stupefying. As if the verses of the poetry composed by Umm
Kulthum bint ‘Ali were ringing in everyone’s ears:

O city of our grandfather could you no longer be ours

To you we have returned accompanied with sorrow and

tears

We left and imparted you with family and all who is dear

Now whoever is left is back we have lost our men, sons, and
heirs

until she says:

Our husbands and bread-winners are at al-Taff, dead, no

longer near

Their heads have been hacked they butchered our

sons without fear

Zayd’s activities were first pronounced within his family

structure. They assisted and supported him. They felt for him
and were keen on protecting him. Jaber al-Ja‘fi said: I was told
by Muhammad ibn ‘Ali: My brother Zayd ibn ‘Ali — it appears –
will carry arms in opposition and will be killed. Obviously, he is
doing what is right. Woe to anyone who forsakes him, and to
anyone who fights him, and to he who kills him.

Jaber said: When Zayd was preparing to revolt I said: I heard

your brother say you will be killed…

He said to me: O Jaber! I cannot remain silent when the Book of

Allah has been violated and when the state has become an evil
[5]
and a monstrosity.

When Imam Zayd realized that the pace was slow in Madinah he
benefitted from Hajj to move on and mobilize the potential in
Makkah. There he met many personalities from different lands.
He sensed they were supportive of the principles of justice and
we longing for freedom. He was thus encouraged to go to other
lands and people.

When he arrived at Kufah he found a social ambiance unlike

Madinah. People were fed up. In public people were speaking up
against Umayad persecution. This boosted his morale and gave
him hope for mobilizing a corrective trend to set the ummah
back on track; even though he was aware of how these same
people behaved with his grandfather Imam Husayn. His family
cautioned him that these people may not honor their word. But
deep down inside Zayd had to honor the conscience pulse in
him. Something had to be done for these people who were
strained and troubled. “I would wish to be hanging from the
furthest star in the heavens and then drop and be sliced to
pieces if that means that Allah will bring order to the ummah of
[6]
Muhammad.” This type of motivated and morally charged
young man is rare indeed.

Imam Zayd returned to Madinah with one thing on his mind: how
do you redeem the ummah from its condition of mistreatment
and subservience?

Imam Zayd Bids Farewell to His Grandfather’s City

Meanwhile, Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Melek was keeping an eye and

getting information on Imam Zayd’s activities and writings. The
wali [ruler] of Madinah wrote to him saying: “Zayd is turning
[7]
public opinion in Madinah against you.” Hisham then began to
think of ways to entrap Zayd. He instigated some points of
contention with Zayd via his cousins the descendants of Imam
al-Hasan. This was meant to side-track Imam Zayd from
concentrating on his critique of the regime. But then Zayd
realized what was really at work and made up with his cousins.
Zayd said to the ruler of Madinah who was Hisham’s vassal and
who was instrumental in trying to drive a wedge between Zayd
and his cousins: “You have united the descendants of Allah’s
Prophet in a way unattainable by Abu Bakr and ‘Umar ibn al-
[8]
Khattab.” At that point Hisham and his functionary knew that
they will not be able to sidetrack Zayd into petty issues. Then
Hisham decided to try to get Zayd to al-Sham (the Levant) where
he can keep a close eye on him. Imam Zayd having received
information through different parties felt compelled to go to al-
Sham. And he went there reluctantly.

Before he left Madinah he went to pray in the masjid of his

grandfather – Allah’s Prophet (P) where he stood and expressed
the following du‘a:

O Allah! You know I am compelled, constrained, and bound. It is

not my choice or wish to do so. O Allah! Spare me his
conspiracy. Cloak me with the garment of innocent pride so that
I do not give in to the pomp of royalty. And so that I am not
afraid of his troops. O Allah! Give me the words and articulation
to say the truth and to support it without being apologetic or