Introduction
The Zaydīs arose after the revolt of their fourth Imām, Zayd b. ‘Alī (d.122 / 740). Zayd was also the half-brother of Muh̩ammad al-Bāqir. Zayd b. ‘Alī was contacted by the Kūfans and promised support if he was to rise up against the Umayyads. Zayd’s refusal to condemn the first two Caliphs resulted in large portion of Kūfans abandoning his cause. Betrayed by the Kūfans, he met a similar fate to his grandfather Hussain b. ‘Alī. Zayd accepted of the validity of Abū Bakr’s and ‘Umar’s caliphates based upon the concept of “the acceptance of the Imāmate of the less worthy.” This was in marked contrast to the Ithnā ‘Asharīs and Ismā‘īlīs, who condemned the first two caliphs as usurpers. In this sense, the Zaydīs were the closest of the early Shī‘ī groups to the Sunnī.
Two strands of the Zaydīs
In the early second century, Zaydī Shi’ism consisted of two doctrinal tendencies; the Batriyya and the Jarudiyya. The former, like their founder, refused to condemn Abū Bakr and ‘Umar and suspended judgement over ‘Uthmān. Although ‘Alī was superior in their view, they accepted the Caliphate of the ‘less excellent’ and thus the legitimacy of the first two caliphs Some members of this group eventually merged with Kūfan Sunnīsm.
The Jarudiyya represented a more radical Shī‘ī doctrine, condemning the first three Caliphs, and believing in the divine designation of ‘Alī by the Prophet. Although some early Zaydis held that any descendant of Abū Tālib could be suitable for Imāmate, this was later replaced by belief in the divine designation of ‘Alī, Hasan and Hussain. After Hussain, the Imāmate could pass to any descendant of Hasan and Hussain, as long as they were prepared to launch an armed revolt. The Imām also had to have the requisite knowledge and piety although he was not considered to be sinless (maṣ‘ūm).
Differences between Zaydī, Ithnā ‘Asharīs and the Ismā‘īlis
The Ithnā ‘Asharīs and the Ismā‘īlis on the other hand restricted the Imāmate to designated descendants of Hussain, and they considered all of the Imāms to be ma‘ṣūm. Another crucial difference was the importance of khurūj in Zaydī thought. An Imām had to assert his claim by armed revolt and hence the Zaydis rejected the quietest claims to Imāmate attributed to Muh̩ammad al Bāqir. Finally, unlike the Ithnā ‘Asharīs and the Ismā‘īlīs, the Zaydīs rejected the concept of ghayba and the raj‘a of the hidden Imām. In the eighth century, most Zaydīs were Batrī. By the ninth century, the Jārūdīs were dominant. In the period 132- 334/750 – 945, the Zaydis were successful in establishing states in Tabaristan (250/864) and Yemen in 288/901.[1] However, their influence in the central Islamic lands was minimal. The last Zaydī Imām, Muh̩ammad al-Badr, died in 1996 in the UK leaving the Zaydī community without an Imām [2]
Notes:
[1] Halm, 2004 p. 204.
[2] Carole Hillenbrand, Islam: A New Historical Introduction, (Thames and Hudson, 2015), p. 151.; According to Marshal Hodgson the central Islamic lands were from the Nile to the Oxus plus N orth Africa and Spain. R Stephen Humphreys, Islamic History: A Framework for Inquiry, (Princeton University Press Princeton, 1991), p. ix.
