Yahya al-Hadi al-Rassi

Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim al-Rassi al-Alawi, titled al-Hadi. Ibn Khaldun says that he was the first of the Banu al-Rassi to summon people to himself at Sa'da, and that he was given the allegiance there as imam of the Zaydis. He is one of the founders of the Rassid state and a member of the Zaydiyya. ¹

Ibn Khaldun describes him as a jurist who exercised independent judgement in the legal rulings and held views on jurisprudence. He relates from Ibn Hazm that he had a view on jurisprudence that he had seen and did not stray from the community altogether. His son Muhammad al-Murtada succeeded him, then his brother al-Nasir Ahmad. ¹

Al-Suyuti's Tarikh al-Khulafa records that he was hailed 'amir al-mu'minin' and died in Dhu'l-Hijja 298 — the scan reads "thaman wa-mi'atayn" and the year is flagged for checking against a printed copy. ² Al-Mas'udi relates his advice to As'ad ibn Ya'fur, lord of the Yemeni highlands, against rebuilding Ghumdan. ³ His secretary al-Abbasi's sira is a standalone source narrating his coming to Sa'da and his call there. ⁴