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Najahid dynasty of Zabid

بنو نجاح بزبيد

Banu Najah of Zabid, mawali of Banu Ziyad; when al-Sulayhi took Zabid, Najah's sons Mu'arik, Sa'id and Jayyash scattered — Sa'id and Jayyash fleeing to Dahlak island to learn Qur'an and adab — until they ambushed Ali al-Sulayhi by night in the saddle-lines on his march to Mecca and Jayyash killed him with his own hand in 473; they took Zabid, ruling under the Abbasid khutba against the Sulayhids' Ubaydi one, Jayyash famed for justice until his death at the turn of the fifth century, his son al-Fatik succeeding until Ali ibn Mahdi the Khariji ended the house in 554.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era · The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
Region
Arabia
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Overview

The Najahids of Zabid were clients of the Banu Ziyad. They took Zabid after the killing of al-Sulayhi in 473 AH, and their affair ended when Ali ibn Mahdi took it in 554 AH. 1

The three sons

When al-Sulayhi took Zabid, Najah had three sons: Ma'arik, Sa'id and Jayyash. Sa'id and Jayyash went to the island of Dahlak to study the Qur'an and literature. 1

The killing of al-Sulayhi

Ali had al-Sulayhi ambushed at al-Lujum while he was on his way to Mecca, his army broke, and Jayyash himself killed him in 473 AH. 1

Rule

They went to Zabid and took it. They gave the khutba for the Abbasids, while the Sulayhids gave it for the Fatimids. Ibn Khaldun describes Jayyash as just. He died at the start of the fifth century AH, and his son al-Fatik succeeded him. 1

The end

The line of the Najahids died out, and Ali ibn Mahdi al-Kharijī took Zabid in 554 AH. 1

Connections

Explore the connections

Ruled by
Jayyash ibn Najah

People and things also explored

Jayyash ibn Najah

Sources

  1. Kitab al-Ibar of Ibn Khaldun , p.1038-1039
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Najahid dynasty of Zabid”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/polity/najahid-dynasty/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Related

Jayyash ibn Najah

Jayyash ibn Najah, kunya Ibn al-Qattay; he fled with his brother Sa'id to Dahlak island to study Qur'an and letters, then shadowed Ali al-Sulayhi's army, ambushed him in the saddle-lines on the Mecca road and killed him with his own hand in 473 — fleeing disguised through Aden to India, returning to take Zabid where he ruled under the Abbasid khutba against the Sulayhids' Fatimid one, famed for justice, dying at the turn of the fifth century and succeeded by his son al-Fatik.