Zayd ibn Ali | |
---|---|
زيد بن علي | |
5th Zaydi Imam | |
In office 714/715 CE – 739/740 CE | |
Preceded by | Hasan al-Muthana |
Succeeded by | Yahya ibn Zayd |
Title | |
Personal life | |
Born | 80 AH ≈ 698 CE |
Died | 2nd Safar 122 AH ≈ 740 CE (aged 42) |
Resting place | Kufa, Iraq |
Spouse | Rayta bint Abd Allah al-Alawiyya |
Children | |
Parents |
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Other names | Abū al-Ḥusayn (Kunya) |
Religious life | |
Religion | Islam |
Zayd ibn ʿAlī (Arabic: زيد بن علي; 695–740), also spelled Zaid, was the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, and great-grandson of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He led an unsuccessful revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate, in which he died.[1] The event gave rise to the Zaydiyya sect of Shia Islam, which holds him as the next Imam after his father Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin. Zayd ibn Ali is also seen as a major religious figure by many Sunnis and was supported by the prominent Sunni jurist, Abu Hanifa, who issued a fatwa in support of Zayd against the Umayyads.[2]
To Twelver and Isma'ili Shias however, his elder half-brother Muhammad al-Baqir is seen as the next Imam of the Shias. Nevertheless, he is considered an important revolutionary figure by Shias and a martyr (shaheed) by all schools of Islam, Sunnis[2] and Shias. The calling for revenge for his death, and for the brutal display of his body, contributed to the Abbasid Revolution.[3]
Zayd was a learned religious scholar. Various works are ascribed to him, including Musnad al-Imam Zayd (published by E. Grifinni as Corpus Iuris di Zaid b. ʿAlī, also known as Majmuʿ al-Fiqh), possibly the earliest known work of Islamic law. However, the attribution is disputed; these likely represent early Kufan legal tradition.[4][3]