The painting by the artist: Saad al Shehabi, Visual Content Editor.
“O servants of God, rise for jihad, strike those who corrupt the land, and support the son of the al Emam.”
He then entered Tihama, specifically Bayt al-Faqih, where he employed rumors and accusations against the tribespeople, among them claims of deviation from Islam (al-Zarāniq). During the battle, he burned palm groves and led his opponents in chains to the prison of Cairo Citadel in Taiz, numbering seven hundred captives. He tortured them in the citadel, then tried and executed them, according to the Yemeni historian Judge al-Akwaʿ.
His father was overthrown by the Constitutional Revolution of 1948. At the time, Ahmad was sought support from the tribes surrounding Sana’a, where the Zaydi majority resided, as the Shafi‘i populations of the central regions were considered of questionable loyalty.
When he succeeded in reclaiming power, he executed approximately fifty individuals in vengeance for his father, without Islamic legal rulings. Three months later, however, he obtained an “Islamic” judgment from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the State Mufti. As for the remaining prisoners, they sent him numerous letters from Taiz, Sana’a, and other provinces, pleading for release. He replied:
“May God grant you well-being. Your imprisonment must continue until the impure is distinguished from the pure.”
Ahmad Hamid al-Din was but a product of a society that regarded Islam as the primary frame of reference. For instance, when Sayf Ibrahim, son of Yahya Hamid al-Din, defected, the Free Yemenis viewed it as the first breach in the monarchical system and dubbed him “Sayf al-Haqq” (the Sword of Truth), invoking the Qur’anic verse of Prophet Abraham advising his father:
“O my father, indeed knowledge has come to me that has not come to you; so follow me, I will guide you to a straight path.”
Regarding the killing of Yahya Hamid al-Din, religious scholars—according to al-Barduni—believed Ahmad’s victory to be inevitable, citing the verse:
“And whoever is killed unjustly, We have given his heir authority; so let him not exceed limits in killing. Indeed, he is supported.”
Thereafter began Ahmad’s reign, which lasted fifteen years, during which he described himself as Commander of the Faithful, Ruler by God’s Command, and Defender of God’s Religion. He titled each of his sons “Sayf al-Islam” (Sword of Islam). During his rule, Islam served as the foremost reference he invested in political disputes and in eliminating rivals, grounding the legitimacy of his imamate and judgments in a long history of politico-religious debate in which power was the central concern.
Al-Hadi, the founder of Zaydism in Yemen, and subsequent Zaydi al Emams—who bestowed upon themselves the title of al Emam—focused, according to the Yemeni historian Judge Ali al-Akwaʿ, on the concept of the Imamate and restricted it to the descendants of Hasan and Husayn, elevating it to one of the five fundamental principles of religion within their doctrine. These principles mirrored those of the Mu‘tazilites, except that Zaydism replaced “the intermediate position between two states” with the Imamate.
In his introduction to the book he translated, When I Was a Doctor in Yemen by Claudie Fayein, Yemeni diplomat Mohsen al-Aini—who lived through the revolutionary period—recounts:
“When Ahmad Hamid al-Din returned from his medical trip to Rome and crowds gathered to receive him, he stood among them brandishing his sword and threatening the people, repeating his famous words: ‘I am Ahmad, O criminals. Whoever thinks of opposing me or rebelling against me—by God, I will sever hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will kill anyone who even contemplates rising against me. Whoever is not convinced, let him try—this is the horse, and this is the arena.’”
Al-Aini adds:
“Indeed, he began to carry out his dark ideas, bringing forth a young man and ordering that his hands and leg be cut off—and his hands were indeed severed…”
Throughout his rule, Ahmad lived amid anxiety over coups and conspiracies, culminating in the 1955 movement led by Colonel Ahmad al-Thalaya and several army officers. Exploiting family disputes between al Emam Ahmad and his brother Abdullah, the officers contacted Abdullah and drew him into the revolutionary camp. The army besieged the al Emam’s palace in Taiz and forced him to abdicate in favor of his brother. However, al Emam Ahmad deceived the rebels and officers, bribed many of them, and the revolution was crushed, with power restored after three days.
In a rare recording following these events, he delivered a speech placing responsibility for the ensuing repression on those he called lovers of discord, stating:
“Scholars, men of virtue, the wise, and tribal shaykhs have advised us and placed upon us God’s proof: that if we are lenient with them and do not support those who rise to confront them in critical matters…”
He then executed his brother and numerous officers and leaders of the national movement, most notably Colonel al-Thalaya. Bringing him to the execution square, he reminded him that he had educated him and given him everything—why, then, had he betrayed him? Al-Thalaya replied:
“Yes, you did all that for me—but what did you do for the people?”
After consulting his entourage, who demanded his execution, he ordered his executioner—known as al-Washshāḥ—saying:
“Carry out God’s command, O Washshāḥ.”
Prior to the 1962 Revolution that overthrew him, on March 6, an assassination attempt was carried out against him in the city of al-Hudaydah by several officers, who attempted to shoot him, inflicting non-fatal injuries. The attempt failed, the three officers were arrested, tried by a committee formed by the al Emam, and executed by the sword—his well-known method of eliminating enemies.