Religion / idea · religion

Zaydism

Also known as Zaydi Shia Islam, Zaydi Shi'ism, Zaydiyya

Zaydism is a branch of Shia Islam named after Zayd ibn Ali, a great-grandson of the caliph Ali, who led a revolt against the Umayyads in 740. Zaydis accept as imam any qualified descendant of Hasan or Husayn who claims the office and takes up arms, and they stand close to Sunni Islam in law. Zaydi states arose in Tabaristan in the 9th century and in Yemen, where Zaydi imams ruled until 1962.

Zaydism
Image: M.Schoettler · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Alavid dynastyUkhaydirid EmirateKarkiya dynasty

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zaydism. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zaydism
MLA
“Zaydism.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zaydism. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Zaydism.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zaydism.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zaydism’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zaydism (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻