theocracy · Arabia and the Gulf
Ibadi Imamate of Hadramawt
Origins
In 746, as the Umayyad Caliphate was torn by civil war, the Kindite judge Abd Allah ibn Yahya, known as Talib al-Haqq, was proclaimed imam by Ibadi missionaries from Basra in Hadramawt. He quickly took Sanaa and became master of most of Yemen.
Rule and society
The imamate followed Ibadi principles of an elected, accountable imam and avoided plunder and indiscriminate killing of opponents. In 747 his general Abu Hamza al-Mukhtar ibn Awf marched north, appeared at the pilgrimage, defeated an Umayyad army at Qudayd and occupied Mecca and Medina, where his sermons were long remembered.
Decline and legacy
Marwan II sent Abd al-Malik ibn Atiyya with Syrian troops. He defeated Abu Hamza in the Hejaz in 747, then pursued Talib al-Haqq, who was killed in battle; by 748 Yemen was recovered. Ibadi activity continued in Hadramawt and inspired the First Ibadi Imamate of Oman.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ibadi Imamate of Hadramawt. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ibadi-imamate-of-hadramawt
- MLA
- “Ibadi Imamate of Hadramawt.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ibadi-imamate-of-hadramawt. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ibadi Imamate of Hadramawt.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ibadi-imamate-of-hadramawt.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ibadi Imamate of Hadramawt’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ibadi-imamate-of-hadramawt (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻