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.
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
- Ruled by
- Jayyash ibn Najah
People and things also explored
Sources
- 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. Accessed 2026-10-17.