Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi

Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi (1876–1924) (Arabic: محمد بن علي الإدريسي) was the founder and first ruler of the Idrisid Emirate of Asir.

Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi
Emir of Asir
Idrisid Emirate of Asir
Reign	1906–1923
Predecessor	Office established
Successor	Ali ibn Muhammad al-Idrisi
Born	1876 Sabya, Yemen Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (Present-day Saudi Arabia)
Died	March 24, 1924 Sabya, Emirate of Asir (Present-day Saudi Arabia)
Dynasty	Idrisid dynasty

Biography

Muhammad bin Ali al-Idrisi was born in Sabya in the Yemen Vilayet (now Saudi Arabia and Yemen). He was the grandson of Sayyid Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi, a Moroccan scholar from Fez, who was head of a religious fraternity (tariqa) at Mecca.

Sayyid Muhammad was educated partly at Al-Azhar University and partly by the Senussi at Kufra, and subsequently resided at Argo Island, Sudan. On his return to Asir, his one ambition was to render the district independent of the Ottoman Empire.

Tribal insurrections in Yemen

in March of 1909, Tribes near south Bayt al-Faqih rose in a small rebellion against Ottoman garrisons. soldiers loyal to al-Idrisi assisted an uprising instigated by tribes living east of Al Luḩayyah, From there, they occupied Qawanis and al-Zaydiyya. On August 23, they captured Al-Luḩayyah. After this initial victory, the tribes between Al Qunfudhah and Maydl also joined al-Idrisi. In September 1909, Idrisi forces captured the town of Muha’il.

See also

• Idrisid dynasty
• Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi

Further reading

• Headley, R.L. "ʿAsīr." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition.
• Anne K. Bang, The Idrisi State of Asir 1906-1934: Politics, Religion and Personal Prestige as State-building factors in early twentieth century Arabia (London: Bergen Studies on the Middle East and Africa, 1996)