Ali as-Sulaihi

Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali al-Sulayhi was the founder and sultan of the Sulayhid dynasty in Yemen. He established his kingdom in 1047 and by 1063, the Sulayhids controlled had unified the entire country of Yemen as well as the Muslim holy city of Mecca under his leadership. Al-Sulayhi was killed in 1066 during a tribal vendetta between the Sulayhids and the Najahids of Zabid. He was succeeded by his son, Ahmad al-Mukarram. Nonetheless, al-Sulayhi converted to Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam, after coming under the influence of the da'i ("missionary") Amir al-Zawahi. Zawahi had kept his Ismaili faith private and was well-regarded by al-Sulayhi's father who employed him to teach his son. However, al-Zawahi, who also served as the Chief Da'i of the Ismailis, secretly taught al-Sulayhi the system of canon law, Da'a'im al-Islam used by the Fatimid Caliphate and the allegorical interpretation of the Qur'an employed by the Ismailis known as ta'wil.

Al-Sulayhi succeeded al-Zawahi as Chief Da'i of Yemen after the latter's death. He married his cousin Asma bint Shihab in the 1030s. She who would later assist him during his reign over the region.

Establishing his capital at Sana'a and maintaining his fortress in Masur, al-Sulayhi entered into a prolonged conflict with the Najahids, an Ethiopian ex-slave dynasty based in Zabid. Historian Ibn Khalikan states al-Sulayhi sent a female slave to the Najahid leader Abu Said Najah as a peace offering with the real intent of killing him. In 1060 Najah was poisoned by the slave and died. Al-Sulayhi's forces attacked and captured Zabid and the Tihamah later in 1062.

Also in 1062, Ali sent Lamak ibn Malik to Cairo to serve as an embassy and representative there. His original intention may have been to seek official permission from the Fatimids for Ali's attack on Mecca later that year.

With full-fledged support from the Hamdani and Himyar tribes, al-Sulayhi gradually conquered the rest of Yemen, by 1063. Muslim historian Ibn al-Athir stated that once al-Sulayhi obtained Fatimid legitimacy he "embarked on the conquest of the country and toppled the fortresses one after the other with incredible speed." In Aden he had his daughter-in-law Arwa al-Sulayhi collect the annual revenue of 100,000 gold dinars as her dowry. The only Yemeni principality to challenge his rule throughout his reign was Zabid, still highly influenced by the Najahids.

Death and aftermath In 1066 al-Sulayhi made the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca with a large caravan that included Asma and the entourage of her court, all of the emirs of the Sulayhid principalities in Yemen, and 5,000 Ethiopian (Abyssinian) soldiers. Al-Sulayhi invited all of his emirs to accompany him in the hajj in safety measure to prevent any revolts against Sulayhid rule while he was away from Yemen. In his absence, he assigned his son Ahmad al-Mukarram to preside over the kingdom. According to Muslim historian Ibn Khaldun, the main reason al-Sulayhi undertook the hajj was because of a command by al-Mustansir to restore Shia order in Mecca after its sharif Muhammad ibn Ja'far, who belonged to the Banu Hashim, disavowed the Fatimid Caliphate.

Al-Sulayhi's caravan was highly luxurious and news of its departing spread throughout Yemen. On its way to Mecca, the caravan was assaulted by al-Ahwal's force and al-Sulayhi was killed. Al-Sulayhi was "seized with terror" and remained in his spot before al-Ahwal killed him. The Najahids proceeded to kill Abdullah and most of al-Sulayhi's family that was present before taking control of the caravan's mostly Ethiopian army.