Investigating and analyzing the components of legitimacy of Hassan bin Zayd Alavi's government (250-270 AH/ 865-884)

Legitimacy is one of the basic foundations of governments in their relations with the people. Governments, depending on their spatiotemporal requirements and intra-governmental characteristics, use various components to gain legitimacy through which they can implement the desired policies in connection with their political domination. The Alavid rule of Tabarestan (ruled: 232-234 AH/ 865-929) was formed in the region of Tabarestan, far from the center of the caliphate, symmetrically with the second Abbasid era (847-946). Hassan bin Zayd Alavi, the first claimant of the Zaydi ruler, made the religious legitimacy of his government in divergence with the Abbasid caliphate the headline of his policies in the face of the majority of the governments of this period, which based their legitimacy on the Abbasid caliphate due to the strength of the foundations. Thus, in this period we witness long and wearing conflicts between Hassan bin Zayd Alavi and agents of the Abbasid Caliph. This study tried to answer the question: what components did Hassan bin Zayd Alavi use to gain legitimacy for his government? The findings of the study indicate that Hassan bin Zayd Alavi was able to gather the people of Tabarestan around him in the form of ‘Imam Zaydi’, due to its inherent characteristics, and then strengthen the legitimacy of his government by pursuing an anti-caliphate policy. At the same time, he pursued efficiency and attention to the public interests of society to satisfy the public.

The Alavids, who were in power until the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), considered themselves entitled to the government after that, and did not spare any effort achieving it. Numerous Alavid uprisings during the Umayyad period, and later, during the Abbasid caliphate, such as the uprisings of Mukhtar Saghafi, Zayd ibn Ali (AS), Abdullah ibn Mu'awiyah, Muhammad Nafs Zakia, etc., were only some of their efforts towards the realization of their right. With the passage of time and the consolidation of the power of the caliphate, the caliphs, who were at the height of their power, ousted all the forces claiming power, including the Alavids. The second Abbasid era (847-946) was symmetrical with the formation of the Alavid government of Tabarestan (865-929). In this period, the Abbasid caliphs did not have the authority of the first era, and power was not concentrated in their hands, so we witness the rise of the opposing forces in different parts of the Islamic world. The second Abbasid era can be called the beginning of the independence movements to disintegrate the caliphate. Due to its vast territory, the Abbasid Caliphate was susceptible to independence movements in the east and west of the Islamic world. During the reign of Abbasid caliph, Hadi (784-785), the Alavid movement under the leadership of Hussein ibn Ali, known as Sahib Fakh was crushed (Mas'udi, 1987, 3/328-327) Idris ibn Abdullah and Yahya ibn Abdullah were two Alavid elders who survived this incident. Idris went to Africa and formed the basis of the Idrisian rule in that region. Yahya also chose Tabarestan and collected some followers for himself there. (Baladhuri, 1997, 3/355) The Alavids gained power in Tabarestan due to the presence of Yahya ibn Abdullah and the distance of the region from the center of the caliphate, and the ground was prepared for the formation of their government. Accordingly, the present study, while expressing the legitimacy of the government in Zaydi thought, which has played a key role in legitimizing the government of the great dā'ei, addressed other aspects of the legitimacy of his government such as divergence from the Abbasid caliphate and efficiency and attention to the public interest. 

The present article aimed to analyze the legitimization efforts of Hassan bin Zayd Alavi in ​​the Alavids rule of Tabarestan, with a descriptive-analytical approach and based on library studies. 

Among these early Islamic governments, the Alavids of Tabarestan continued their opposition to the Abbasid Caliphate from the beginning to the end of their rule and sought their legitimacy outside the legitimacy of the Abbasid Caliphate. For this reason, the Alavid government of Tabarestan, among its contemporary governments, was considered one of the divergent governments of the Abbasid caliphate, which lacked the official banner of governance from the caliph. Hassan ibn Zayd Alavi, as the founder of the Alavid government of Tabarestan, from the very beginning set the goal of his government against the rule of the Abbasid rulers in Iran, such as Taherian and repelling the oppressive ruler, and established the nature of his government in opposition to the caliphate. Dependence on the family of the Prophet (PBUH) and the spiritual influence that existed among the Alavids was reliable support that made Hassan ibn Zayd without the need to gain legitimacy from the Abbasid caliphs. The arrival of Hassan bin Zayd in the region caused his government to enjoy the support of the people in the region, which helped a lot in gaining legitimacy, and this support continued until the end of the government. Hassan ibn Zayd was considered one of the most popular rulers in the eyes of the people, and from this point of view, he was able to carry out his policies with the support of the people. Hassan bin Zayd's government was in fewer direct conflicts with the Abbasid caliphate due to its distance from the Abbasid capital, distance, territorial limitation, and coincidence with internal conflicts. As we do not see the conflict and the direct presence of the caliph in the region of Tabarestan. For this reason, the Abbasid Caliph tried to use the subrogation forces or his supporters to confront the Alavids of Tabarestan. The sending of Musa ibn Bagha and Mufleh by Mu'taz and Motamed and Amal Taheri to suppress Tabarestan are examples of this. In the meantime, the rulers of Taheri, Samani, and Saffari took full advantage of the conflict between the Alavid rule of Tabarestan and the Abbasid caliphate. They used the repressive position of the Alavids to be close to and serve the caliph and to strengthen the foundations of their government, and the Abbasid caliphs also welcomed this situation. Hassan bin Zayd was also successful in terms of efficiency and securing the public interest. He was known for his forgiveness and charity and was very strict about establishing security. Hassan bin Zayd also paid attention to the people's opinions about the election of the rulers of the regions and made the appointment of well-known people the top priority of his choices. He also took valuable measures in the field of public satisfaction and efficiency due to the limited territory. The endowment of settlements, the construction of gardens, baths, shops, schools, mosques, and bridges were among his important actions in gaining the legitimacy of the government. In terms of efficiency, Hassan bin Zayd, while emphasizing charity and the construction of public buildings to attract the attention of the people, has paid attention to establishing security and selecting qualified people for government positions. These actions led to people's sympathy and sympathy with his government and led to his legitimacy and the continuation of his political rule. In general, his approach to gaining legitimacy, while emphasizing the principle of Imam Zaidi's Imamate, based on divergence from the Abbasid caliphate and efficiency, was considered and followed by his successors as a model of government.