'Monograph on the Aden Hinterland as touching the States of Dthala, Yafa', Alawi, etc., by Major H F Jacob, late Political Agent, Dthala.' [‎19r] (42/48)

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demanded an answer. The Imams once held all Yemen and their rule reached
as far as Aden. If, it is not a merely chimerical supposition, he set his
borders to march with ours, it is conceivable he would dream of the sea border.
The Turks would hardly be sorry to see us confronted with so difficult a
problem. It is a thousand pities we could not see our way to humouring
“ A1 Mutawakkil,” “ while we were in the way with him, ,, and it was
disastrous to have withdrawn political supervision* while the Imamo-Turkish
problem was in course of solution.
78. One styled “ A1 Majnun ” (or the “ mad one”j has been residing
lately on Jabal Harir in a village belonging to the Amir of Dthala. No one
knows his real name ncr his origin. He is popularly supposed to be an
emissary of Imam Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Hamid-ud-din. Jabal Harir
headed by the Her wish party there turned him out, but Nasr, the Amir’s son,
had him re-instated and he has been permitted to build a house on the Hill,
He is said to exercise miraculous powers,
The Amir of Dthala once sent me a letter from the Imam. That was in
1905. The letter told the Amir of the infamies practised bv the Turk and
urged him to declare for the Imam. No direct mention was made of the
English, but the desirability of a permanent Islam was the key-note. The
Amir asked what reply I should give. I advised a bare mention of the British
good faith to which Amir Shaif should state his indebtedness and his position
as one of the protected States under British influence. Alter a while I enquired
of Amir Shaif what he actually had written and asked that a copy of his reply
might be shewn me. He pretended to be grieved by my want of confidence in
him, lor which there was no justification; that had lie been treacherous {sic) I
should never have seen the letter in (.juestiou. I can of course prove nothing,
but am inclined to believe that the Amir was at that time, and since too, the
recipient of several such missives.
79. Granted 1 heir Sanads originally by the Imam of Sana’a our Chiefs
and Sheikhs would not be barred, by reason of their holding distinct religious
tenets, from again fraternising with the Imam if necessity demanded it and he
came down towards our confines. We have not here, as in India, the absolute
incompatibility of union twixt Sunni and Shiah. There is less fanaticism
here. The perverts of India are naturally more intense. Bid, with our advent
in Dthala, of lurkish tyranny and habituated to a four years’ regime which did
not diminish their coffers, but the reverse, I do not believe our Arab friends
w ill willingly accede to Imamic politic domination and to revenue assessments.
I decline, however, to admit a religious irreconcilability. Ileligion has no
strong grip on the Hinterland Arab’s heart. Jabal Jihaf was originally largely
Zeidi (Shiah) in doctrine but, cut off from their origin and surrounded by other
influences, an adaptation to the tenets of Shafa’i (Sunni) doctrines was no
insurmountable difficulty. Be version to the former beliefs would be no harder.
SO. The personal magnetism of the Imam is great. I see great possibilities
for the Imam w hen at leisure from Turkish troubles to turn his thoughts
further south—great possibilities that is for intrigue. His estate broken up
during our regime and that when he was supposed to be in our leading strings,
Amir Shaif might be tempted to seek relief from the representative of his old
masters to whom he is entirely indebted for all he now holds. The Amir in
conversation with me has deprecated the Imam’s approach Dthalawards, as
signifying his extinction as a distinct entity, but knowing Amir Shaif I do not
give his assertion its face value.
On the other hand there are many who have felt the iron hand of the
Turks and have also dreaded the possibility of the Imam’s restoration to full
power. Nizam Abdallah as Saiyadi, the Sheikh ot A1 Ud, Haj Qasim al
Kabsh, the Sheikh of Ash Sha’ar, and Abdur Bab as Saiyadi, all of whom are
under the Turks, wrote lately to Turkish Head-quarters and expressed a wish
to communicate with the British Government to help them against the Imam.
I hey said that both Turk and Imam had oppressed them. It is said that
under instructions from Ta’iz these influential Sheiks were given liberal
grants in compensation for losses inflicted by Zaidi raids,
cox 2203—8