Page 53 - Arabian Studies (II)

YEMENI LITERATURE IN

HAJJAH PRISONS
1367/1948-1374/1955
by AHMAD MUHAMMAD A L-SHAM1

(H. E. Sayyid Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Sham7, Ambassador-at-Large (safir
mutajawwil) of the Yemen Arab Republic widely known as a man of letters, a
distinguished poet with a number of diwans to his name, and an able politician,
in this article describes, from personal experience, the activities of the literary
circle formed by the Yemeni notables who unsuccessfully revolted against the
HamFd al-Dfn in 1948 and were confined in the prisons of Hajjah. Many of them
played a significant role in subsequent Yemeni politics, not least of them Sayyid
Ahmad al-Sham! himself. Other prisoners, not men of letters, confined in Hajjah
at the same time were ‘Abdullah al-Sallal and Hasan al-‘AmrI, later to play
prominent political roles. The jail in which the author was held can be seen in
the picture on p. 204. [&/$.]).
The Thawrat al-Dustur (Revolt for the Constitution) which started
on 18 February 1948/7th Rabl‘ II 1367, was, as indeed is well
known, the outcome of a number of factors. Foremost among these
was the denunciation by the 'ultima* and those in authority (ahl
al-hall wa’l-'aqd) of the actions of Imam Yahya Hamid al-DIn, which
contravened the rules of the ZaidI doctrine as understood by its
leading scholars. Secondly, there was his inability or his reluctance to
keep in step with the times and to respond to the pleas of those
seeking reforms within the frame-work of Islamic law (sharVah), in
the name of which he ruled.
Foremost among the leaders of the rebellion were al-Sayyid
al-lmam ‘Abdullah al-WazTr, al-Sayyid ‘All al-Wazir, QadI Ahmad
al-Jirafi, al-Sayyid Husain al-KibsI, al-Sayyid Husain ‘Abd al-Qadir,
al-Sayyid Zayd al-Mawshikl, al-Sayyid Muhammad Basha, al-Sayyid
‘AIT b. Hamud, al-Qadl Husain al-Halall. The last two mentioned,
however, played another role as well. These men were the elite and
notables of Yemeni society at the time. Others who co-operated with
those named above included Sayyid Ahmad al-Muta‘, Shaykh ‘Abd
al-Wahhab Nu‘man, QadI ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Iryanl, Shaykh Hasan

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