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Batriyya or Butriyya (Arabic: بترية, adjective form Batrī) is an early branch of Zaydī Islam.

The Batriyya were a group of moderates who emerged in Kūfa and played a significant role in the formation of early Zaydism in the 8th century. They held positions similar to those of Zayd ibn ʿAlī, and their theological positions and practices represented a middle ground between radical Shīʿa factions and proto-Sunnism. The Batriyya were instrumental in shaping the early Zaydī movement alongside Jārūdiyya, which embraced the activist agenda of other Shīʿī groups.^[1]

Historical Context

The Batriyya emerged in the milieu of early Islamic sectarian development. They were contemporaries of the Jārūdiyya, with both groups contributing to the establishment of Zaydism.

The Zaydiyya ultimately became a major branch of Shīʿa Islam, known for their unique blend of theological and political doctrines.

Political Views

The Batriyya held distinct views on several key political issues:

Succession and the Imamate

The Batriyya recognized ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as the "most excellent of Muslims" following Prophet Muḥammad.^[2] They believed that ʿAlī designated al-Ḥasan as the imām after his death, and that al-Ḥasan subsequently designated al-Ḥusayn. After that, the imām was not chosen by designation but by merit among their descendants. Any descendant of al-Ḥasan or al-Ḥusayn who took up arms and called people to the path of God, demonstrating knowledge, justice and virtue, was recognized as the imām. The Batrīyya also allowed for the possibility that the world may be without an imām, or that there may be multiple imāms at the same time. They argued that since it was possible for the world to be without a prophet, it was thus possible for it to be without an imām. Additionally, as there could be multiple prophets at one time, there could also be multiple imāms. They also supported the imāmate of a "person of lesser excellence" if necessary.^[3]

Zayd ibn ʿAlī explained the concept of a man of lesser excellence, or al-mafḍūl, serving as imām by noting that, although ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the most distinguished of the Companions, the caliphate was entrusted to Abū Bakr. This decision was based on considerations of expediency, religious factors, and the fact that the people’s hearts were not yet ready to fully accept ʿAlī’s leadership at that time.^[4]

Legitimacy of the First Two Caliphs

The Batriyya accepted the legitimacy of the first two caliphs, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, arguing that ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib's lack of objection constituted tacit approval of their rule:

"We consent to whom he consented to, for it is unlawful for us to do otherwise."^[5] This was in stark contrast to the Jārūdiyya who claimed that "anyone, who pushed ʿAlī away from that position, was blasphemous; and that the community was blasphemous and misguided when it abstained from giving the allegiance to him".^[6]

Legitimacy of the Third Caliph

The Batrīs refrained from passing judgment on ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān:

"When we hear traditions in ʿUthmān's favour and hear that he is one of the ten to whom Paradise is promised, we admit that we must acknowledge the soundness of his islām and his faith, and that he is one of those who will go to Paradise; but when we look at his deeds, such as his negligence in failing to discipline the Umayyads and the Banū Marwān, or his autocratic behaviour contrary to the ways of the Companions, we feel obliged to say, we must declare him an unbeliever. We are, therefore, uncertain about him; so we suspend judgment, and refer the matter to the best of Judges."^[7]

Legal Views

Knowledge and Legal Authority

The Batriyya did not attribute exclusive religious knowledge to the Prophet’s family but recognized the validity of knowledge transmitted within the broader Muslim community. They permitted the use of individual reasoning (ijtihād) and analogy (qiyās) in establishing the law.^[8] This aligned them with early proto-Sunnī traditions.

The Batriyya permitted ʿAlids to study under various non-ʿAlid scholars, including those who emphasized the exclusive legal authority of teachings from the Prophet’s Companions. Their acknowledgment of the moral integrity of all the Companions reinforced their commitment to these traditions as legitimate sources of religious knowledge. Since this knowledge was considered learned rather than divinely inspired, candidates for the Imāmate were required to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the law and its foundational texts. This approach to knowledge was also consistent with the proto-Sunnī perspectives of the early eighth century.^[9]

Ritual Practices

The Batrīs maintained ritual practices in line with Kūfan traditionalism, such as "substitute shoe-rubbing" (masḥ ʿalā’l-khuffayn) and the consumption of eel and date wine.^[10]

Theological Beliefs

The Batrīyya were critical of several beliefs held by the majority of the Kufan Shīʿis:^[11]

Rajʿa (Return): They rejected the doctrine that certain figures would return from the dead before the Resurrection.
Taqiyya (Dissimulation): They opposed the practice of hiding one’s true beliefs in the face of persecution. Application of taqiyya differed greatly: A Kūfan named ʿUmar b. Riyāḥ visited al-Bāqir; in Medina and asked a question about ritual law that he had previously asked a year earlier. This time, however, al-Baqir gave a ruling that contradicted his earlier decision. When ʿUmar challenged him to explain the inconsistency, the imām referred to taqiyya. ʿUmar was not convinced and pointed out the absence of any external threat that would justify dissimulation. He then reported the incident to some of his colleagues in Kūfah, who subsequently converted to Batrī Zaydism.
Badāʾ (Change in Divine Will): Batrīs were critical of the concept of badāʾ, which refers to a change in divine will due to historical circumstances. For instance, during the disputed succession following Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq’s death, some Shīʿis used this idea when his expected successor, his eldest son Ismāʿīl, predeceased him. Heresiographers underline that many of al-Ṣādiq’s followers who rejected this explanation became Batrīs.

Batrī vs. Jārūdī Zaydism

The terms "Batrī" or "Jārūdī" refer to theological orientations rather than distinct, identifiable groups.^[12]

Batrī and Jārūdī Zaydism^[13]
Batrī Zaydism:	Jārūdī Zaydism:
ʿAlī’s designation was implicit.	ʿAlī’s designation was explicit.
Opponents of ʿAlī made a mistake in reasoning. Those who took up arms repented.	Opponents of ʿAlī are apostates. Those who took up arms are also apostates.
Judgment: No cursing them or declaring them apostates.	Judgment: Cursing them and declaring them apostates is allowed.
Allows for the Imāmate of the less worthy candidate.	Restricts the Imāmate to the most worthy candidate.
Legal authority diffused in the larger Muslim community.	Legal authority restricted to the descendants of ʿAlī and Fāṭima.
Rejects the theological doctrines of rajʿa, taqiyya, and badāʾ.	Accepts the theological doctrines of rajʿa, taqiyya, and badāʾ.

These are the main traits linked to Batrī and Jārūdī Zaydis.

Important Figures

Zayd ibn ʿAlī

Zayd ibn ʿAlī (d. 120-1/740) was a descendant of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī. Zaydiyya emerged from his rebellion in Kūfa in 740. At this time Zaydiyya did not designate a religious group, but rather a socio-political group.^[14] This can also be seen from the backing Zayd ibn ʿAlī received. Many leading scholars including Abū Ḥanīfa (d. 767), eponym of Sunnī Ḥanafī school of law, supported Zayd ibn ʿAlī in 740.^[15]

Zayd ibn ʿAlī was moderate in his views on the succession of the Prophet, he refused to condemn the first two caliphs, ʾAbū Bakr and ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and, contrary to many Shīʿī groups, accepted the religious authority of non-ʿAlid scholars, such as his teacher Wāṣil b. ʿAṭā.^[16]

Najam Haider considers the supporters of Zayd and his son Yaḥyā to be Batrī as they were Kūfan traditionists (proto-Sunnī) and supported ʿAlid military uprisings and political claims.^[17]

Yaḥyā ibn Zayd

Yaḥyā was the eldest son^[18] of Zayn ibn ʿAlī. He was the only one who joined Zayd's rebellion.^[19]

Following the failed rebellion in Kūfa, Yaḥyā fled to Khorāsān with a few of his father's remaining supporters. He stayed in hiding, moving between different locations, until he was eventually captured by the Umayyads in Balkh and imprisoned in Marw, the provincial capital. After his release from prison, Yaḥyā eventually made his way back to Nīshāpūr and fought his first battle against Umayyads. Later, he moved on to Jūzjān and was ultimately killed in another battle.^[20]

Muḥammad b. ʿAbdallāh al-Nafs al-Zakiyya and His Brother Ibrahim

Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya and Ibrāhīm were distant nephews of Zayd ibn ʿAlī. Al-Nafs al-Zakiyya was groomed for being appointed a caliph from a young age and many called him "al-Mahdī".^[21]

Al-Nafs al-Zakiyya's father secured allegiance for his son Muḥammad, and the brothers built a network that was far-reaching. ʿAbbāsid caliph al-Manṣūr searched for the brothers as they went underground after the ʿAbbāsid revolution. In 762, the brothers reemerged and revolted. Al-Nafs al-Zakiyya named himself the legitimate imām and took control of Medina, while his brother took control of Basra. Both forces were defeated and the brothers were killed after a few months.^[22]

The revolt is significant as it is the first time a distinct Zaydī identity can be tracked in history. Ibrahim observed chants of "We are the Zaydīs and the sons of Zaydīs" though he corrected those saying they should just call themselves Muslims.^[23]

Yaḥyā b. ʿAbd Allāh and His Brother Idrīs

Within the Zaydīyya context, Yaḥyā and Idrīs's significance is based on the fact that they were integral in the "Jārūdīzation" of Zaydism.^[24]

Yaḥyā and his brother Idrīs grew up in the household of the sixth Twelver Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq,^[25] and Yaḥyā's ritual orthopraxy was thus influenced by Imāmism. In fact, Kūfan Zaydīs' substitute shoe-rubbing and drinking of date wine led to Yaḥyā's refusal to lead them in group prayers.^[26]

Yaḥyā's influence grew even more once he received a caliphal pardon along with a large sum of money that allowed him to move freely, support ʿAlids, and rebuilt Zaydī networks.^[27]

Decline and Legacy

After years of being relentlessly pursued by the ʿAbbāsids,^[28] the Kūfan traditionalism was absorbed into Sunnism by the 9th century, and the views of the Jārūdīyya came to dominate Zaydī thought.^[29]

Despite this, the Batriyya's influence persisted in the broader development of Shīʿī and Zaydī theology. Their moderate positions on succession, legal authority, and communal knowledge reflect an important phase in the evolution of Islamic sectarianism.

References

^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 203.
^ Madelung: "Zaydiyya" 2012, p. 478.
^ Abū Tammām: Kitāb al-Shajara, translated in Madelung and Walker, p. 89.
^ Shahrastani: Muslim Sects and Divisions. p. 133.
^ Al Nawbakhti, Shīʿa Sects - Kitāb Firaq Al Shīʿa, pp. 65-66.
^ Al Nawbakhti, Shīʿa Sects - Kitāb Firaq Al Shīʿa, pp. 66.
^ Shahrastani: Muslim Sects and Divisions. p. 137.
^ Madelung: "Zaydiyya." p. 478
^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 206
^ Ess, Theology and Society in the Second and Third Centuries of the Hijra, p. 276.
^ Haider, “Zaydism” p. 206-207
^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 204
^ Haider, “Zaydism” p. 209, Table 9.1
^ Kontny-Wendt, par. 1
^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 209
^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 203
^ Haider, The Origins of the Shīʿa, p. 213
^ Haider, The Origins of the Shīʿa, p. 200
^ Kontny-Wendt, par. 2
^ Kontny-Wendt, par. 3
^ Haider, The Origins of the Shīʿa, p. 201
^ Haider, The Origins of the Shīʿa, p. 201-202
^ Haider, The Origins of the Shīʿa, p. 203
^ Haider, The Origins of the Shīʿa, p. 214
^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 210
^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 210-211
^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 211
^ Haider, “Zaydism”, p. 210
^ Madelung, "Zaydiyya." p. 478

Sources

Ess, Josef van. Theology and Society in the Second and Third Centuries of the Hijra. A History of Religious Thought in Early Islam. Translated by John O’Kane, Brill, 2016, Volume 1, pp. 274-308, https://brill.com/display/title/31888.
Haider, Najam. The Origins of the Shīʿa: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century Kūfa. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011, pp. 200-14, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/origins-of-the-shia/D60F837E254198FFF4F190DCE11F2D3C.
Haider, Najam. "Zaydism." Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements, edited by Muhammad Afzal Upal and Carole M. Cusack, BRILL, 2021,pp. 203-11, https://brill.com/display/title/57054.
Kontny-Wendt, Natalie. “Zaydī Rebellion in the Kitāb Al-Futūḥ of Ibn Aʿtham (Fl. around 320/932): The Case of Yaḥyā b. Zayd b. ʿAlī (d. 125/743).” Leiden Arabic Humanities Blog, 30 Aug. 2023, https://www.leidenarabichumanitiesblog.nl/articles/zaydī-rebellion-in-the-kitāb-al-futūḥ-of-ibn-aʿtham-fl-around-320-932-the-case-of-yaḥyā-b-zayd-b-ʿalī-d-125-743.
Madelung, Wilferd. "Zaydiyya." The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, edited by P. J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, and Wolfhart Heinrichs, vol. XI, BRILL, 2002, pp. 477-81.
Madelung, Wilferd, and Paul Walker. An Ismaili Heresiography: The “Bāb al-Shayṭān” from Abū Tammāms’ Kitāb al-Shajara. Brill, 1998, pp. 88-94, https://brill.com/display/title/1379.
Al Nawbakhti, Al Hasan Ibn Musa. Shīʿa Sects - Kitāb Firaq Al Shīʿa. Translated by Abbas Kadhim, ICAS Press, 2007, pp. 65-6, http://archive.org/details/ShaSectsKitibFiraqAlShSaByAlHasanIbnMusaAlNawbakhti.
Shahrastani, Muhammad b. ’Abd al-Karim. Muslim Sects and Divisions. The Section on Muslim Sects in Kitāb al–Milal Wa al-Nihal. Translated by A. K. Kazi and J. G. Flynn, Kegan Paul International 1984, reprint New York, Routledge 2013, pp. 132-8, https://ia801208.us.archive.org/27/items/BookOfSectsAndCreedsByShahrastani/Book-of-Sects-and-Creeds-by-Shahrastani_text.pdf.