Fatima.Mernessi_The-Forgotten-Queens-of-Islam-EN

The Shi'ite Dynasty of Yemen 131
tained the synthesis and great revelation (al-kashf al-akbar). 45 The
kashfis the unveiling of the secret, the ability to see the batin, the
meaning within, the hidden meaning beyond appearances. 46 Nothing
better summarizes this idea of 'the secret' than the declaration
(which became almost an adage) of the great Shi'ite imam Ja'far
al-Siddiq, who was sixth in the line of imams: 'Our cause is a secret
[sirr] within a secret, the secret of something that remains veiled,
a secret that only another secret can teach; a secret of a secret that
is veiled by a secret.' 47 A notable illustration of this phenomenon
can be seen in the more or less clandestine initiation of 'Ali al-
Sulayhi, which began when he was still a child by a Shi'ite preceptor
to whom his Sunni family sent him to learn the fundamentals of the
Muslim faith.
'Ali's father, Muhammad Ibn 'Ali al-Sulayhi, was a qadi (judge),
very well versed in religious doctrine. He practised his profession
on the Massar mountain in Haraz province and was one of the most
prominent of its notables. As such, he was visited by local religious
personalities, who came to pay him homage. One of his visitors,
the Shi'ite da'i Amir Ibn 'Abdallah al-Rawahi, who visited him
because of 'his piety and his learning', showed a particular interest
in 'Ali, then still a young child, whose great promise he perceived.
The sources differ on the religious affiliation of 'Ali's father. According
to Ibn Khallikan he was Sunni. 48 According to Ibn Imad, the
dyed-in-the-wool anti-Shi'ite Hanbali historian (the Hanbalis were
known for their strictness), the qadi held 'perverted beliefs', which
in his vocabulary meant Shi'ite beliefs plain and simple. 49 In any
case, during these visits Al-Rawahi showed such pleasure in talking
to the qadi's child that the youngster was entrusted to his care for
instruction. He became 'Ali's tutor. Among the key messages that
he imprinted on the child's mind was that Yemen was just waiting
for him, 'Ali, the predestined hero, to lead it to a marvellous future.
Al-Rawahi was convinced that 'Ali was an exceptional being who
had been portrayed in a very precious ancient book, Kitab alsuwar,
that made it possible to know the future and foresee coming
events. 50 This treasured book was only one among several that were
part of al-Rawahi's library, which, as trustee of the Shi'ite mission,
he was supposed to pass on to the one who would carry on his
secret work. 51 And he was absolutely convinced that no one was
worthier of the task of propagating and defending the Shi'ite faith
in Yemen than 'Ali, the child with the prodigious intellect. Al-
Rawahi revealed nothing of his ideas and projects to the father,
who suspected nothing. But one day al-Rawahi, having a foreboding