Ahmad al-Hassan al-Yamani

Who is Ahmad al-Hassan al-Yamani?

Ahmad al-Hassan is the leader of the Shia Iraqi movement Ansar Imam Mahdi, and says that he is the messenger of the messianic figure the Imam Mahdi. Ahmad al-Hassan says that he had seen Imam Mahdi in a vision while sleeping, ordering him to enroll in the Hawza Ilmiya, a religious institute in Najaf, Iraq. During his attempts at reforming the Hawza, Ahmad al-Hassan isolated himself at home to learn the sciences of the Hawza, which he saw as disordered. He later formed a group called the Ansar.

He is known to his followers as al-Yamani, referring to the eschatological Yamani leader who will precede the return of the Imam.