Background
Muhammad bin Ishaq was a grandson of Imam al-Mahdi Ahmad (died 1681).
Muhammad bin Ishaq was a grandson of Imam al-Mahdi Ahmad (died 1681).
In 1723, while staying in Mashriq, he proclaimed his da"wah (call for the imamate) under the name an-Nasir Muhammad. The proclamation was done in opposition to the current Imam al-Mutawakkil al-Qasim. However, a well-known man of letters, Muhammad bin Isma"il al-Amir, managed to bring about a reconciliation.
When al-Mutawakkil al-Qasim died in 1727, an-Nasir Muhammad once again claimed the imamate from his base in Zafar, north-west of San"a.
He had the support of the Hashid and Bakil tribesmen, and from the Sayyid lord of Kawkaban. He was opposed by the deceased Imam"s son al-Mansur al-Husayn II who held San"a.
The leader of the tribesmen went to parley with al-Mansur al-Husayn but was assassinated in the latter"s tent. This led to great consternation among the tribes and a round of indecisive fighting.
Foreign a brief time al-Mansur al-Husayn appears to have acknowledged an-Nasir Muhammad as Imam.
He was well received, and al-Mansur al-Husayn assigned maintenance for him. One of an-Nasir Muhammad"s sons stayed in confinement, while he himself withdrew to private life until his death in 1754.