Yemen is situated in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. In 626/1228 the Sunni dynasty of Rasulids (626-858/1228-1454) conquered Lower Yemen, and thereafter they were constantly pitted against the Zaydi Imamate that ruled over Upper Yemen. The Rasulids built many madrasa in Zabid, the largest city in the Tihama, for the purpose of training and protecting the Sunni ‘ulama’. This measure was taken in order to assert the legitimacy of their rule over Yemen and prevent the advance of the Zaydi Imamate. Under the Rasulids there existed several distinguished families who produced a succession of ‘ulama’. These families included the Banu 'Ujayl, Banu al-Manbah, and another was the Banu al-'Imran, who are taken up for consideration in the present article.
In the 6th/12th century the Banu al-'Imran, who had living in the Tihama, migrated to the village of Masna'a near the city of al-Janad in the southern highlands of Lower Yemen. Because the Banu al-'Imran had already produced several renowned ‘ulama’, the ‘ulama’ of this region began coming to study under members of the family. During the reign of the Rasulids sultan al-Muzaffar Yusuf b. 'Umar, a member of the Banu al-'Imran by the name of al-Qadi Muhammad b. As'ad b. Muhammad b. Musa b., al-Husayn b. As'ad al-'Imrani formed a close friendship with the sultan. Consequently, with the backing of the sultan's authority, the family came to have enormous influence, especially in the administration of justice, and they began to appoint as qadi those ‘ulama’ who had connections with the family. This led to confusion and corruption in the administration of justice. But after the death of the sultan al-Muzaffar and the installation of a new sultan, the Banu al-'Imran were deprived of their power.
