Hamdanid dynasty
Like most of his predecessors and successors, Ali enjoyed good relations with the Hamdanid dynasty ruling Sanaa and their Ayyubid overlords, which allowed him to reside both in Sanaa and in the Hatimid Hamdanid stronghold of Dhu Marmar. He sent junior "dāʿī"s to assist the growing Isma'ili community in western India. At the same time, he confronted the attempts of the rival Hafizi Isma'ili "daʿwa" and the Zaydi imams to expand their influence in his territories.