Hasan al - Utrush Abu Muḥammad al - Ḥasan ibn ‘ Alī ibn al - Ḥasan ibn ‘ Alī ibn ‘ Umar al - Ashraf ibn ‘ Alī Zayn al - ‘ Ābidīn ( Medina , ca . 844 – Amul , January / February 917 ) , better known as al - Ḥasan al - Uṭrūsh ( " the Deaf " ) , was an Alid Shia missionary of the Zaydi sect who re - established Zaydid rule over the province Tabaristan in northern Iran in 914 , after fourteen years of Samanid rule . He ruled Tabaristan until his death under the regnal name of al - Nāṣir li ' l - Ḥaqq ( " Defender of the True Faith " ) , and became known as al - Nāṣir al - Kabīr ( " al - Nasir the Elder " ) to distinguish him from his descendants who bore the same surname . He is still known and recognized as Imam among the Zaydis of Yemen . Early life . Hasan was born in Medina around 844 . Hasan ' s father was a descendant of Husayn ibn Ali , the grandson of Muhammad and third Shi ' a Imam , via his eldest son Zayn al - Abidin , while his mother was an unnamed Khurasani slave . When Hasan ibn Zayd , a descendant of Husayn ' s brother Hasan , established his rule over Tabaristan in the 860s , Hasan joined him there . However , he eventually fell out with Hasan ibn Zayd ' s brother and successor , Muhammad ibn Zayd , who distrusted him . Hasan left Tabaristan and tried to set up a realm of his own in the provinces further east . To this end , he allied himself with the ruler of Khurasan , Muhammad ibn Abdallah al - Khujistani , who was an enemy of Muhammad ibn Zayd . Soon , however , al - Khujistani too came to distrust him and had him imprisoned and scourge d , as a result of which he lost his hearing and received the sobriquet " al - Utrush " ( " the Deaf " ) , by which he is known . When he was released from imprisonment , Hasan returned to Tabaristan and the service of Muhammad ibn Zayd . Hasan was present and fought alongside the latter in the disastrous battle in 900 at Gurgan against the Samanid army of Muhammad ibn Harun al - Sarakhsi . Muhammad ibn Zayd was defeated and died of his wounds , leaving Tabaristan open to Samanid occupation . Hasan managed to escape the defeat and at first sought refuge in Rayy . There he received the invitation of the Justanid king of Daylam , who had also supported and served the Zaydid brothers . Together , Hasan and the Justanids tried in 902 and 903 to recover control of Tabaristan , but without success . Worried by the fickleness of the Justanids , Hasan resolved to build a power base of his own . He therefore engaged in a mission to the as yet unconverted Gilites and the Daylamites to the north of the Alburz mountains , where he preached in person and founded mosques . His efforts were swiftly crowned by success : the mountain Daylamites and the Gilites east of the Safid Rud river recognized him as their imam with the name of al - Nāṣir li ' l - Ḥaqq ( " Defender of the True Faith " ) and were converted to his own branch of Zaydi Islam , which was named after him as the " Nasiriyya " and differed in some practices from the " mainstream " " Qasimiyya " branch adopted in Tabaristan following the teachings of Qasim ibn Ibrahim . This development threatened the position of the Justanid king , Justan ibn Vahsudan , but in the ensuing showdown between the two Hasan was able to affirm his position and compel the Justanid to swear allegiance to himself . Recovery of Tabaristan and aftermath . Seeing Hasan ' s rise to power , the Samanid ruler Ahmad ibn Isma ' il sent an army under Muhammad ibn Sa ' luk to Tabaristan to oppose a new Zaydid takeover of the province . Although the Samanid force was far superior in numbers and equipment , Hasan managed to inflict a crushing defeat upon it in December 913 at Burdidah on the river Burrud west of Chalus . A detachment that managed to find refuge in the fortress of Chalus was induced to surrender and then massacred by his son - in - law , Abu Muhammad al - Hasan ibn al - Qasim . After this success , the provincial capital Amul opened its gates to the Zaydid forces , and Hasan took up residence in the palace . Taking advantage of the murder of Ahmad ibn Ismai ' il soon after , and the preoccupation of his successor Nasr II with cementing his own authority , Hasan was soon able to extend his control over all the old Zaydid domains , including both Tabaristan and Gurgan . A Samanid counter - attack temporarily forced him to abandon Amul and withdraw to Chalus , but after 40 days he beat the invasion back and re - established his position . Even old opponents of the first Zaydid emirs , like the Bavandid Sharvin ibn Rustam , made peace with him and accepted his authority . His achievement was undermined , however , by tensions among his supporters over the issue of his succession , given his advanced age . Hasan ' s own sons were regarded as dissolute and incapable for leadership , while Hasan fell out with his son - in - law and chief general , Abu Muhammad al - Hasan ibn al - Qasim . On one occasion the latter even took the elderly imam captive , but this produced such an outcry that he was forced to flee to Daylam . In the end , the notables of Tabaristan prevailed upon both to mend their differences , and Abu Muhammad was named as successor over Hasan ' s own sons . Hasan ruled over Tabaristan until his death in January / February 917 , and even a Sunni historian like al - Tabari comments that " the people had not seen anything like the justice of al - Utrush , his good conduct , and his fulfilment of the right " . His tomb in Amul became a major site of pilgrimage for the Daylamite and Gilite Shi ' ites , and his descendants , who kept the honorific surname " al - Nasir " , were held in high esteem . Upon his death , Abu Muhammad returned from Gilan and succeeded him as ruler until his death in 928 . Although a popular ruler , his reign was constantly threatened by Hasan ' s sons Abu ' l - Husayn Ahmad and Abu ' l - Qaim Ja ' far and their supporters , who deposed and forced him to exile briefly in 919 and again in 923 – 926 .