Imam Husain al Zaki SA, the tenth Imam, succeeded his father Imam Ahmed bin Abdullah SA to hail and prepare for the advent of his son, Al Mahdi SA.
The Abbasid plotters were afraid of the strength of the dawat, and of the rightful Imam challenging their seat of power. They determined to seek out his identity and location in order to destroy him, but failed to succeed, for neither the name nor the description of the Imam SA were disclosed to anyone except the most faithful of followers. While remaining in seclusion, the Imam continued his work.
Imam Husain SA disseminated ‘uloom, and dispatched emissaries and Du’at to several parts of the world for the proliferation of dawat. As the day of zuhoor of Al Mahdi SA drew nearer, Imam Husain al Zaki SA endeavored to raise the dawat in his name. He journeyed to Kufah for the ziyarat of Amir ul Mumineen SA and Imam Husain SA, where he met Dai Abil Qasim RA, on the banks of the Euphrates river.
Dai Abil Qasim (RA), then ignorant of the identity of the Imam SA, describes the meeting as one with a Shaikh whose likeness he had never seen. This Shaikh was accompanied by a young man, whose name and identity were also not revealed.
The Shaikh conversed with Dai Abil Qasim RA, and at the end of it, left, with the promise to return “ghadin”. Dai Abil Qasim (RA) came the next day to the same place by the Euphrates, and the next and the next, and waited for the Shaikh. Finally, one day the young man who had accompanied the Shaikh appeared, and Dai Abil Qasim (RA) asked him about the promise that had been made to him. The young man answered that had the Shaikh promised, he would not have disappointed, but in his promise of “ghadin”, no day or date had been fixed.
The young man proceeded to talk with Dai Abil Qasim RA only to eventually reveal that the Shaikh was none other than the Imam SA, himself. Dai Abil Qasim who was originally of the Ithna Ashari faith, accepted dawat. He was instructed to journey to Yemen, to establish the dawat of Al Mahdi SA beginning from Aden La’ah.
When the dawat was strong and flourishing in Yemen, the Imam SA sent Dai Abi Abdillah RA to Dai Abil Qasim RA to do as he did, and learn from him. The Imam sent a risalat to Dai Abil Qasim RA to inspire and guide. Dai Abil Abdillah RA arrived in Aden La’ah with the dispatch of the Imam and remained in the company of Dai Abil Qasim RA for a year, after which he traveled to Al Maghreb.
Meanwhile, the Imam resided in Salamiyah among the Abbasids, maintaining taqiyyat, while treasures reached his palace on camel back through a long underground tunnel.
Imam Husain Al Zaki SA deputized his brother Saeed ul Kahir to bequeath the amanat of Imamate to his son, Al Mahdi SA. Saeed ul Kahir desired Imamate for his sons, but it so happened that none of them survived; Saeed ul Kahir realized his grave error and bowed before the rightful Imam Al Mahdi SA.
The qabar mubarak of Imam Husain al Zaki is in Askar-e- Mukkaram, Iran.