In this he was supported by Sharif Husayn of Abu Arish, who acted as autonomous lord in the Yemeni lowlands (Tihamah) under formal Ottoman suzerainty.
[1] The period of Al-Mutawakkil Muhammad's reign was marked by the severe oppression of his Jewish subjects in Sana'a, forcing many of them to flee the city and to take-up refuge elsewhere.
Many of them, under the orders of the Imam's viceroy, Abū-Zayid b. Ḥasan al-Miṣri, were incarcerated, and shackled in fetters of iron, while others severely beaten and tormented, until they could appease their antagonists by paying large sums of ransom money.
Al-Mutawakkil Muhammad's position was now precarious, but he resumed the offensive in late 1848 and early 1849, capturing Ta'izz and Yarim.
In April 1849 the Turkish commander Tevfik Pasha arrived with a strong detachment in Hudaydah on the coast and forced Sharif Husayn to surrender.
After 25 days the Turkish troops decided to retreat to Hudaydah, leaving the Zaidi state to its own devices for the next 23 years.