A member of the
Banu Hamdan tribe, Ali ibn Hanzala had been active within the Tayyibi already during the tenure of the third ,
Hatim ibn Ibrahim (1162–1199). Under the fifth ,
Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid (1209–1215), he served as his senior deputy () and succeeded him when the latter died in 1215. The position of () signified their position as the
de facto leaders of the Tayyibi community in their capacity as vicegerents of the
hidden imam. 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 also sent junior missionaries to assist the growing Isma'ili community in western
India. At the same time, he confronted the attempts of the rival
Hafizi Isma'ili , and the
Zaydi imams, to expand their influence in his territories. His own s were both relatives of his predecessor, Ali ibn Muhammad:
Ahmad ibn Mubarak, Ali's nephew, and Ali's son
al-Husayn. Both would succeed him as after his death on 8 February 1229. ==Writings==