The Arabian Peninsula is enclosed by the Red Sea and Sinai to the west, the Arabian Gulf to the east, the Arabian Sea to the south, and Al-Sham and part of Iraq to the north. Because of its location, it has always been an important region. Due to the inhospitable desert terrain, it was a difficult area to conquer. The inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula therefore enjoyed reasonable freedom and independence throughout the centuries, despite the presence of two neighbouring superpowers.
Who were these superpowers?
The Two Superpowers
The Byzantines
The eastern part of the Roman Empire was known as the Byzantine Empire. They ruled over Syria, Palestine, Egypt and North Africa, among other regions. Their capital was Constantinople. They were a Christian people, but were known for oppressing their subjects, especially in the conquered territories.
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The Persians
The Persian Empire was larger and stronger than the Byzantine Empire. They followed religions such as Zoroastrianism and Mithraism. They dominated the Persian lands and had kings. Kingship was passed from father to son. They were known for being extremely corrupt and believed they could act with impunity because they considered themselves descendants of their gods. Everything produced in Persia was effectively the property of the kings. This meant they possessed enormous wealth and lived extremely extravagantly.
The Arabian Peninsula was an important region because it is the centre of the ancient world and formed a bridge, by both land and sea, to most nations and peoples of that time. Because of this strategic location, it became a centre of trade, culture, religion and art.
As discussed earlier, the Arabs are divided into three groups: the Extinct Arabs, the Pure Arabs (Qahtanites) and the Arabised Arabs (Adnanites). In this article we focus on the Pure Arabs.
The Pure Arabs (Qahtanites)
The Qahtanites descend from Ya’rub ibn Yashjub ibn Qahtan and are also known as the Southern Arabs. The kings of Yemen were Pure Arabs, as were the inhabitants of the kingdoms of Ma’een, Saba and Himyar.
They form the core of what in the (classical) sources is called al-'Arab al-'Aribah, meaning the original Arabs who for centuries shaped the civilisations of South Arabia. In Yemen, their kings ruled over powerful kingdoms such as Ma’een, Saba and Himyar, which were renowned for their trade, architecture and fertile lands.
Saba
The people of Saba in Yemen are known as one of the oldest and most famous nations of Pure Arabs. This civilisation flourished 11 centuries BCE and their territory expanded. From 1300 to 650 BCE they were known as Ma’iniyah. Their capital Sarwa, also known as Khariba, lies approximately 50 km northwest of Ma’rib. During this period, they began construction of the Ma’rib Dam, a structure of great importance in the history of Yemen.
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Between 620 and 115 BCE they were known as Saba, and Ma’rib became the capital of the kingdom; Ma’rib lies 192 km east of Sana’a. They used water from the dams to irrigate their fields, where they cultivated various types of trees, plants and fruit.
The First Himyarite Kingdom
From 115 BCE to 300 CE, after the Himyar conquest, it became the Himyar Kingdom. During this period the decline of the kingdom began: first trade, then the dominance of the Byzantine fleet over the sea routes, and internal strife. This caused a number of Qahtan families to become divided and scattered.
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The Second Himyarite Kingdom
From 300 CE until the coming of Islam, the kingdom was known as the Second Himyarite Kingdom. This period was characterised by increasing disorder, unrest and tribal warfare. Yemen became vulnerable to foreign interference as a result. The Byzantines conquered territories and helped the Abyssinians occupy Yemen in 340 CE. The occupation lasted until 378, after which Yemen regained its independence. However, because of their disobedience and ingratitude towards Allah ﷻ, they were punished. Allah ﷻ says:
لَقَدۡ كَانَ لِسَبَإٖ فِي مَسۡكَنِهِمۡ ءَايَةٞۖ جَنَّتَانِ عَن يَمِينٖ وَشِمَالٖۖ كُلُواْ مِن رِّزۡقِ رَبِّكُمۡ وَٱشۡكُرُواْ لَهُۥۚ بَلۡدَةٞ طَيِّبَةٞ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٞ فَأَعۡرَضُواْ فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ سَيۡلَ ٱلۡعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلۡنَٰهُم بِجَنَّتَيۡهِمۡ جَنَّتَيۡنِ ذَوَاتَيۡ أُكُلٍ خَمۡطٖ وَأَثۡلٖ وَشَيۡءٖ مِّن سِدۡرٖ قَلِيلٖ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيۡنَٰهُم بِمَا كَفَرُواْۖ وَهَلۡ نُجَٰزِيٓ إِلَّا ٱلۡكَفُورَ
Indeed, there was a sign for (the people of) Saba in their dwelling place: two gardens on the right and on the left (of the valley). (We said to them:) "Eat of the provision of your Lord and be grateful to Him. It is a prosperous land and a Forgiving Lord." But they turned away, so We sent upon them a flood released from the dam, and We replaced their two gardens with gardens bearing bitter, foul fruit, tamarisks and a few lote trees. Thus We repaid them because they were ungrateful disbelievers. And We do not repay anyone but the ungrateful.
Surah Saba 15-17
This caused the fall of the entire Yemeni civilisation and the scattering of all the peoples who lived there. This is how the various tribes of the Southern Arabs were dispersed across the Arabian Peninsula. Tribes such as 'Azd who settled in Oman, or the Ghassan who settled in Sham, but also the Aws and Khazraj who settled in Yathrib. These originally South Arabian tribes would later play an important role in the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ.