Himyar (حِمْيَر) was a great South Arabian dynasty and tribal confederation, established in Yemen and descended from the Qahtani Arabs. They formed one of the mightiest Arab kingdoms in the centuries before the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and are named in the Arabic sources as the heirs of the ancient South Arabian civilisations, such as Saba and Qataban.¹
Himyar played a central role in the political, religious and economic history of South Arabia, and held influence over the surrounding regions as far as al-Shaam, Ethiopia and Persia.
Lineage and royal power
The Himyarites descended from Himyar ibn Saba ibn Yashjub ibn Ya’rub ibn Qahtan.²
According to Ibn Kathir and Ibn Sa’d, they were the last among the great southern Arab kingdoms to rule before the scattering of the Arab tribes that followed the collapse of the dam complex of Ma’rib.³
They established their capital at Zafar and later at Sana’a, and governed trade, agriculture and the international trade routes.
Religion and the development of faith
Himyar passed through several religious phases:
- In the early period they followed a form of South Arabian pagan cult
- Thereafter parts of the people adopted Judaism⁴
- In certain periods there were Christian influences as well⁵
- In the last centuries before Islam, religious conflict and persecution arose
The Qur’an refers to a well-known historical incident traditionally associated with Himyar: the account of Ashab al-Ukhdud (the People of the Ditch), in Surah al-Buruj.⁶
According to Ibn Kathir and the historians, this referred to a Himyarite king who burned believers because of their faith in Allah ﷻ.⁷
Conflicts with Ethiopia (Aksum)
The persecution of believers in Yemen led to the invasion by the Aksumite (Ethiopian) empire, supported by the Christian powers in the region, as recorded by al-Tabari.⁸
After this, Yemen stood under the influence of Ethiopia, then for a short time under a Himyarite reaction, and ultimately under Persian authority, just before the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.⁹
These intricate shifts of power formed the backdrop to the famous invasion of Abraha, the governor of Ethiopia in Yemen, who attempted to attack the Ka’bah. This event took place in the year known as Aam al-Fil, the year in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born.¹⁰
Himyar and the rise of Islam
By the time of the prophethood, Himyarite power had weakened and the region stood under Persian authority. Ibn Kathir mentions that some nobles of Yemen, among them Himyarites, accepted Islam during the period of the delegations after the Conquest of Mecca.¹¹
After the spread of Islam, Himyarite tribes and descendants played a role in the early Islamic state, above all in Yemen and later in the armies of expansion.
Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa-n-Nihayah, sections on the peoples of Yemen
Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, genealogy of Qahtan
Ibn Kathir, mention of Ma’rib and the South Arabian dynasties
Al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul wa-l-Muluk, account of the Jewish period in Yemen
Al-Tabari, description of Christian influence in Yemen
Qur’an, Surah al-Buruj (85:4-9)
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, exegesis of Surah al-Buruj
Al-Tabari, account of the Ethiopian intervention
Ibn Kathir, the period before the birth of the Prophet ﷺ
Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah, account of Aam al-Fil
Ibn Sa’d, chapter on Aam al-Wufud