Yemen has a rich history that dates back to ancient times. The region was home to several kingdoms, including the Himyarite Kingdom, which converted to Judaism in the 5th century AD. Islam arrived in Yemen around 630 CE during the rule of the Persian governor Badhan. Yemen was ruled as part of Arab-Islamic caliphates and became a province in the Islamic empire. The country was rarely unified for any long period of time, and local control in the Middle Ages was exerted by a succession of families. The most long-lived and important polity was founded in 897 by Yayha bin Husayn bin Qasim ar-Rassi. They were the Zaydis of Sa’dah in the highlands of North Yemen, headed by imams of various Sayyid lineages. As ruling Imams of Yemen, they established a Shia theocratic political structure that survived with some intervals until 1962.
Geographically, Yemen is located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula and is mostly mountainous and arid. The centers of the Old South Arabian kingdoms of present-day Yemen lay around the desert area called Ramlat al-Sab’atayn, known to medieval Arab geographers as Ṣayhad. The southern and western highlands and the coastal region were less influential politically.
Yemen has a special place in Islamic history, and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had a deep affection for the land and its people. In a hadith narrated in Masnad Ahmad (Hadith Book) by Hazrat Jubair ibn Mut‘im R.A., the Prophet (PBUH) said, “The people of Yemen are on the verge of ascending upon you as if they are clouds. They are the best (people) on Earth”.
Yemen has a long history of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Recently, Yemen’s Houthi movement’s strategy in the Red Sea, against the genocide of Gaza people by Israel, is being witnessed by the whole world. Houthis are seizing the Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea and firing rockets towards Israel in support of Palestine. The Houthi movement felt obliged to act because of the strong, historically rooted support for Palestinians among the Yemeni people. Since the beginning of the genocidal Israeli assault on Gaza from October 7, 2023, the Houthi movement has been loud and clear in their support of Palestinians, launching a series of missiles and drones in Israel’s direction.
In this blog, i am mentioning a PDF book name, containing 40 hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) about Yemen and its people.
The Book name is “A People He (P.B.U.H) Loves and They Love Him”. A must read!
