When Islaam spread until there came the Nasr(Help) of Allaah and the Fat'hu (Victory), the people began to enter into Allaah's Deen (Religion, the way of Islaam) Afwaajaa (in large crowds) which subsequently lead in the people of Yemen becoming Muslims.
After this, the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam sent the Mu'allimoon (Teachers and Scholars) to teach them the Deen.
So he sent 'Alee bin Abee Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) to the tribe of al-Hamdaan(located in the north and another significant point is that Shaykh Muqbil rahimahullaah is a decendant from this tribe).
And he sent Mu'aadh bin Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him) to the Janad which is now a suburb of the city of Ta'izz and it's known that the first Masjid of Yemen was established and constructed by Mu'aadh bin Jabal, radhiyallaahu ta'aalaa 'anhu, in this place and in this very month in the year 6 Hijree.
Also from the virtues and excellence of Mu'aadh is that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, sent him to the people of Yemen as a Khateeb(preacher) on his behalf, a Daa'ee (caller), aMu'allim (teacher and scholar) of understanding in the Deen, a giver of fataawaa (religious verdicts), and a Qaadhee (judge).
And he sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam also sent messengers to San'aa, from them were Wabr bin Yuhannas al-Khuzaa'ee al-Ansaaree (may Allaah be pleased with him) who he sent as a protector over San'aa, where upon he ordered him to build them amasjid with features he defined for him. Wabr said:"The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said to me:
"If you build the masjid of San'aa, make it to face the right of a mountain called Dheen."
[Reported by At-Tabaraanee in his al-Mu'jamul-Awsaat, page.253 (no. 831) and it's isnaad (chain)is hasan (Authentic).]
Al-Haafidh ar-Raazee
rahimahullaahu ta'aalaa, who died in the year 460 Hijree said in his book,
Taareekhu (History of) San'aa:
"The Messenger
sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam ordered Wabr bin Yuhannas al-Ansaaree, when he sent him to San'aa as its walee (protector) saying:
"Call them to Eemaan (true faith, to theTawheed of Allaah), if they obey you in that, then legislate to them the Salaah, if they obey you in that, then go and build the masjid in Bathaanpark, from where is found a rock in Ghamdaanand face it to a mountain called Dheen."
And Imaam ar-Raazee also said, "The Messenger of Allaah instructed Wabr radhiyallaahu 'anhu in a letter to build the Badhaan walls of the masjid and to make it from the rock's root and inner-core position, and to face it to Mount Dheen."
Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"When Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam sent Mu'aadh radhiyallaahu ta'aalaa 'anhu to Yemen, he said:
"Verily you are going to a people from the People of the Book, so let your first thing you call them to be - Shahaadatu 'an laa 'ilaaha illa Allaah - that there is nothing worthy of worship in truth except Allaah."
And in another narration: "...'Ilaa 'An Yuwahhidoo Allaaha - (call them) To single out Allaah (alone) with all worship, actualizing the Tawheed(Oneness) of Allaah..."
On a different occasion, on the day of Khaybar to be exact, he sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said to 'Alee bin Abee Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) as he handed him the flag and informed that Allaah would bring about victory by his hands:
"Advance and proceed slowly with ease, gentleness until you arrive in their midst and encampment, then call them to Islaam and inform them of that which is obligatory upon them from the right of Allaah the Most Hight, in it [Islaam]. By Allaah! If He may guide through you a single man to Islaam then that is better for you than Humrin-Na'am (The red camels which was from the most valued possession to the Arabs of the time.)
Therefore from the first teachers and callers to the people of Yemen (people of Hamdaan and al-Janadin particular) were 'Alee bin Abee Taalib and Mu'aadh bin Jabal radhiyallaahu ta'aalaa 'anhummaa, as well as other Noble Sahaabah, (all) under the clear guidance and instructions of our beloved Prophet.
The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam said,
"Verily Eemaan is Yamaanin and Hikmah(Wisdom) is Yamaaniyyah and I find the Nafas(assistance) of Ar-Rahmaan (the Most Merciful) coming from Yemen."
[This hadeeth has been collected by Imaam Ahmad in his Musnad (no.10978) upon the authority of Aboo Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him.]
Ibn Faaris rahimahullaah said in
Maqaayeesul-Lughah:
"A nafas is anything that alleviates a burden."
Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-'Uthaymeenrahimahullaah said in
al-Qawaa'idul-Muthlaa fee Sifaatillaahi wa Asmaa'ihil-Husnaa:
"So then the meaning of the hadeeth is that Allaah will alleviate the burdens of the believers by way of the people of Yemen."
Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullaahu ta'aalaa said: "And they were the ones who fought the apostates and conquered many lands. So, by way of them, Ar-Rahmaan (The Most Merciful) alleviated the burdens of the believers."[Majmoo'ul-Fataawaa (6/398).]
Allaah the Most High, has blessed and honored the lands of Yemen and given this country a unique status that no other place (besides the two sacred cities of Makkah and Madeenah) enjoys. There are many virtues mentioned in the various Ahadeethregarding Yemen and the people residing there. This land has also been the place of many Prophets,Sahaabah (Companions), scholars and pious servants of Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with them all). Of the many narrations wherein the virtues of Yemen and its inhabitants have been mentioned.
As it has been related by Imaam al-Bukhaaree and Imaam Musilm in their Saheeh the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said:
"The people of Yemen have come. They are more weak and soft-hearted. Eemaan (belief) is Yemeni, and Hikmah (wisdom) is also Yemenite.As-Sakeenah (calmness) is the quality of the sheep owners. While pride and haughtiness are the qualities of the camel owners towards the place of sunrise."
[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree,( no: 4127).]
Also from Abee Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said: "The people of Yemen have come to you. They are tender-hearted and more delicate of soul. Al-Fiqh (The capacity to understand) is of the Yemenis andHikmah (wisdom) is that of the Yemenis."[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree,(no: 4129) and Saheeh Muslim, (no: 84).]
From Abee Mas’ood that the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam gestured with his hands towards Yemen and said: "Eemaan is there…" [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, (no: 4126) and Saheeh Muslim, (no: 81).]
Imaam an-Nawawee rahimahullaah said in hisSharh of Saheeh Muslim :
"....There is nothing wrong with attributing these narrations literally to the people of Yemen. They (the people of Yemen) had strong Eemaan in the time of the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam and he sensed this from the people of Yemen such as, Aboo Muslim al-Khawlanee, Uways al-Qarnee and the delegations that came to him from Yemen. So, attributing Eemaan to Yemen meant that the people of Yemen had strong and complete Eemaan, but this did not negate that others had strong Eemaan as well. As far as Fiqh and Hikmah are concerned, the former (Fiqh) means to have a deep understanding of religion, whilst the latter (Hikmah) refers to Ma’rifah (having a conscious acknowledgment of Allaah the Most High, coupled with self-reformation, good character and abstaining from following one’s desires and falsehood.
The meaning of "They are extremely gentle and soft-hearted" is that they are the people of Khashyah (timidity) and have an attitude of 'Istikaanah (humble acceptance ). They are extremely quick in accepting Naseehah (genuine advice) and are easily affected by it. They are immune from harshness, hard-heartedness and ruggedness." [Imaam An-Nawawee in al-Minhaaj Sharh Saheeh Muslim,(page: 158-159).]
In the above mentioned narrations related from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, we notice the singling out of Yemen and its people with great qualities. Strong, complete Eemaan and true conviction is said to exist in Yemen, with the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallamgesturing and pointing his hands in the direction of Yemen and saying "Eemaan is there." Similarly, he sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam cited Hikmah(wisdom) and Fiqh (deep understanding of religion) to exist in Yemen. Moreover, when a delegation comes to the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, he mentions the qualities and characteristics of the people of Yemen saying that they are extremely soft-hearted people and very humble.
Zayd bin Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam looked towards Yemen and said:"O Allaah! Turn their hearts (towardsEemaan)..." [Sunan at-Tirmidhee, (no: 3934).]
On the authority of Abee Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said: "...AndAmaanah (trustworthiness) is in (the tribe of)Azd, [meaning in Yemen]." [Sunan at-Tirmidhee, (no: 3936).]
Jubayr ibn Mut’im (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrates that once the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam looked up towards the heavens and said: "The people of Yemen have come to you like the pieces of clouds. They are the best of people on the face of the earth." A Companion asked: "O Messenger of Allaah! Are they even better than us?" The Messenger of Allaah replied: "Except you." [Musnad of Imaam Ahamd and Musnad Abee Ya’laa.]
From 'Amr bin 'Abasa (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that 'Uyaynah bin Hisn al-Fazaree once said in the presence of the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam that, "...the best of men are the people of Najd." He sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam replied: "You have lied! Rather, the best of men are the people of Yemen. Eemaanis Yemenee and I am also a Yemenee." [At-Tabaraanee and Ahmad with all the narrators in the chain being Thiqaat (Trustworthy and Reliable).]
The meaning of "They are extremely gentle and soft-hearted" is that they are the people of Khashyah (timidity) and have an attitude of 'Istikaanah (humble acceptance ). They are extremely quick in accepting Naseehah (genuine advice) and are easily affected by it. They are immune from harshness, hard-heartedness and ruggedness." [Imaam An-Nawawee in al-Minhaaj Sharh Saheeh Muslim,(page: 158-159).]
In the above mentioned narrations related from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, we notice the singling out of Yemen and its people with great qualities. Strong, complete Eemaan and true conviction is said to exist in Yemen, with the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallamgesturing and pointing his hands in the direction of Yemen and saying "Eemaan is there." Similarly, he sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam cited Hikmah(wisdom) and Fiqh (deep understanding of religion) to exist in Yemen. Moreover, when a delegation comes to the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, he mentions the qualities and characteristics of the people of Yemen saying that they are extremely soft-hearted people and very humble.
Zayd bin Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam looked towards Yemen and said:"O Allaah! Turn their hearts (towardsEemaan)..." [Sunan at-Tirmidhee, (no: 3934).]
On the authority of Abee Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said: "...AndAmaanah (trustworthiness) is in (the tribe of)Azd, [meaning in Yemen]." [Sunan at-Tirmidhee, (no: 3936).]
Jubayr ibn Mut’im (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrates that once the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam looked up towards the heavens and said: "The people of Yemen have come to you like the pieces of clouds. They are the best of people on the face of the earth." A Companion asked: "O Messenger of Allaah! Are they even better than us?" The Messenger of Allaah replied: "Except you." [Musnad of Imaam Ahamd and Musnad Abee Ya’laa.]
From 'Amr bin 'Abasa (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that 'Uyaynah bin Hisn al-Fazaree once said in the presence of the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam that, "...the best of men are the people of Najd." He sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam replied: "You have lied! Rather, the best of men are the people of Yemen. Eemaanis Yemenee and I am also a Yemenee." [At-Tabaraanee and Ahmad with all the narrators in the chain being Thiqaat (Trustworthy and Reliable).]
In this hadeeth, it was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allaah that the people of Najd were the best of people, but the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam was quick to reject this notion saying that this was wrong; rather, the people of Yemen were the best amongst people.
This hadeeth reminds us of another narration recorded by Imaam al-Bukhaaree and others wherein The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallammade Du’aa for Yemen in his saying,
"Oh Allaah bless us in our Shaam ( Jordan, Palestine and Syria) and in our Yemen."
He said this three times and after every time the people of Najd said, and in our Najd, Oh Messenger of Allaah! He said,
"Earthquakes and Fitan (trials and tribulations) are there and from there will rise the horn of Shaytaan."
[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, (no: 990).]
The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam referred to himself as a Yemenee. The reason could be
Wallaahu 'alam, "Yemen" was in fact the name of Qahtaan’s son, and Qahtaan was a forefather of the Arabs and was from the children of Prophet Ismaa'eel ('alayhis-Salaam). So, the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam had a relationship of ancestry with the Yemenis. It could also mean that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam was implying that he liked the character and manners of the Yemenis so he referred himself to be as "a Yemenee" for having something in common with them. Whatever the reason may be, the fact that the Messenger of Allaah called himself a Yemenee is such a virtue for the people of Yemen that it cannot be underestimated.
In another narration, the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam is reported to have said: "Eemaan is of the Yemenis, and they (the people of Yemen) are from me and their direction is towards me, even if they are far from me in distance. It will be very soon that they come to you as Ansaar (helpers) so I command you to be good with them." [at-Tabaraanee with aHasan (sound) isnad (chain).]
There are also other Ahadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallampraised the tribes of Yemen such as the tribes ofHimyar and Azd. He said that a time will come when a man will wish that his father and mother were from the tribe of Azd. [Sunan at-Tirmidhee, (no: 3937).]
In another narration, the Messenger of Allaahsallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam is reported to have said: "Eemaan is of the Yemenis, and they (the people of Yemen) are from me and their direction is towards me, even if they are far from me in distance. It will be very soon that they come to you as Ansaar (helpers) so I command you to be good with them." [at-Tabaraanee with aHasan (sound) isnad (chain).]
There are also other Ahadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallampraised the tribes of Yemen such as the tribes ofHimyar and Azd. He said that a time will come when a man will wish that his father and mother were from the tribe of Azd. [Sunan at-Tirmidhee, (no: 3937).]
He sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam also said that the people of Himyar are the people of trustworthiness and Eemaan. [Sunan at-Tirmidhee (no: 3939).] Thus, the Ahadeeth and narrations praising the lands of Yemen and its people are numerous to the extent that if one was to gather all of them with commentary, an entire book may be compiled!
Any Muslim who has knowledge of these statements of our beloved Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam would naturally desire to visit Yemen and its people. Indeed, the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam made these statements according to his time but when Allaah'azza wa jalla places certain qualities in a people, the effect of these qualities remain even after centuries have passed.
Any Muslim who has knowledge of these statements of our beloved Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam would naturally desire to visit Yemen and its people. Indeed, the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam made these statements according to his time but when Allaah'azza wa jalla places certain qualities in a people, the effect of these qualities remain even after centuries have passed.
Complied by: Aboo Ruqayyah Ibn Hayes al-Atharee, On Yawmus-Sabt (Saturday), The first of Rajab 1429AH, Corresponding to the 5th of July, 2008.
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