Yemen

Yemen (Arabic: یمن) is a country in the south of the Arabian Peninsula in western Asia with a long Islamic and Shia history. In early centuries of Islam, people of Yemen accepted the Islam without any war or opposition when Imam 'Ali (a) went there as the delegate of the Prophet (s). Muslims of Yemen played important roles both in strengthening Shi'a after the Event of Saqifa and in inviting Imam 'Ali (a) for caliphate after the death of 'Uthman. People of Yemen were also among the major oppositions of Mu'awiya and in the Battle of 'Ashura, some of them defended Imam al-Husayn (a). Since 280/893-94, Zaidi Shi'as established a government and Yemen has been considered the center of Zaydiyya eversince. Shi'as of Yemen do not have a good relationship with the central government. They are also under the threat of Salafis who are known to be mostly supported by Saudi Arabia. However, they have recently tried to play a greater role in developments of Yemen. Houthis are the most important Shia group in Yemen. In 2015, after a chain of events which led to the escape of Mansur Hadi, the resigned president of Yemen from the capital and taking of power by Houthis, Saudi Arabia, supported by the United States of America and some western countries and most Arab countries, began a series of air invasions against Yemen which led to killing of many civilians.

Geography

Yemen has borders with Saudi Arabia at north, and with Oman in the east and the Gulf of 'Adan in the south and in the west with the Red Sea. The area of this country is about 869.536 square kilometers.

Major Cities

A view of the Yemeni capital of Sana'a Yemen has historical and important cities, the most important ones of which are: • Sana'a: It is the center of a province with the same name. It is among the oldest capital cities of the world. This city is the political and economic capital of the Republic of Yemen. This city has been known with this name since the time of Jesus (a). • Ma'rib: It is the most famous city in the ancient Yemen which is located in the east of Sana'a. It has been the old capital of the governments of Sheba and its queen, Bilqis. Marib is the same land of Sheba, God has mentioned in the Qur'an, the people of which were punished with the flood of 'Arim. • Sa'dah: This city is the center of Sa'dah Province and one of the major cities of Yemen which has played an important role in Islamic history. This city was considered a place of stay for hajj pilgrims and businessmen who went to Mecca. The old city is surrounded by a wall. It was the center for the government of Al-Hadi ila l-Haqq (the first imam of Zaidis) and there is a mosque with the name Imam al-Hadi in this city which is located 243 Km north of Sana'a. It has buildings with walls built of clay many years ago which are still firm and stable. This city has ancient and historical sites. • Shabwa: It is another old city of Yemen. Shabwa is mostly known due to its history as the capital of Hadhramaut government and it has a very important role in the history of Yemen. • Dhamar: This city is known for its special architecture and Islamic schools. Houses in this city are made of black decorative stones. These stones used in orderly tiles have given great elegance to the walls of the houses in this city. Al-Shamsiyya Islamic school of this city has had many graduates. • Aden: It is the capital of the Province of Aden and it is considered a financial center in the country. Aden is an ancient city which has seen important historical events. This city is a strategic center in Yemen and the most important natural pass between the Arab Sea and Indian Ocean and an important pass for the Red Sea. • Say'un: This city is located in Hadhramaut Province. It is among ancient cities of Yemen and believed to have been the place where the tribe of 'Ad lived. The tomb attributed to the Prophet Hud (a) is located in this city. Al-Houta, al-Mahwit, al-Shihr, al-Bayda', Yarim, Dhafar, Damt, Abs, Jibla, Taiz, al-Ghayda, Zinjibar and al-Hudayda are other important cities of Yemen.

People and Population

People of Yemen are Semite and Qahtanite Arabs. Qahtanites are believed to be the origin of Arabs. People who live in northern areas are Arab, but since many years ago, other minorities from India, Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia have immigrated to the southern area. The social structure of Yemen is tribal. The official language of Yemen is Arabic and they write in Arabic too. Having a population of around 23 million, Yemen is considered a populated country in peninsula. Most of the people of Yemen are armed warriors of different tribes and thus, the government of Yemen can quickly mobilize more than one million people when necessary which is worrisome for Saudi Arabia.

Importance

History and Culture

Yemen has a long history. Marib is the most famous ancient city in the world which has been once the capital of Bilqis, queen of Sheba and other rulers of Yemen and is known as Ard al-Jannatayn. The old dam of Marib is among historical sites of Yemen located in this region. Marib dam was built at the time of 'Abd al-Shams Musa, 2670 years ago between the two mountains of Balaq al-Ayman and Balaq al-Aysar. The famous German orientalist Moritz believe that letter alphabets were seen for the first time in Yemen and contrary to what is registered for Semitic Phoenicians, inventors of alphabets were Yemenis and Phoenicians followed their writing based on Arabic writing of Yemenis. Having such a past, Yemen has a great history. Yemen has many ancient and cultural sites, some of which are mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. In the recent years, explorers have been busy excavating these remains from under the soil. Also, existence of libraries full of valuable manuscripts adds to the cultural value of this country.

Strategic

Having control over the Bab al-Mandab strait, Yemen can control the Red Sea and even block it using the strategic and important Barim Island. Yemen has 200 islands.

Religions and Denominations

Islam

Islam is the official religion of Yemen. Majority of the population of this country are Muslim. About 30% of the Muslims are Zaydiyya and the rest are Shafi'is. There is a minority of Isma'ili Shia and few Twelver Shia living in Yemen as well.

Christianity

• Catholic: Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia is an apostolic vicariate for the region including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen and it is estimated that it has 600 thousand Catholics. • Anglican: Under the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem al-Quds and the Middle East, Yemen is part of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Persian Gulf. This community is in Aden and Sana'a and its followers are foreign immigrants. The Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf resides in Cyprus while the parish priest and chaplan of St Thomas Al Ain resides in the United Arab Emirates.

Hinduism

A few Hindus are also living in Yemen.

History of Shia in Yemen

Time of the Prophet (s)

Al-Jami' al-Kabir in Sana'a is the first mosque constructed in Yemen and one of the oldest Islamic mosques. Yemen is the only country the people of which accepted Islam by coming of Imam Ali (a) as the delegate of the Prophet (s) without war. However before that, Badhan, the Iranian governor of Yemen and many of Abna' (Iranian residents of Yemen) had accepted Islam after sending of the Prophet's (s) letter to Khosrow II. Before sending Imam Ali (a), the Prophet (s) had sent Khalid b. al-Walid and Mu'adh b. Jabal to Yemen but they were not successful in attracting people to Islam; so, he (s) sent Imam Ali (a) to Yemen. He (a) invited Hamdan tribe who were among the biggest tribes of Yemen to hear the letter of the Prophet (s). Magnificence of the word of the Prophet (s) was so that the people of Hamdan tribe were impressed and all of them accepted Islam in one day. After Hamdan, Madhhij and Nakha' tribes accepted Islam. After the entrance of Imam Ali (a) to Yemen, the first person who accepted Islam was a woman whose name was Umm Sa'id al-Barzakhiyya. This woman made her house like a mosque and called it "Masjid Ali" which is famous now and is still remaining.

Time of Caliphs

Friendship between Yemenis and Imam Ali (a) was so deep that from the 23 people who were the first Shia after the Event of Saqifa, ten of the Ansar were Yemeni. It is mentioned in another report that when Ziyad b. Labid al-Ansari was the representative of Hadramaut, Harith b. Mu'awiya al-Tamimi, Haritha b. Suraqa al-Kindi, and al-Ash'ath b. Qays al-Kindi who were chiefs of Yemeni tribes told Ziyad, "We follow the family of the Prophet (s). Why did you prevented them from caliphate?" After the establishment of caliphate, the lands captured by the Islamic government expanded. In order to support the army of Muslims, by the order of the second caliph, the two military towns of Kufa and Basra were established in 16/637, and some Yemeni tribes immigrated to them. After a while, the social face of the city turned in favor of Yemenis. Hamdan tribe was among those groups who settled in Kufa and played an important role in political changes of the Islamic world in the 1st/7th century.

Time of Imam Ali (a)

When the caliphate of Imam Ali (a) was mentioned, despite his disagreement, Yemeni tribes had a more important role in encouraging him for accepting caliphate than others and according to reports, the first person who made allegiance with Imam Ali (a) was Malik al-Ashtar. Among the first steps of Imam Ali (a) was choosing governors for Islamic lands. He chose 'Ubayd Allah b. al-'Abbas for Yemen and sent him there. Since the beginning of Imam Ali's (a) caliphate, oppositions of previous allies began and the Battle of Jamal happened; Yemeni forces of Imam Ali's (a) army actively participated in the war and were among the most effective factors of Imam's victory at the war. Also, in the Battle of Siffin, some Yemeni political figures made great efforts among whom were Malik al-Ashtar, 'Ady b. Hatim al-Ta'i, Zahr b. Qays, and Hani b. 'Urwa. Among other Yemeni tribes who participated in the Battle of Siffin were Banu Ahmas from Bujayla b. Anmar b. Nazar clan, and according to the book Waq'at Siffin, from this clan, 700 people participated in the war. Loyalty of Yemenis to Imam Ali (a) incurred Mu'awiya's enmity towards them. He sent Busr b. Artat to Yemen and he made so many crimes when he entered there. He killed 30 thousand people, burned a group of people in fire and captured women of Hamdan and sold them in the market. When Imam Ali (a) received the reports of Busr's crimes, cursed him and implored to God, "O God! Take this manner, reason, and waywardness of him!" Busr b. Artah was inflicted by obsession, became insane and died that way.

Time of Mu'awiya

When Mu'awiya took the power, his confrontation with Shia increased. Meanwhile, Shia of Yemen were so much harassed. Hujr b. 'Adi and 'Amr b. Hamiq al-Khuza'i were two Shia noblemen who were martyred at the time of Mu'awiya. These two, especially Hujr revealed many deceptions of Mu'awiya and this made him murder them. The movement of Hujr b. 'Adi must be considered the most serious Shia movement after the peace treaty of Imam al-Hasan (a) up until the uprising of Imam al-Husayn (a). This movement so much worried Umayyads that they mobilized all their forces to suppress it and even justified killing him by asking the noblemen of Kufa testify and introduced him as an insurgent.

Time of Imam al-Husayn (a)

At the time of Imam al-Husayn (a), when the people of Kufa mentioned their readiness to invite the Imam (a) and the flood of letters flew towards him (a), many Yemeni people were among those who invited him (a). When the Imam (a) wanted to go to Kufa, 'Abd Allah b. al-'Abbas advised him (a) to go to Yemen instead of Kufa, since there were Shia who loved the Ahl al-Bayt (a). The Battle of 'Ashura was another presentation of Yemeni people. According to reports, from all the martyrs of this event, 34 of them were Yemenis. After the Battle of 'Ashura, some Shia regretted their dereliction of duty in defending Imam al-Husayn (a) and to make up for it, they established groups of resistance against Umayyads. Among such measures was Tawwabun military actions who began their opposition by the leadership of Sulayman b. Surad al-Khuza'i. The major element of this Shia movement was Yemenis who later sacrificed their lives for their beliefs in defending the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

Time of Umayyads

Towards the end of the time of Umayyads when Abbasids emerged; due to the kinship of Talibids and Abbasids, Shia supported Abbasids and thus since 129/746-47, Abu Hamza and 'Abd Allah b. Yahya who was known as "Talib al-Haqq", without knowing about Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, wore black turbans and dress and raised black flags and declared their opposition with Marwan al-Himar. They took over Sana'a. Talib al-Haqq secured his seat in Sana'a and Abu Hamza went to Mecca and expelled the governor. Later, he could take over Medina as well. However, his actions were severely opposed by Umayyads and his army was defeated by Umayyad army in a fierce battle near Medina and Abu Hamza was also killed. Then, Umayyads moved their army to Sana'a and managed to kill Talib al-Haqq and take back Sana'a to the lands controlled by Umayyads.

Time of Abbasids

In the first century of the emergence of Abbasids, Yemen was ruled by them until al-Hadi Yahya b. al-Husayn b. al-Qasim al-Rassi (b. 245/859-60) established an independent government of Zaidi Shia in Yemen in 280/893-94. Since then, Yemen and especially its northern areas became the traditional base of Zaidis and their imams and many intellectual figures and movements emerged in that region.

Zaidi Government

Although, Zaidi government in Yemen had ups and downs and sometimes, Zaidis lost the power, they could possess the power for about 11 centuries. The table below gives a report about Zaidi rulers:

Zaidi Ruler	Ruling Period	Comments
Al-Hadi Yahya b. al-Husayn	280/893-94 – 298/910-11	-
Al-Murtada li-Din Allah	298/910-11 – 310/922-23	-
Al-Nasir li-Din Allah	310/922-23 – 315/927-28	-
-	Until late 4th/10th century	Zaidis had conflicts among themselves and had disputes with Isma'ilis and they had no major ruler.
Al-Mansur bi-Allah al-Qasim b. 'Ali	d. 393/1002-3	-
Al-Mahdi li-Din Allah al-Husayn b. al-Qasim	393/1002-3 – 404/1013-14	He had special followers who believed in his occultation and Mahdism and were called Husaynis. At that time, Zaidis were divided to two sects of Mutrafiyya and Mukhtari'a.
Al-Nasir li-Din Allah Abu l-Fath al-Daylami	d. 444/1052-53	He was killed by Isma'ilites of Yemen and that was the end of the first period of Zaidis' ruling in Yemen.
Al-Mutawakkil 'Ala Allah Ahmad b. Sulayman	532/1137-38 – 566/1170-71	He seriously stood against Mutrafiyya thoughts.
Al-Mansur bi-Allah 'Abd Allah b. Hamza	566/1170-71 – 614/1217-18	He is called the reviver of Zaidi thoughts in the 6th/12th century.
Al-Mahdi li-Din Allah Ahmad b. al-Husayn	d. 656/1258	Some Zaidis thought that he was al-Mahdi (the savior).
Al-Mansur bi-Allah al-Hasan b. Badr al-Din Muhammad	d. 670/1271-72	He was among the most famous imams of Zaidis, having genuine Zaidi thoughts in middle centuries
Al-Mutawakkil 'Ala Allah Mutahhar b. Yahya	d. 697/1297-98	He was known as al-Muzallal bi-l-Ghamam
Al-Mahdi li-Din Allah Muhammad	d. 728/1328	He and his father Al-Mutawakkil 'Ala Allah were two revivers of Zaidi thoughts at the beginning of the 8th/14th century.
Al-Mu'ayyad bi-Allah Yahya b. Hamza	729/1328-29 - 749/1348-49	He had many important works.
Al-Mahdi li-Din Allah Ahmad b. Yahya	d. 840/1436-37	He was known as Ibn Murtada. He was the reviver of Zaidi thoughts at the beginning of the 9th century AH
Al-Hadi ila l-Haqq 'Izz al-Din b. al-Hasan	d. 900/1494-95	Among great Zaidi theorists
Al-Mutawakkil 'ala Allah Yahya Sharaf al-Din	d. 965/1557-58	After him, for about 50 years, no Zaidi ruler had the power in Yemen, and the country was ruled by Ottoman Turks.
Al-Mansur bi-Allah al-Qasim b. Muhammad b. 'Ali	1006/1597-98 - 1029/1620	He had important works and influential students. He is introduced as the reviver of Zaidi thoughts in that century.
Al-Mu'ayyad bi-Allah Muhammad	1029/1620 - 1054/1644-45	-
Al-Mutawakkil 'ala Allah Isma'il	1054/1644-45 - 1087/1676-77	After these two, for about two centuries, Zaidis had civil wars and this made Ottoman Turks to regain the power in Yemen.
Al-Mansur bi-Allah Muhammad b. Yahya Hamid al-Din	d. 1322/1904-5	-
Al-Mutawakkil 'ala Allah Yahya	d. 1367/1947-48	The fights began at the time of al-Mansur against Ottoman government were successful at his time and Yemen was released from Ottoman's control.
Muhammad al-Badr	1962	He was disposed of power after a coup and it ends the government of Zaidis in Yemen. He fought the government of Yemen for eight years, but he failed and finally, he died near London.