King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadramawt, Yamnat and their Arabs, on Tawdum and Tihamat

Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan
Imaginary depiction of Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan (left) asking assistance from Khosrow I (seated, center) taken from the Tārīkhunā bi-uslūb qaṣaṣī.
Died578 CE
Yemen
Cause of deathStabbed to death by Ethiopian assailants
NationalityYemeni, Arab
Other namesMa'ad Yakrib ibn Abi Murrah (real name)
Years active516-578 CE
EmployerKhosrow I (after Sassanians helped to conquer Yemen for the first time)
Known forBeing the first Arab ruler of Himyar after decades of Axumite rule
Predecessor
SuccessorMa'di Karib
OpponentMasruq ibn Abraha
ChildrenMa'di Karib
RelativesDu Yazan family

Ma'ad Yakrib ibn Abi Murrah (Arabic: معد يكرب بن أبي مرة), more commonly known by the Arabian legends as Abu Murrah Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan al-Himyari (أبو مرة سيف بن ذي يزن الحميري) was a semi-legendary Himyarite king of Yemen who lived between 516 and 578 CE, known for ending the Axumite rule over southern Arabia with the help of the Sassanid Empire.[1]

Biography

Ma'ad Yakrib was from the Du Yazan family of Yemeni nobles.[2] He was born in the town of Sana'a.[2] Much of the history of Ma'ad Yakrib is taken from Arabian folklore.[3][4] His name "Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan" was also given to him via later Arabian traditions, and is not mentioned in any of the Himyaritic inscriptions.[4] Some scholars have theorised that Ma'ad Yakrib was the son of the usurped Himyarite ruler, Sumyafa Ashwa.[3]

Reclaiming the throne of Himyar

Ma'ad Yakrib asked the Byzantine Empire for help to expel Masruq ibn Abraha from ruling Himyar and southern Arabia.[5] However, his plea for assistance was met with refusal, due to Masruq being a Christian, like the Byzantines. So, Ma'ad Yakrib asked the Sassanians for assistance.[5] According to Al-Masudi, Ma'ad Yakrib (described here as Sayf) had a conversation with the then-Sassanian-ruler, Khosrow I, about racial differences, which was an attempt to convince him to accept the request for help.[5]

Sayf then departed to seek the help of Kisra Anushirwan (Khosrow I), to whom he claimed to be related, and asked for his aid. Kisra asked, “What tie of kinship do you claim with me?” He answered, “O king, it is my white skin as opposed to the black, for I am closer to you than they are.”[6]

Khosrow agreed to his request on condition that he be a vassal for the Sassanid Empire.[7] Later on, he sent troops to assist Ma'ad Yakrib and the Yemenis, led by Wahrez, the high military general. This started the first of the Aksumite–Persian wars, which ended up with Masruq ibn Abraha being killed in battle and the Yemenis reclaiming Yemen. Ma'ad Yakrib was then installed as king, with Wahrez as the governor. Later on, Prophet Muhammad's grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib met Ma'ad Yakrib in his palace. [7] Islamic accounts tell that Ma'ad Yakrib told the old man about his grandson, who would become a Prophet in the future.[8]

Death

After four years of his rule, Ma'ad Yakrib was stabbed to death by his Ethiopian servants in his palace. This triggered the Sasanian reconquest of Yemen, which was a Persian victory.[9] Ma'ad Yakrib's son, Ma'di Karib was installed as the next vassal ruler.

Historicity

The fictional biography of Ma'ad Yakrib, known as Sīrat Sayf ibn Dhī-Yazan is quite popular, and it blends in historical narratives and fictional aspects, such as his conquests of the supernatural realms. This biography is also the entrance of Ma'ad Yakrib into Arabian folklore.[10][11] This "biography" is sometimes confused as fact and not fiction. There is some obvious nationalism in the work, and there are also multiple historical errors, like for example the Sirat says that the Ethiopians were "astral worshippers" even though the religion of the Ethiopians ruling Yemen at the time was Christianity.

In Malaysia, the fictional story of Ma'ad Yakrib as Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan was the direct inspiration for a biography for a king, Sultan Yusuf Zullizan.[4] The name "Yazan" is also a popular name for Arab parents to name their male children.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Hoyland, Robert (2002). Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam. Routledge. pp. 56–57. ISBN 9781134646340.
  2. 1 2 "سيف بن ذي يزن (516م - 574م): هو سيف بن ذي يزن بن ذي أصبح بن مالك بن زيد بن سهل بن عمرو... ولد في صنعاء وهو أحد ملوك اليمن القدماء. وفي بعض الروايات ذكر ان اسمه هو معد يكرب بن أبي مرة وقد عرف ابوه ب "ابي مرة الفياض"، وكان من أشراف حمير واذواء وأقيال حمير، حكم سيف بن ذي يزن من قصر". المرجع الالكتروني للمعلوماتية- أضاءات. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  3. 1 2 The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity (edited by Scott Fitzgerald Johnson)
  4. 1 2 3 "سيف بن ذي يزن". areq.net. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  5. 1 2 3 C. E. Bosworth, "ABNA," Encyclopædia Iranica, 1/3, p. 226-228; an updated version is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abna-+term (accessed on 25 January 2014).
  6. ↑ Mas`udi Muruj al-Dhahab wa Ma`adin al-Jawhar. Translated by Tarif Khalidi, 1979, pp. 1015. https://www.khalidilibrary.org//public/files/server/masudi.pdf
  7. 1 2 Hoyland, Robert (2002). Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam. Routledge. pp. 56–57. ISBN 9781134646340.
  8. ↑ "Ghamdan Palace... The first skyscraper in the world". web.archive.org. 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  9. ↑ Zakeri, Mohsen (1995). Sasanid Soldiers in Early Muslim Society: The Origins of 'Ayyārān and Futuwwa. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 98. ISBN 9783447036528.
  10. ↑ Jayyusi, Lena (1999). The Adventures of Sayf Ben Dhi Yazan: An Arab Folk Epic. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253213428.
  11. ↑ "Solomon Legends in Sīrat Sayf ibn Dhī Yazan | Mizan". Retrieved 2018-06-21.
  12. ↑ "yazan | Islamic Baby Name Meanings". quranicnames.com. Retrieved 2018-06-21.

Sources

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