Hassan Yuha'min
Hassan Yuha'min al-Himyari, full name Hassan Yuha'min ibn Abu Karib As'ad ibn Hassan Malikikarib Yuha'min (Arabic:حسان يهأمن بن أبي كرب أسعد بن حسان ملكي كرب الحميري) was a Himyarite king who ruled in the 5th century CE starting in a co-regency with his father, Abu Karib As'ad.
| Hassan Yuha'min | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadramawt, Yamnat and their Arabs, on Tawdum and Tihamat | |||||
| Reign | 410–450 CE | ||||
| Predecessor | Abu Karib | ||||
| Successor | Sharhabil Yafar | ||||
| Died | c. 450 Yemen | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Abu Karib | ||||
| Religion | Judaism | ||||
Biography
Hassan Yuha'min al-Himyari was one of the sons of Abu Karib. He, at first, assisted his father in ruling during the year 410 CE. In the year 433 CE, Hassan and his father fought against the Ma'adite armies in Najd. Around the year 425 CE, Hassan took the throne, and he shared power with his brother, Sharhabil Yafar.[1]
The historian Ibn al-Kalbi mentioned that Hassan Yuha'min was the father of the Himyarite ruler Dhu Nuwas.[2] However, he has also been said to have been the father of Sharhabil Yakkuf.[3]
Hassan Yuha'min in Arabian folklore
Hassan's genocide of the Jadis tribe
Arab traditions relate that Hassan was the one who completely eradicated a Bedouin tribe known as the Jadis, who was in conflict with a rival tribe known as Tasm.[4][5] Tasm was an ally of the Sabaeans, and the Tasm tribe eventually occupied the Jadis tribe. The king of Tasm would deflower the brides of Jadis before they get married, and this led to his assassination by a member of the Jadis. A person named Riyah from Tasm ran to Yemen asking for help from Himyar, at the time Hassan Yuha'min was still in the co-regency with his father.[5]
Hassan sent a spy to obtain information from the tribe of Jadis. While that spy was looking for the tribe of Jadis he stepped on a thorn. While he was trying to remove it, a woman named Zarqaa al-Yamamah, who was known for her microscopic vision, noticed the spy and warned her tribe of him. The tribe did not believe her and ignored her.[5]
Riyah told Hassan to take the leaves of palm trees and hide his army behind them at night. Then, the army of Himyar, led by Hassan, marched onward to Jadis, still hidden underneath their palm leaf shields. Zarqaa al-Yamamah noticed the army of Hassan and frantically exclaimed that the army of Himyar was approaching the Jadis territory. But her people still did not believe her. The Himyarite army took Jadis by surprise, and they slaughtered all of the adults of the tribe. The children of the tribe, however, were taken captive and sold as slaves.[6][5]
Afterwards, Hassan continued on further conquests, and he attacked a tribe of Amalekites as well. The small tribe of Amalekites suffered the same fate as that of the Jadis.[5][7]
The dispute of Hassan and his brother in Arabian folklore
The Arabian traditions relate that Hassan Yuha'min fell into unpopularity amongst the tribal leaders after he refused to share any of the war booty with them. He was also quite problematic and stubborn. The tribal leaders pressured Sharhabil (known as 'Amr in the legend) to kill his brother, and he would be made ruler as a replacement. 'Amr eventually agreed, but a noble of Himyar named Dhu Ra'yn al-Himyari disagreed with the plan, and he urged 'Amr not to carry it out. But his advice fell on deaf ears. 'Amr then waited for Hassan to fall asleep, before stabbing him to death.[8][4][9]
As he returned to Yemen, 'Amr became the new ruler. However, he suffered from permanent insomnia as a divine punishment for his actions against his brother. The insomnia left 'Amr in a weakened state, and he went to consult the fortune tellers and physicians asking about his condition, to which they replied it was because 'Amr had killed Hassan without losing his sleep.[6][8][9]
Angered, 'Amr ordered the execution of the nobles of Himyar who had urged him to commit the murder of Hassan. When the executioner came to Dhu Ra'yn, he reminded 'Amr that he was the only one who did not encourage him to kill Hassan. 'Amr suddenly remembered, and he set Dhu Ra'yn free.[6][8][9]
But not long after, 'Amr died, and his nephew Tubba' ibn al-Hassan became the new ruler of Himyar.[9] Another variation of the story has the throne being usurped by a person completely unrelated to the family, Dhu Shanatir, after the demise of 'Amr.[9][8]
Some historians suggest that the story could in fact be partly true and may possibly be evidence that Sharhabil Yafar had historically murdered his own brother to take the throne for himself.[10]
See also
References
- ^ "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
- ^ مختصر جمهرة النسب.
- ^ "الانساب للصحاري - الصحاري - مکتبة مدرسة الفقاهة". ar.lib.eshia.ir (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ a b Ṭabarī (1987). The History of al-Tabari Vol. 4: The Ancient Kingdoms. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780887061813.
- ^ a b c d e "معجم البلدان - الحموي - ج ٥ - الصفحة ٤٤٦". shiaonlinelibrary.com. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ a b c Ṭabarī (1987). The History of al-Tabari Vol. 4: The Ancient Kingdoms. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780887061813.
- ^ "لسان العرب - ابن منظور - ج ١٤ - الصفحة ١٥٩". shiaonlinelibrary.com. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ a b c d https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/59/124/%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%B9-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A8
- ^ a b c d e Umair Mirza (1998-01-01). History of Tabari - Volume 5.
- ^ Johnson, Scott Fitzgerald (21 March 2024). The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-027753-6.