Hadith About Yemen and Its People

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Hadith about Yemen and its People

Mawlana Asif Iqbal Attari Madani

Not only are Yemen and its people mentioned in the Quran, but they are described in the Hadith too.

The fragrance of the Merciful from Yemen

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم described their love and support for Islam. Sayyiduna Salamah b. Nufayl رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ reports that the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم pointed in the direction of Yemen and said, اِنِّی اَجِدُ نَفَسَ الرَّحْمٰنِ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْیَمَن “Indeed, I smell the fragrance of the Merciful from Yemen.”^[1]

The purport of this Hadith is that the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم feels that Allah has granted him freedom and relief from pain through the people of Yemen.^[2] One opinion suggests the Hadith is referring to the Ansar because they removed suffering from the Muslims. The Ansar are Yemeni due to their relationship with the tribe of Azd.^[3] ꜤAllāmah ꜤAbd al-Raˈūf al-Munāwī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه reports that some commentators claim this Hadith is referring to Sayyidunā Oways al-Qarnī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه.^[4]

Soft-hearted, faithful and wise

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “The people of Yemen have arrived, and they are soft-hearted. Faith is Yemeni, fiqh is Yemeni, and wisdom is Yemeni.”^[5]

ꜤAllāmah ꜤAbd al-Raˈūf al-Munāwī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه explains, “Faith was attributed to the people of Yemen because they accepted Islam without any pain or hardship.”^[6]

Imam al-Jazarī states, “The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said this because faith originated from Makkah, and Makkah is in Tihamah, and Tihamah is from the land of Yemen. This is why it is said that the Kaaba is Yemeni.”^[7]

Imam al-Kilābāzī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes regarding this Hadith, “The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم described the people of Yemen as tender-hearted. Then, he attributed faith and wisdom to them, which informs us that the essence of faith is to be compassionate to Allah’s creation.”^[8]

ꜤAllāmah ꜤAbdul Mustafa AꜤẓamī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes:

The people of Yemen were always rich with knowledge, wisdom, pure hearts, and the recognition of Allah, especially Sayyidunā Abū Mūsā al-AshꜤarī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ. No other companion recited the Quran as beautifully as him. The Imam of Islamic creed, Imam Abū al-Ḥasan al-AshꜤarī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه, is from the family of Sayyidunā Abū Mūsā al-AshꜤarī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ.^[9]

Bring their Hearts closer

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم made a special prayer for the people of Yemen. He looked in the direction of Yemen and said: اَللّٰهُمَّ اَقْبِلْ بِقُلُوْبِهِم “O Allah! Bring their hearts closer”,^[10] meaning, o Allah, place in their hearts love for us and grant them the treasure of faith. The people of Madinah had a shortage of food whereas Yemen had an abundance of grain and fruit. So, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم made a duꜤāˈ for them to give worldly benefit to the people of Madina whilst also receiving religious benefit.^[11]

DuꜤāˈ for blessings in Yemen

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم made another duꜤāˈ for Yemen:

اَللّٰهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي يَمَنِنَا

O Allah! Bestow your blessings on our Yemen.^[12]

The esteemed Hanafi scholar Mulla ꜤAlī Qārī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states:

A duꜤāˈ was made for blessings in spiritual and physical well-being, and this is why there are many saints from Yemen. A special duꜤāˈ was made for Yemen and Syria because they supplied Madinah with food. Some pious predecessors state that a prayer was made for these two locations because the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was born in Makkah, which is from the land of Yemen, and he was buried in Madinah, which falls under the land of Syria. One is the place of birth, and the other is the place of burial, which is enough for both to be places of virtue and blessings.^[13]

Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khān NaꜤīmī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states, “Sayyidunā Oways al-Qarnī was born in Yemen, and the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم loved the faith and wisdom of the people of Yemen.”^[14]

A great people

The final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم considered the people of Yemen to be amongst the greatest people on earth. Sayyidunā Jubayr b. MuṭꜤim رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ reports:

We were travelling with the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and he said, “The people of Yemen will come to you like clouds, and they are amongst the best people on earth.” An Ansari companion asked, “Will they be better than everyone except us?” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم remained silent. After asking for the third time, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم answered, “Except you.”^[15]

The Prophet’s love for the people of Yemen

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم expressed his love for the people of Yemen on many occasions. On one occasion, he said:

اِذَا مَرَّ بِكُمْ اَهْلُ الْيَمَنِ يَسُوقُونَ نِسَاءَهُمْ ويَحْمِلونَ اَبْنَاءَهُمْ عَلَى عَوَاتِقِهِمْ، فَاِنَّهُمْ مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْهُمْ

“When the people of Yemen pass by you with their women whilst carrying their children on their shoulders, know that they are from me, and I am from them.”^[16]

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم also said:

اَيْنَ اَصْحَابِي الَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنِّي وَاَنَا مِنْهُمْ، وَاَدْخُلُ الجَنَّةَ وَيَدْخُلُونَهَا مَعِي

“Where are my companions who are from me and I from them? I will enter Paradise, and they will enter with me.”^[17]

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was kind to them and ordered others to be compassionate to them too. He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated:

اَلْاِيمَانُ يَمَانٍ، وَهُمْ مِنِّي وَاِلَيَّ، وَاِنْ بَعُدَ مِنْهُمُ المَرْبَعُ، وَيُوشِكُ اَنْ يَأْتُوكُمْ اَنْصَارًا وَاَعْوَانًا فَآمُرُكُمْ بِهِمْ خَيْرًا

“Faith is Yemeni, and they are from me. They will come to me even though their fertile land will be left behind. Soon they will come as your helpers, so I command you to be good to them.”^[18]

The first to shake the Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم hand

It is a sunnah of the companions رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْھُم and a sunnah of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to shake hands when greeting someone.^[19] The people of Yemen were the first people to shake hands with the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Sayyiduna Anas رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ reports, “When the people of Yemen came, the Messenger of Allah      صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, ‘The people of Yemen have come, and they are the first to shake hands.’”^[20]