Sharhabil Yaqaf
King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadramawt, Yamnat and their Arabs, on Tawdum and Tihamat
Reign465–480 CE
PredecessorSharhabil Yafar
Diedc. 480
Yemen
Names
Sharhabil Yaqaf al-Himyari
FatherSharhabil Yafar (Arabian legends state him to be the son of Hassan Yuha'min)
ReligionJudaism

Sharhabil Yaqaf (Arabic: شرحبيل يعفر) was a Himyari king who ruled between the years 465 until 480 CE. He is the first Himyarite king to have persecuted adherents to Christianity in his realm.

His father's identity is debated; historically he is the son of Sharhabil Yafar but Arabian legends call him “Tubba' ibn al-Hassan” which gives the implication that he is the son of Hassan Yuha'min. During his rule, Sharhabil's son, Mu'di Karab Yan'im, assisted him in ruling.

Biography

Not much is known about Sharhabil Yaqaf. His earliest mention in inscriptions was in 465 CE.[1] There is an inscription dating back to 474 CE, which tells of him and his two sons attacking the territories of several Arab tribes, such as the Tayy, conquering them and capturing their people.[2] Sharhabil and his sons also took several camels from the tribes as war booty.[2]

Persecutions of Christians

During the reign of Sharhabil Yaqaf, a Christian missionary named Azqir arrived in Najran to spread the message and religion of Christianity.[3][4][5] He earned the hostility of some of the people, and was subsequently arrested. Then, King Sharhabil was told that Azqir had been preaching a "new religion".[3][4][5] Azqir was put on trial at the court, where the king was not impressed by his preaching. Under the advice of some Rabbis who were present in the court, Azqir was executed.[3][4][5]

The execution of Azqir was likely not due to religious motives and instead due to political motives; it was likely to stop the spread of Byzantine influence to Najran.[5][4] The Himyarites saw the efforts of missionaries as potential ways to spread the influence of Byzantium to their territories, and hence they executed Azqir, whom they suspected to have had Byzantine leanings.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  2. 1 2 "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  3. 1 2 3 "Christianity in South Arabia. By Dr. Arthur Jeffery". www.answering-islam.org. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Beeston, A.F.L. (2005). "The Martyrdom of Azqir". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies: 113–118. ISSN 0308-8421.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Mitchell, Robbie (2022-08-26). "The Himyarite Kingdom's Bloody Conversion to Judaism: Passion or Ploy?". Ancient Origins Reconstructing the story of humanity's past. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
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