Abd-Kulāl al-Ḥimyarī (), or simply Abdkulāl or Abd-kalal, was a governor of

Himyar Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According to class ...

who lived in the 5th century CE. He was a convert to

Nontrinitarianism Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the orthodox Christian theology of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence ( ...

, but kept his religious beliefs confidential. 'Abd-Kulal also held the power of regent rule temporarily during his time in office.

Name

The historians attested his name as 'Abd-Kulāl ibn Muthāwwīb al-Ḥimyarī. The first part of his name is sometimes romanized as 'Abdkulāl or 'Abd-kalal. As for his epithet, he was said to have been from the Dhu Harith tribe, rendering his full name as 'Abd-Kulāl ibn Muthāwwīb Dhū Harīth al-Ḥimyarī. However, he has also been attributed to being from the tribe of Dhū Rūayn.

Ibn Hisham Abu Muhammad Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham ibn Ayyub al-Himyari (; died 7 May 833), known simply as Ibn Hisham, was a 9th-century Abbasid historian and scholar. He grew up in Basra, in modern-day Iraq and later moved to Egypt. Life Ibn Hisham has ...

narrates that he was named 'Abd-Kulal ibn Yanuf.

Reign

After the death of

Sharhabil Ya'fur Sharhabil Ya'fur (Arabic: شرحبيل يعفر), also known as 'Amr ibn Tubba' al-Himyari, was a Himyarite king who ruled in the 5th century CE. His rule was unique, as he was the only ruler descended from Dhamar Ali Yahbur II who ruled by himself ...

, the royal power was unstable as all the Himyarite princes were too young to rule except for

Sharhabil Yakkuf Sharhabil Yakkuf (Arabic: شرحبيل يكف) also known as Šaraḥbiʾil Yakûf ( Ge'ez: Sarābhēl Dänkəf) was a king of Himyar who reigned in the 5th century CE. He succeeded the similarly-named Sharhabil Yafur. He is also the founder of a ...

who was suffering from mental issues. 'Abd-Kulal took the royal power out of fear that it would be usurped by outsiders of non-royal lineage. His reign was generally a peaceful one, and he was not fond of leading invasions and conquests. 'Abd-Kulal also built a residence for himself and his wife around the year 463 CE, which is attested in archaeological inscriptions dating to approximately that year.

Family

Based on the inscriptions, 'Abd-Kulal had two sons named Hanim and Ha'll (attested in inscriptions as Hn'm and Hʿll). The first Christian ruler of Himyar,

Marthad'ilan Yanuf Marthad'ilan Yanuf (Arabic: مرثد ألن ينوف), also romanized as Murthid 'Alan Yanuf, was a Himyarite king who reigned in the early 6th century CE. A devout Christian, Marthad'ilan Yanuf engaged in diplomatic relations with the Aksumite Emp ...

is also identified as being one of his sons, with the full name Marthad ibn 'Abd-Kulal al-Himyari.

Religion

In the inscriptions, 'Abd-Kulal can be seen praising the god

Rahmanan Raḥmānān ( Musnad: 𐩧𐩢𐩣𐩬𐩬 rḥmnn, "the Merciful") was an epithet and theonym predominantly used to refer to a singular, monotheistic God from the fourth to sixth centuries in South Arabia (though the term originates much earlier ...

, which shows he believed in a form of monotheism.Iwona Gajda, Ḥimyar gagné par le monothéisme (IVe-VIe siècle de l'ère chrétienne). Ambitions et ruine d'un royaume de l'Arabie méridionale antique. Aix-Marseille University. 1997 Muslim historians like

al-Tabari Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present- ...

and

Jawad Ali Jawad Ali (1907–1987) was an Iraqi historian and academic who specialized in the history of both Islam and the Arabs. He is best known for his work ''al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-Arab Qabl al-Islam'' (''The Abridged History of the Arabs before Is ...

stated that 'Abd-Kulal was a convert to a form of non-trinitarian Christianity. He concealed his faith; Tabari states that it was because his teacher had been killed for being a Christian while

Said al-Andalusi Ṣāʿid al-Andalusī (), in full Abū al-Qāsim Ṣāʿid ibn Abū al-Walīd Aḥmad ibn Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṣāʿid ibn ʿUthmān al-Taghlibi al-Qūrtūbi () (1029July 6, 1070 AD; 4206 Shawwal, 462 AH), was an Arab qadi of ...

narrates that it was to prevent Yemen from being invaded by

Shapur II Shapur II ( , 309–379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth King of Kings (List of monarchs of the Sasanian Empire, Shahanshah) of Sasanian Iran. He took the title at birth and held it until his death at age 70, making him the List ...

, who had raided some

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

cities out of hatred for Christianity.

References

{{reflist Himyarites Ancient history of Yemen Medieval Arabs Arab Christians

Name

Reign

Family

Religion

See also

References