Abhala bin Ka'b al-Aswad al-Ansi (; died June 632), was a 7th-century leader of the Banu Ans tribe and a self-proclaimed

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...

, one of the four major figures who declared to be prophets during the Wars of Apostasy.

Biography

He was born near

Najran Najran ( '), is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of Najran Province. Today, the city of Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As of the 2022 census, the city population was 381,431, wi ...

and later lived in

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

and proclaimed his prophethood towards the end of the

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

's lifetime. He was also known as "the Veiled," or Dhu al-Khimar (), as he used to cover his face to create an aura of mystery. A soothsayer and sorcerer, Aswad had the ability to dazzle a crowd with tricks. According to tradition, he had a donkey whom he had trained to kneel before him: he would tell the donkey "Kneel before your lord" and it would kneel, and then he would say to it "Bow before your lord" and it would bow. From this anecdote he acquired a second nickname, Dhu al-Himar (, "the one with the donkey"). When Muhammad became ill after his final pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, Aswad declared himself a prophet. He claimed to receive

divine revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and theology. Types Individual revelation Thomas A ...

in the form of words, similar to Muhammad, and is recorded to have recited these revelations to his people. Aswad went on to invade

and most of Yemen. He attacked

Sana'a Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation ...

; Shahr, who was the ruler of Yemen and the son of Badhan, was killed in battle against Aswad. Aswad married Shahr's widow and declared himself ruler of Yemen. After his invasion of Yemen, he changed his title from "Prophet of God" to '' Rahman'' of Yemen ("The Merciful for Yemen"). Aswad's rule over Yemen was short-lived as Fayruz al-Daylami, a Persian Muslim, brought an army against Aswad. According to tradition, Aswad was assassinated on the night immediately prior to Muhammad's own death. He was assassinated by Fayruz, with the aid of Qays ibn Abd Yaghuth and Aswad’s wife. After Aswad's death, Yemen would become a part of the

Rashidun Caliphate The Rashidun Caliphate () is a title given for the reigns of first caliphs (lit. "successors") — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali collectively — believed to Political aspects of Islam, represent the perfect Islam and governance who led the ...

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* * Year of birth missing 7th-century deaths 7th-century Yemeni people 7th-century Arab people Arab prophets Assassinated Yemeni people Self-declared mahdi {{Islam-bio-stub

Biography

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