Virtues of people of Yemen

28-8-2001 | IslamWeb

Question:

What are the virtues of the people of Yemen? And is the Hadeeth saying that "If Fitnah increased (i.e. near the day of judgement) then seek Yemen (i.e., for solving problems and ending Fitna) Saheeh? Is this Hadeeth Saheeh?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. There are many Ahadith that prove in general the merits of the people of Yemen besides the Ahadith which prove the merits of certain tribes or some particular persons of Yemen. We cite here a few mentioning the general merits of the people. Imam Bukhari narrated from Ibn Umar that The Prophet said, "O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Sham! O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Yemen." The people said, "And also on our Najd." He said, "O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Sham (north)! O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Yemen." The people said, "O Allah's Apostle! And also on our Najd." I think the third time the Prophet said, "There (in Najd) is the place of earthquakes and afflictions and from there comes out the side of the head of Satan." Imams Bukhari and Muslim reported from Abu Huraira that The Prophet said, "The people of Yemen have come to you and they are more gentle and soft-hearted. Belief is Yemenite and Wisdom is Yemenite, while pride and haughtiness are the qualities of the owners of camels (i.e. Bedouins). Calmness and solemnity are the characters of the owners of sheep." In a narration the Hadith is with the words "Fiqh is Yemenite". In another Hadith with the words "Gentleness is among Yemeni People". Imam Ibn Hajar said, 'the words "People of Yemen" mean the tribes, which live there, and also all the people who live there. Anyway, most probably the Hadith indicates those who live there since it is noted through the ages that who live there are more soft-hearted than those who live in the North'. Imam Bukhari also narrates from Ibn Masood that the Prophet pointed out with his hand towards Yemen and said twice, "Faith is there". Ibn Hajar said that the Prophet indicated the direction of Yemen, thus the Hadith means those who live in the territory of Yemen, it does not refer to those who belong to it but do not live there. Imam Muslim narrates from Thouban that the Prophet said: "I shall drive away the people with my stick from my Cistern in order to make it flow to the People of Yemen". [Reported by Imam Muslim] There are many sound Ahadith we can not mention here. There is a fabricated Hadith that the Prophet said: "when seditions increases you should hold the borders of Yemen". This is a totally fabricated Hadith as declared by Shaikh Al Islam Ibn Taymiyah and many other scholars. Allah knows best.