RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Yemen

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Yemeni Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Yemeni Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Uwais al-Qarani (594 - 657)

With an HPI of 68.09, Uwais al-Qarani is the most famous Yemeni Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages on wikipedia.

Owais al-Qarani (Arabic: أُوَيْس ٱبْن عَامِر ٱبْن جَزْء ٱبْن مَالِك ٱلْقَرَنِيّ, ʾUways ibn ʿĀmir ibn Jazʾ ibn Mālik al-Qaranī), also spelled Uways or Owais, was a Muslim from South Arabia who lived during the lifetime of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Uwais al-Qarni Mosque in Raqqa (now in Syria) is his burial site, as he died during the Battle of Siffin there. It was destroyed by the ISIS in 2013 and is currently awaiting reconstruction. Although he lived during the lifetime of Muhammad, he never physically met him so he is only honorarily counted among the Companions of the Prophet. Among the Tabi‘un, he is specially known as Khayr at-Tābiʿīn (Arabic: خَيْر ٱلتَّابِعِين, lit. 'the best of the Tabi‘un') and Sayyid at-Tabiʿīn fī Zamānah (Arabic: سَيِّد ٱلتَّابِعِين فِي زَمَانَه, lit. 'leader of the Tabi‘un of his era').

2. Abdullah ibn Saba' (700 - 700)

With an HPI of 64.18, Abdullah ibn Saba' is the 2nd most famous Yemeni Religious Figure.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sabāʾ al-Ḥimyarī (Arabic: عبد الله بن سبأ الحميري), sometimes also called Ibn Sabāʾ, Ibn al-Sawdāʾ, or Ibn Wahb, was a 7th-century figure in Islamic history associated with a group of followers called the Sabaʾiyya (سبئية). According to Sunni and Shia tradition, Abd Allah ibn Saba' was a Yemenite Jew from the Arab Himyar tribe who converted to Islam during Uthman's reign. Because of his exaggerated reverence for Ali, he is traditionally considered as the first of the ghulāt. In accounts collected by Sayf ibn Umar, Ibn Saba' and his followers, the Saba'iyya, are said to be the ones who enticed the Egyptians against Uthman and were responsible for breaking the near-settlement at the Battle of the Camel. Modern historians differed on the historicity of Ibn Saba'. Some believe that Abd Allah ibn Saba' and Ibn al-Sawdāʾ should be considered as two separate individuals (Hodgson). Some have described him as semi-legendary or legendary (Taha Hussein, Bernard Lewis, Wilferd Madelung, Leone Caetani, and Shia historians). Others such as Israel Friedlander, Sabatino Moscati, and Sunni historians affirm his existence. His Jewish origin has also been contested. Some modern historians assert that Sayf ibn Umar fabricated the episode about the killing of Uthman to "exonerate the people of Medina from participation in the caliph's murder" and the movement to support Ali as a successor to Muhammad did not exist in the time of Uthman. With the exception of Taha Hussein, most modern Sunni writers affirm the existence of Ibn Saba'.

3. Malik al-Ashtar (585 - 658)

With an HPI of 61.85, Malik al-Ashtar is the 3rd most famous Yemeni Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Malik al-Ashtar (Arabic: مَالِك ٱلْأَشْتَر), also known as Mālik bin al-Ḥārith al-Nakhaʿīy al-Maḏḥijīy (Arabic: مَالِك ٱبْن ٱلْحَارِث ٱلنَّخَعِيّ ٱلْمَذْحِجِيّ) was, according to Sunni view, one of the people involved behind Uthman's assassination. While, according to Shias, he was one of the loyal companions of Ali ibn Abi Talib, cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. According to them, Malik remained a loyal and avid supporter of Muhammad's progeny and the Hashemite clan. He rose to a position of prominence during the caliphate of Ali and participated in several battles, such as the Battle of Jamal and Siffin against Mu'awiya. His title "al-Ashtar" references an eyelid injury he received during the Battle of Yarmouk.