Himyar's official monotheism (Rahmanan)
c. c. 380 – c. 525
Place: zafar
14.200, 44.400 · Approximate location. · On the map
The change in inscriptions is attested. How far it counted as Judaism, rather than a broader monotheism, is debated. Zafar coordinates are approximate. Full community record: branches-and-controversies (Jews of Arabia).
Around 380 the kings of Himyar in Yemen stopped naming the old gods in their inscriptions and began invoking a single 'Rahmanan, Lord of Heaven'. The ruling elite leaned toward Judaism. This is the background to the Jewish–Christian conflict of 523 and to the Qur'an's use of al-Rahman as a name of God.
People named here
- Malkikarib Yuha'min
- Abikarib As'ad
Where scholars disagree
For
- Christian Julien Robin — 'Ḥimyar, Aksum, and Arabia Deserta' (2015): Judaism-leaning official monotheism
Against
No names on this side.
Links
Text and wording
Out
Qur'an 112 (al-Ikhlas): 'He begets not, nor is He begotten'
'Rahmanan' (al-Rahman) as a monotheist divine name, later central in the Qur'an.
vocabulary
scholarly hypothesis
Influence
In
Abraha, Christian ruler of Yemen
Abraha's inscriptions keep 'Rahmanan' but add 'his Messiah and the Holy Spirit', a Christian Trinity formula.
continued
attested
Sequence
Out
Yusuf As'ar Yath'ar (Dhu Nuwas), Jewish king of Himyar
Yusuf's Jewish kingship grew out of a century of official Himyarite monotheism.
precedes
attested
Sources
- Christian Julien Robin, 'Ḥimyar, Aksum, and Arabia Deserta in Late Antiquity: The Epigraphic Evidence', in G. Fisher (ed.), Arabs and Empires before Islam (2015)
Oxford University Press. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Rahmanan
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Himyarite Kingdom
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.