Episode 2: How Judaism Started in Arabia
Taban ibn Assad’s Journey from Yemen to Sham:
Taban ibn Assad was the king of Yemen.
One day, he went from Yemen to Sham (Syria) for business and he took his son with him.
Conflict with the People of Yathrib:
On the way, they passed through Yathrib (at the time Madinah) and Taban left his son in Yathrib for business while he went to Sham.
The people of Yathrib had some disputes which eventually led to the son of Taban ibn Assad being killed.
When Taban ibn Assad found out, he went back to Yathrib and took an army to take revenge on the people who killed his son.
Taban’s army went to war with the people of Yathrib but Taban ibn Assad was amazed by the characteristics of the residents of Yathrib.
After the fighting began, both armies agreed that they would return to their respective camps at night.
The people of Yathrib would send Taban’s army food and drink in the night despite going to war with them during the day.
Taban ibn Assad still wanted to fight the people of Yathrib because of his anger towards them for killing his son.
Advice From the Jewish Scholars:
Two scholars of the Jews went to Taban ibn Assad, who told them: I want to destroy this city because they killed my son.
The scholars said: Wallahi, you will never be able to destroy this city, no matter how many people/weapons you bring. This is the city where a Prophet in the future will settle and migrate.
This was written in the Tawrah, the book that was given to the Prophet Musa (AS).
The scholars started to teach Taban ibn Assad the principles stated in the Tawrah and he was fascinated by this.
Eventually, Taban ibn Assad became a Jew, which was the religion of Tawhid at that time.
He then decided to abandon the war and left Yathrib and went on his way to Hijaz (a general region in Arabia).
Encounter with the Tribe of Hudhayl:
Taban ibn Assad met the tribe called Hudhayl who hated the residents of Yemen and Makkah.
The tribe asked Taban ibn Assad and his army if they would like some treasures and jewels, informing them of a house in Makkah (the Kabah) where around it, was gold and jewels.
Taban got his army ready to go to Makkah to extract these jewels.
Warning from the Jewish Scholars:
The two scholars returned and asked Taban ibn Assad: what are you doing?
Taban informed them about what the tribe of Hudhayl said to him.
The scholars replied: Wallahi, the people of Hudhayl do not want good for you, they want you to be destroyed. If you want to destroy the Kabah, you will be destroyed because this is the House of Allah. Do not listen to these people, they are trying to trick you and want you to be destroyed.
They told Taban to go to the House of Allah and do tawaf.
When Taban ibn Assad got there, he asked the two scholars why they were not performing the tawaf like they instructed him to do so.
The scholars replied: we are people of knowledge, at this time, the people of Makkah have filled this place with idols so it is not appropriate for us to make tawaf around the Kabah whilst idols are around it.
The Covering of the Kabah:
Taban ibn Assad then stayed in Makkah and had a dream that he was covering the Kabah with a cloth (Kiswa).
After this dream, he ordered for a cloth to be sent from Yemen to Makkah so he could put this Kiswa on the Kabah.
By doing this, Taban ibn Assad became the first person in history to put a Kiswa around the Kabah.
Every year, the Arabs put a new Kiswa on the Kabah and would place it over the old covering.
Return to Yemen:
Taban ibn Assad returned back to Yemen, where he brought along the two Jewish scholars with the intention of guiding his people to accept the religion.
Through Taban and the two scholars, all of the people of Yemen accepted Judaism and this is how the religion entered into the Arabian Pensinsula and Yemen in particular.