Yemen, Islam, the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia: History and Reality

✒ Sufyan Abdussalam

24 October 2026, 13 Jumada Al-Awwal 1448 AH

A historical look at Yemen and the Houthis, who have launched attacks even targeting the Two Holy Mosques, the sacred sites of Muslims around the world. This series begins here.

The world has been shaken by reports of attacks carried out by Yemen's Houthis against Saudi Arabia using ballistic missiles and drones. The Houthis continue to target not only Aramco refineries, which are vital to Saudi Arabia's economy, and shipping routes in the Red Sea, but also airports used by ordinary civilians. There have also been reports of attacks on Makkah and Madinah, cities that receive large numbers of pilgrims. Umrah pilgrims travelling from India and Bangladesh were reportedly killed at Riyadh Airport in Houthi attacks. So far, sixteen people have been killed and around four hundred injured. Among those reported killed were Indian citizen Muhammad Yusuf Ali of Hyderabad and Bangladeshi preacher Mufti Nasrullah. Umrah pilgrims from Kerala narrowly escaped death at Riyadh Airport.

A historical investigation into why the extremist group known as the Houthis, originating in Yemen, is launching attacks against Saudi Arabia has become essential. Ordinary people are struggling to make sense of falsehoods and half-truths spread through distorted versions of history created by various parties and amplified by artificial intelligence algorithms. Yemen's history, its transformations across different periods, and the various ideologies that have influenced the country must be examined.

Yemen Before Islam

Yemen is mentioned numerous times in the Noble Qur'an and Hadith. The tribe of Saba', described in Surahs An-Naml and Saba', the people of Al-Ahqaf mentioned in Surah Al-Ahqaf, and the Himyarite dynasty referred to as Tubba' in Surahs Ad-Dukhan and Qaf all lived in the region of present-day Yemen. Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) and the Queen of Saba', known as Bilqis, who believed in Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him), were associated with this region. Around the time Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, the region was ruled by Abraha, a who was from Ethiopian lineage. Abraha led the army of elephants, known as Ashab al-Fil, which came to destroy the Ka'bah, as described in Surah Al-Fil. The Bible also refers to the Queen of Sheba, the region of Hadramawt, and the southern coastal areas of Yemen. The people of Yemen were praised by the Prophet ﷺ as a community distinguished by tender hearts and wisdom.

Names and Cities

Historical accounts suggest that around 300 CE, before the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the Himyarite emperor Shammar Yahri'ish unified the territories of Yemen and named the region Yamanat, meaning the land situated to the south. The name Yemen is said to have originated from this term.

Historically, Yemen consisted of two regions: North Yemen and South Yemen. The principal cities of North Yemen include Sana'a, Taiz, Hudaydah, Sa'dah, Dhamar, Ibb, Ma'rib, Hajjah, Yarim, and Amran, as well as Dammaj. The principal coastal cities of South Yemen include Aden, Mukalla, Zinjibar, and Al-Ghaydah, while Say'un, Tarim, and Shibam are important cities in Hadramawt.

Yemen During the Prophet's ﷺ Era

Islam reached Yemen through well-known Companions of the Prophet ﷺ. Wa'il ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him), who travelled from Hadramawt to Madinah and embraced Islam in the ninth year after the Hijrah, was one such Companion. His conversion played a role in the spread of Islam in southern Yemen.

It was also in the ninth year after the Hijrah that the Prophet ﷺ sent Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen. The advice the Prophet gave him is well known:
“You are going to a people from among the People of the Book. Let the first thing you call them to be Tawheed. Once they accept it, then teach them the other obligations of Islam, such as prayer and Zakah.”

The Prophet ﷺ also advised him to make things easy for people and not to repel them. Mu'adh was based in Al-Janad, in the area of present-day Taiz in northern Yemen. Masjid Mu'adh in Taiz is well known.

Abdullah ibn Qays, better known as Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him), was another Companion who embraced Islam after travelling from the Yemeni city of Zabid to Makkah during the Prophet's lifetime. Abu Musa also travelled to Yemen alongside Mu'adh. While Mu'adh was based in Taiz, Abu Musa preached in his hometown of Zabid and the western coastal regions.

In the tenth year after the Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ sent Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen. The message of the Prophet that Ali recited at Suq al-Mikhlaf in Sana'a led the Hamdan tribe of Sana'a to embrace Islam. With Ali's arrival, Islam began to spread widely among the people of Yemen.

Several well-known Companions, including Ammar ibn Yasir, Abu Hurayrah, Fayruz al-Daylami, Abu Amir al-Ash'ari, and Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays (may Allah be pleased with them all), were also associated with Yemen.

Ahlus Sunnah and Imam al-Shafi'i

The political divisions that emerged among Muslims towards the end of the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs also affected Yemen. During the Battle of Siffin in 657, the Hamdan and Kindah tribes of Sana'a stood alongside Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), while other tribes supported Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). From 661 onwards, Yemen came under Umayyad rule.

In 745, the Ibadis seized power from the Umayyads, although their rule did not last long. It was during the period when political divisions among Muslims were gradually developing into divisions in religious belief that Imam al-Shafi'i arrived in Yemen. He came in 795 and lived there for five years. His presence strengthened the ideas of Ahlus Sunnah in Yemen, and the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence gained prominence.

The Emergence of Shi'ism in Yemen

In 897 CE, Yahya ibn al-Husayn, known as the first Zaidi Imam, arrived in Yemen, marking the beginning of the Zaidi branch of Shi'ism in the region.

Among the twelve Imams recognised by Twelver Shi'ites is Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir, the grandson of Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), whom they regard as the fifth Imam. The Zaidis do not accept this succession. They maintain that their fifth Imam was Zayd ibn Ali, the grandson of Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him).

Imam Yahya, known as Al-Hadi ila al-Haqq, chose Sa'dah, a rugged mountainous region near the present-day Saudi-Yemeni border and now a Houthi stronghold, as his centre of activity.

With the arrival of the Zaidis, the Muslim community in Yemen became divided into Sunni and Shi'ite communities. The Zaidi Shi'ites gained strength in North Yemen, while Sunnis were concentrated in South Yemen. Today, the Sunni and Shi'ite populations in North Yemen are said to be roughly comparable, while the Shi'ite presence in South Yemen is described as negligible.

Yemen Under Various Rulers

After the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, Yemen passed through a complicated succession of tribal, dynastic, and political regimes. Its history was marked by conflict, fragmentation, and reunification. The Ziyadids, Yu'firids, Sulayhids, Zurayids, Ayyubids, Rasulids, Tahirids, and Mamluks were among the groups that ruled Yemen during different periods.

The Ottoman Caliphate and Zaidi Resistance

Before 1500, Arab traders maintained extensive commercial links with India and China. Aden, in Yemen, was one of their principal ports. After 1500, however, Europeans, particularly the Portuguese, sought to establish dominance in the region. Vasco da Gama bypassed Aden, while Albuquerque attempted to use the port but was forced to retreat in the face of Arab resistance.

Recognising European ambitions in the Arab region, the Ottoman Caliphate, based in Turkey, expelled the Mamluks from Yemen and took control of the territory.

From 897 onwards, the Zaidi Imams of North Yemen had largely confined themselves to religious and spiritual matters. They had not significantly intervened when various dynasties and tribes governed the region. However, because the Ottoman Caliphate exercised authority beyond political affairs and had a Sunni orientation in religious matters, the Zaidis opposed Ottoman rule.

The Zaidis, who had previously remained focused on spiritual affairs, began engaging the Turks in political and military conflict. In 1597, under the leadership of their Imam Mansur al-Qasim, whom they claimed descended from Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him), they established the Qasimid state. Their Imam, whom they also claimed belonged to the Hashemite family, served as the head of state.

Following a series of struggles, the Ottoman rulers were forced to withdraw from all parts of Yemen in 1635.

The Qasimid Empire Established by the Zaidis

The Zaidis took full advantage of the opportunity they gained in 1635. Their Qasimid Empire expanded beyond North Yemen to encompass other parts of the country.

As global coffee consumption increased, Yemen experienced economic growth during this period because it was one of the world's leading coffee-producing countries. Later, however, Yemen's prominence declined as Indonesia and other countries began exporting coffee.

Meanwhile, internal conflicts among Zaidi tribal factions weakened the Qasimid state. Its authority contracted to Sana'a, and the British subsequently took control of parts of Yemen.

Yemen Under British Rule

The British East India Company, established in 1600, transported goods during its first two centuries primarily through the Cape of Good Hope route in southern Africa. To reduce travel distance and costs, the British came to regard Aden as an essential port. In 1839, they colonised South Yemen, including Aden.

The area known as the Aden Settlement remained part of the Bombay Presidency until 1937. That year, the British separated it from India and renamed it the Aden Protectorate. In 1967, it became known as the Protectorate of South Arabia.

The British, however, were unable to colonise North Yemen because of its formidable mountainous terrain, the presence of the Ottoman Turks, and the resistance mounted by the Zaidis.

Recognising the dangers posed by British colonisation of South Yemen, the Turks concluded an agreement with the Zaidis of North Yemen in 1849. However, after Turkey's defeat in the First World War in 1918, the Ottomans were forced to withdraw from Yemen.

The Zaidi Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen

Following the Ottoman withdrawal, the Zaidi Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid al-Din, known by the title Al-Mutawakkil 'ala Allah, established a monarchy in North Yemen. It was called the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.

This was a departure from the traditional Zaidi Imamate system. Monarchical rule and the Zaidi concept of the Imamate were not naturally compatible. Carried away by his ambitions as a monarch, Al-Mutawakkil attempted to incorporate the Asir region, including Abha, Najran, and Jizan in what is now southern Saudi Arabia, into Yemen.

Asir and the Hijaz

During Ottoman rule, administration of the Asir region had been entrusted to the prominent local family known as Alu Ayd. When Ottoman power weakened, the Idrisids, a Sunni dynasty of Moroccan origin, seized the region in 1906. They had British support.

The Mutawakkilite Kingdom, with Italian assistance, attempted to wrest Asir from the Idrisids. However, Ibn Saud, the ruler of Najd, also known as King Abdulaziz, defeated the Zaidi effort and took Asir from the Idrisids in 1920.

At that time, the Hijaz, which included Makkah and Madinah, was ruled by the Sunni Hashemites under Ottoman sovereignty. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1924, the Hashemite ruler, Sharif Hussein, proclaimed himself Caliph.

The Sunni Hashemites of the Hijaz and the Zaidi Shi'ite rulers of Yemen had been longstanding rivals. Consequently, the Zaidi Shi'ite government of North Yemen did not recognise Sharif Hussein's assumption of the caliphate. The Hijaz subsequently came under Ibn Saud's authority. In 1934, Al-Mutawakkil confronted Ibn Saud but was defeated.

The Treaty of Taif

Following his defeat, Al-Mutawakkil signed a treaty with Saudi Arabia in Taif in 1934. The Mutawakkilite Kingdom agreed to recognise Asir, Najran, and Jizan as Saudi territory and to make no further claims to them. Ibn Saud, in turn, acknowledged that the coastal areas of Al-Hudaydah belonged to North Yemen.

Internal Conflict Among the Zaidis

Meanwhile, some Zaidis influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Algerian nationalism launched a revolution against Al-Mutawakkil's monarchy.

One of the prominent leaders was Abdullah al-Wazir, who had previously been one of Al-Mutawakkil's most trusted associates. The revolution led by al-Wazir culminated in the assassination of Al-Mutawakkil Imam Yahya Hamid al-Din in 1948.

North Yemen After Al-Mutawakkil

Although Imam Yahya Hamid al-Din was killed, his son Ahmad ibn Yahya defeated al-Wazir and preserved the monarchy. However, he held views different from those of his father.

He abandoned the traditional Zaidi position of hostility towards foreign powers. In seeking to end British control over South Yemen, he forged ties with the Soviet Union. Agreements were concluded from 1955 onwards, and by 1957, Yemen had begun receiving Soviet weapons and military advisers

When Ahmad travelled to Rome for medical treatment in 1959, his son Muhammad al-Badr established a pro-Soviet party and intensified communist activities. Since political parties were not permitted under the monarchy, the organisations were banned when Ahmad returned from treatment.

The Union with Egypt and Syria

In 1958, when Egypt and Syria united to form the United Arab Republic (UAR), the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen entered into an alliance with them which was called the United Arab States (UAS). Muhammad al-Badr, the son and crown prince of King Ahmad ibn Yahya, and Gamal Abdel Nasser, president of the UAR, signed the agreement.

After Syria withdrew from the alliance, North Yemen also withdrew from UAS in 1961. South Yemen, meanwhile, remained a British colony.

On September 19, 1962, Ahmad ibn Yahya died in his sleep.

Egypt's Attempt to Bring Yemen Under Its Influence

Following King Ahmad ibn Yahya's death, his son Muhammad al-Badr assumed power. However, a military coup against the monarchy took place in North Yemen, triggering widespread unrest.

Exactly one week after al-Badr took power, on the night of September 26, 1962, a group of military officers led by Abdullah al-Sallal, the head of Yemen's military, staged a coup inspired by Gamal Abdel Nasser, president of the UAR. They promoted republicanism and Arab nationalism and renamed the country the Yemen Arab Republic.

Al-Badr attempted to suppress the uprising by promising tax reductions and a general amnesty for political prisoners. These concessions, however, failed to quell the rebellion. The conflict continued for eight years and redirected the course of Yemeni history.

Republican forces announced that King al-Badr had been killed. In reality, he escaped to the northern mountain ranges of North Yemen with the support of Zaidi tribal groups.

Saudi Support for the Zaidi Shi'ite Monarchy

The Saudi government of the time supported the Zaidi Mutawakkilite regime and its ruler, Muhammad al-Badr. King Saud and Prince Faisal intervened on behalf of the Zaidis.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Britain supplied weapons to the Zaidi tribal guerrillas. Meanwhile, approximately 70,000 Egyptian troops were deployed in support of the republicans.

The Zaidi monarchy also received covert assistance from Israel through British intelligence. Israel was motivated by concerns about the consequences of an Egyptian victory in Yemen.

When Israeli parachutes were seen in the skies above the mountains of North Yemen, Zaidi tribesmen living there mistakenly interpreted them as divine assistance sent to their Imam.

(To be continued.)