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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books History of Shi'ism: From the Advent of Islam up to the End of Minor Occultation Lesson 21: Shi‘ism among the Different Tribes Basically, ‘Ali ( ‘a ) had more Shi‘ah and sympathizers from the ‘Adnanis from among the Qahtani tribes, and Shi‘ism among the Qahtanis had enormously expanded. The main Shi‘ah who constituted the historians and soldiers of the Commander of the Faithful ( ‘a ) were Arab tribes from the south (Yemen) and Qahtanis.

For instance, the Imam ( ‘a ) thus said in Rajzi, one of the battle arenas in Siffin: أنا الغلام القرشي المؤتمن الماجد الأبيض ليث كالشّطن يرضى به السّادة من اهل اليمن من ساكني نجد و من اهل عدن I am a Qurayshi youth—trustworthy, great, pure, and like a lion—with whom the distinguished men of the people of Yemen from among the residents of Najd and ‘Aden are pleased .[^1] Similarly, after the demise of the Prophet of Islam (S), most of ‘Ali’s ( ‘a ) supporters among the companions of the Prophet (S) were Ansar who were Qahtani in origin, and constituted most of those who accompanied ‘Ali ( ‘a ) from Medina up to the Battle of Jamal.[^2] In the same vein, when Imam al-Husayn ( ‘a ) set off toward Kufah, ‘Abd Allah ibn al-‘Abbas said to him: If the people of Iraq like you and want to assist you, you write to them, “The enemy shall expel you from your city.

Then, you come here.” Instead, you move toward Yemen where there are mountains, strongholds and forts that Iraq does not have. Yemen is a vast land and your father have Shi‘ah there. You go there and then send your preachers to the neighboring places to invite the people to come to you.

The companions of Imam al-Husayn ( ‘a ), with the exception of Banu Hashim and some Ghaffaris, also belonged to Yemeni tribes.[^3] As Mas‘udi has said, “From among the companions of the Prophet (S), only four persons attained martyrdom at the lap of the Prophet (S) and these four were from the Ansar .”[^4] The descent of the Ansar to Yemeni tribes is also obvious.

In contrast, the chiefs and nobles of Quraysh were hostile to ‘Ali ( ‘a ) and his descendants (just as they were hostile to the Prophet (S)), while the sympathizers of the Imam ( ‘a ) among them were few. Even the tribes that had close relations with the Quraysh, such as the tribe of Thaqif and the people of Ta’if who were supporters of Mu‘awiyah during and after the Battle of Siffin, had always been in the ranks of those who opposed ‘Ali ( ‘a ).