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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Shi'ite Encyclopedia (chapter 10) Al-saba'iya and the Multiple Personality of Ibn Saba Since pre-Islamic times, the term "Saba'iya" used to indicate those related to Saba son of Yashjub, son of Ya'rub, son of Qahtan; synonymous to "Qahtaniya", also used to be known as "Yamaniya" referencing their place of origin, Yemen.

This group of people (i.e., Saba'iya/Qahtaniya/Yamaniya) in contrast to the "Adnaniya", "Nazariya" and "Mudhariya", which used to refer to relation to Mudhar son of Nazar, son of Adnan, from the sons of Ishmael (AS) the son of Abraham (AS). There were some allies for each tribe who were under protection of that tribe, and at times they were referred by the name of that tribe. In general, Arabs trace their roots to one of these two major tribes.

When the two tribes joined in Medina to create what became the first Islamic society led by the Prophet(PBUH&HF) (year 0 AH), those related to Qahtan were named al-Ansar (Helpers) who were the residents of Medina at that time; and those from Adnan and their allies who traveled to Medina and were called al-Muhajireen (Immigrants).

The personality Abdullah bin Wahab al-Saba'i, the first leader of al- Khawarij (the group which opposed Ali (AS) during his rule), was from the first tribe, the Saba'iya or Qhatan above. As the friction increased between the two tribes of Adnan and Qahtan in Medina and Kufa, the Adhanies reportedly used to nickname the Qhantanies by the term Saba'iya.

However, this name-calling was purely tribal and ethnical until the appearance of the work of Sayf Ibn Umar (of Adnan) in the beginning of the second century (AH) during the Umayad rule, in Kufa. Sayf took the advantage of this purely tribal friction and created the mythical Saba'iya religious entity, with Abdullah Ibn Saba as its leader, altering the meaning of the tribal reference to Qahtan to that of the ill inference attributed to Abdullah Ibn Saba's deviant sect.

To come up with the alleged name of the creator of the sect (Abdullah Ibn Saba), Sayf Ibn Umar either transposed the name Abdullah (bin Wahab) al- Saba'i, described above, to Abdullah Ibn Saba as appears from reports by al- Ash'ari, al-Sama'ani and al-Maqrizi; or he created the story and invented the name on his own altogether.