Period of Revelation
This is unanimously a Makki Sura; and if it is studied against its historical background it appears that it must have been sent down in the very earliest stage at Makkah.
Historical Background
As we have explained in E. N. 4 of Sura Al-Burujabove
in retaliation for the persecution of the followers of the Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be on him) in Najran by the Jewish ruler Dhu-Nuwas of Yaman
the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia invaded Yaman and put an end to the Himyarite rule there
and in 52S A. D. this whole land passed under Abyssinian control. This happened
in fact
through collaboration between the Byzantine empire of Constantinople and the Abyssinian kingdom
for the Abyssinians at that time had no naval fleet. The fleet was provided by Byzantium and Abyssinia sent 70
000 of its troops by it across the Red Sea to Yaman. At the outset one should understand that all this did not happen under the religious zeal but there were economic and political factors also working behind it
and probably these were the real motive
and retaliation for the Christian blood was just an excuse. Since the time the Byzantine empire had occupied Egypt and Syria
it had been trying to gain control over the trade going on between East Africa
India
Indonesia
etc.
and the Byzantine dominions: from the Arabs
who had been controlling it for centuries
so as to earn maximum profits by eliminating the intermediary Arab merchants. For this purpose
in 24 or 25 B. C.
Caesar Augustas sent a large army under the Roman general
Aelius Gallus
which landed on the western coast of Arabia
in order to intercept and occupy the sea route between southern Arabia and Syria. But the campaign failed to achieve its objective on account of thc extreme geographical conditions of Arabia. After this
the Byzantines brought their fleet into the Red Sea and put an end to the Arab trade which they carried out by sea
with the result that they were left only with the land route. To capture this very land route they conspired with the Abyssinian Christians and aiding them with their fleet helped them to occupy Yaman. The Arab historians statements about the Abyssinian army that invaded Yaman are different. Hafiz Ibn Kathir says that it was led by two commanders
Aryat and Abrahah
and according to Muhammad bin Ishaq
its commander was Aryat
and Abrahah was included in it. Then both are agreed that Aryat and Abrahah fell out
Aryat was killed in the encounter
and Abrahah took possession of the country; then somehow he per- suaded the Abyssinian king to appoint him his viceroy over Yaman. On the contrary
the Greek and Syriac historians state that when after the conquest of Yaman
the Abyssinians started putting to death the Yamanite chiefs
who had put up resistance
one of the chiefs
named As-Sumayfi Ashwa (whom the Greek historians call Esymphaeus) yielded to the Abyssinians and promising to pay tribute obtained the Abyssinian king's warrant to be governor over Yaman. But the Abyssinian army revolted against him and made Abrahah governor in his place. This man was the slave of a Greek merchant of the Abyssinian seaport of Adolis
who by clever diplomacy had come to wield great influence in the Abyssinian army occupying Yaman. The troops sent by the Negus to punish him either warned him or were defeated by him. Subsequently
after the death of the king
his successor was reconciled to accept him as his viceregent of Yaman.(The Greek historians write him as Abrames and the Syriac historians as Abraham. Abrahah perhaps is an Abyssinian variant of Abraham
for its Arabic version is Ibrahim). This man through passage of time became an independent ruler of Yaman. He acknowledged the sovereignty of the Negus only in name and described himself as his deputy. The influence he wielded can be judged from the fact that after the restoration of the dam of Marib in 543 A. D. he celebrated the event by holding a grand feast
which was attended by the ambassadors of the Byzantine emperor
king of Iran
king of Hirah
and king of Ghassan. Its full details are given in the inscription that Abrahah installed on the dam. This inscription is extant and Glaser has publish