Abhala ibn Ka'b, known by his nickname Aswad al-Ansi, was a false prophet who emerged in Yemen. Abhala was skilled in sihr and soothsaying. He used his sihr and associations with Jinn to perform so-called “miracles” in his town, and he claimed to be a prophet with direct revelations from Allah. The residents of his town were amazed by his actions, and they were convinced he was a true prophet. He was also known as Dhul-Khimar because of the mysterious cloak he often wore around himself to give a mysterious and eerie vibe.
Abhala was not just a skillful magician, he was also a strong fighter. He conquered the town of Sana'a, and he killed the Muslim governor of Sana'a. He was able to spread his religion there, and the people of Sana'a accepted it. The people of Najran also believed in him and were amongst his first followers. After several invasions, Abhala called himself “Rahman” and claimed that he was God.
The Muslim governors had to leave Yemen due to an urgent matter. But there were still Muslims in Yemen. So, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote a letter to the Muslims living there, saying, “Eliminate Abhala, one way or another.” One of the Sahabah took the letter and sent it to the Muslim part of Yemen, where it reached a group of Muslims led by a Sassanian revert to Islam, Firuz al-Daylami. Firuz gathered more Muslims to join him in his plan to eliminate the false prophet, and soon they managed to locate his house.
At night, the Muslims under Firuz broke in and killed Abhala ibn Ka'b. They stabbed him to death. The news of Abhala's death reached the Prophet ﷺ a week later, a day before the Prophet ﷺ himself sadly passed away. The followers of Abhala rebelled against the Muslims under a rebel named Qays ibn Abdul Yaghuth, but they eventually surrendered.
Source:
Al-Tabari's Tarikh, volume 3, pages 189 to 218
Encyclopaedia of Islam by Mufti Ahmed
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