Christianity in Arabia before Islam

In al-Rahiq al-Makhtum, Christianity came to the lands of the Arabs through the occupation of Abyssinia and of the Romans. ^{1 2}

The first Abyssinian occupation of Yemen was in 340 CE and lasted until 378 CE, and in that time Christian missionary activity entered the lands of Yemen. ^{1 2} Around this time an ascetic man whose prayers were answered and who had miracles, called Faymiyun, entered Najran, invited them to the Christian faith, and the people of Najran saw in him signs of his truthfulness and of the truth of his religion, so that they responded to Christianity and adopted it. ^{1 3 4} See the Christians of Najran and the trench.

When the Abyssinians occupied Yemen in reaction to what Dhu Nuwas had done, and Abraha established his rule over it, he began spreading Christianity with the greatest energy and on the widest scale. He built a church in Yemen called the Yemeni Ka'ba (al-Qullays), and he wanted to divert the pilgrimage of the Arabs to it and to demolish the House of God in Mecca. ³

The Arabs of the Ghassanids, the tribes of Taghlib and Tayy, and others adopted Christianity because of their proximity to the Romans, and some kings of al-Hira also adopted it. ³

The author holds that when Islam came, Christianity had reverted to a paganism that was hard to understand, and had created confusion between God and man. It had no real influence in the souls of the Arabs who professed it, because its teachings were distant from the way of life they were accustomed to. ⁵

The last paragraph is the author's judgement from within the Sunni framework. The views of modern scholarship, and of the Christians themselves, on the Christians of the Peninsula and their sects have not yet been added. See also the books of the Christians.