Dhu Nuwas (Yusuf Asʾar Yathʾar)
ذو نواس
The last Himyarite king before the second Abyssinian occupation: a convert to Judaism who in October 523 tried to force the Christians of Najran to apostatize and, on their refusal, dug the trench of fire — the event the Quran recalls in Surat al-Buruj.
At a glance
- Era
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Wars and campaignsIslam and Christianity
Place in the story
- Persecutortowardthe Christians of NajranScriptural
Jewish (transmitted)
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Overview
Yusuf Dhu Nuwas: the last powerful king of Himyar before the Abyssinian occupation, the convert to Judaism who burned Najran's Christians in the trench of 523 CE.
Life
When Yusuf Dhu Nuwas ibn Tubban As'ad took rule over Yemen he fell upon the Christians of Najran and called them to embrace Judaism; when they refused he dug them the trench and burned them with fire, making no distinction between man, woman, child and elder 1.
The slain are said to number between twenty and forty thousand; this happened in October of 523 CE, and the Qur'an records part of this story in Surat al-Buruj 2.
Significance
His atrocity was the cause of the Abyssinians' occupation of Yemen on the Roman fleet in 525 CE — and so his house's independent kingship ended 1.
For young visitors
Dhu Nuwas was a tyrant king in a story the Qur'an tells; he burned Najran's people in a trench of fire because they refused to leave their religion.
Connections
- Ruler of
- Yemen
- Member of
- Himyar
- Participated in
- The Massacre of Najran (Ashab al-Ukhdud)
People and things also explored
Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan (Maʾdikarib)NasrAbrahaThe Second Abyssinian Occupation of YemenThe Massacre of Najran (Ashab al-Ukhdud)Liberation and Persian Rule of YemenAryat (Abraha’s predecessor in Yemen)Badhan (last Persian governor of Yemen)
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
- Tafhim al-Quran — Abu al-A'la al-Mawdudi
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Dhu Nuwas (Yusuf Asʾar Yathʾar)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/dhu-nuwas/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.