Al-Aswad Al-Ansi

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Introduction

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Abhala son of Kaab, who is better known as Al-Aswad al-Ansi (Arabic : الاسود العنسي), meaning "The black man of Ans"(Ans is an Arab tribe inhabiting Yemen) was a man who claimed prophethood in Yemen towards the end of the prophet Muhammad's lifetime (around 630 A.D). He claimed to receive divine inspiration in the form of words and is recorded to have recited them to his people.

He was known to be a soothsayer and a sorcerer who had a passion for consumption of alcohol. He had an ability to dazzle a crowd with tricks, according to traditional accounts he had a donkey whom he had trained to kneel before him, he would tell the donkey, in front of a large crowd "Kneel before your lord" and it would kneel, and then he would say to it "Bow before your lord" and it would bow. He thus convinced his tribe that he was indeed a genuine prophet.

His end

He went on to invade Najran and most of the Yemen. After his invasion of Yemen he changed his title from "Prophet of God" to "Rahman", a word meaning "The most merciful", which is a name that Muslims call God by, he thus claimed to be God. His rule of the Yemen was short lived as he was later on assassinated by Fairouz ad-Delami under the supervision and planning of Qais bin Hubaira, an agent of the prophet Muhammad.

Reference

Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed by A.I. Akram