Most of the early Arab references agree that
'Yathrib' was the name of a man who was of the direct descendants of
Nuh (the Prophet Noah) (upon him be peace), and that he founded a
town and gave it his name. It was a prevalent practise in early
cultures and civilisations to give a new city the name of its
founder, (for example Alexandria, in Egypt, which is ascribed to
Alexander the Great). Various Arab references from numerous
generations have determined that Yathrib was a direct descendent of
Nuh (upon him be peace). In some detailed genealogies, Yathrib is
the eighth generation after Nuh.
This narration is important in determining which
tribe lived in Yathrib at first. Was it the tribe 'Abeel or the
tribe Al-'Amaaleeq? Historians, however, agree that the two tribes
had inhabited the area for a long time and were different from the
earlier ones. It is more probable that it was the tribe 'Abeel that
was the earlier and that Al-'Amaaleeq came later, expelling them in
order to inhabit the land.
Ancient Arab references relate the important
reasons for the founding of Yathrib. They are:
1. That the sons of Nuh after wandering twice and
multiplying in number, did not find a suitable place to stop and
settle in, so small groups left the main tribal unit in search of
new and better lands. The branch 'Abeel, under the leadership of
Yathrib finally arrived at this location. In it they found water,
trees, and volcanic mountains whose terrain provided a natural
shield and protection to whoever inhabited the land. These things
satisfied their needs, so they settled in it.
2. That one of the sons of Nuh (upon him be peace)
whose ancestrage is as follows: Nimrood (Nimrod) bin Kaush bin
Kuniaan bin Nuh; invited his people to pagan worship (idolatry).
They reacted favourably, so Allah punished them by making them leave
their land, Baabel and dispersed them in all different directions.
Eventually, the 'Abeel branch of the tribe arrived in this land.
3. That one of the grandchildren of Nuh (upon him
be peace), Al-'Amaaleeq left Baabel and settled in the area which
comprises the regions of Tihama (southwest coast of the Arabian
peninsula) and Makkah. They remained there for some time and
dominated the local people (Al-Sameeda'). After which arrived
another tribe (Jirhim), who drove them out of the region. They
remained in Makkah until another group of their people ('Abeel) came
to the region, under the leadership of Yathrib, who settled in and
built the city which they called by his name.
Thus, it is agreed upon by different Arab
historians that Yathrib was founded at the hand of the man who led
the masses of his people to it. They emigrated from their original
land, (Baabel in the first narration, Tihama in the second, and from
a part of the Hijaz in the third), in search of a new land that
would provide them with a better existence. This tribal group stayed
in this place because it was fertile, there was an abundance of
dense trees and water was plentiful. This new land was also secure
for its topography provided natural defence against invaders. They
stayed in the land whose main city was named after their leader,
Yathrib.
