It is impossible to accurately determine the actual
year of the founding of Yathrib, as the number of centuries which
separate Nuh (upon him be peace) and the emigration of the Messenger
of Allah, the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him), is not known
absolutely. The narration of some historians have been transmitted
to us, but academically they are unreliable. They merely serve as
corroboration of the preponderant proof that has been passed down in
written historical chronicles. The 'Abeel and Al-'Amaaleeq existed
in the distant past and their oral traditions and traces of
artifacts, which would specifically date their age, are
non-existent. Thus, authenticating the precise time of the founding
of Yathrib is an impossibility.
Some of the more recent histories, those reaching
back to 1600 years before the emigration of the Prophet (Peace be
upon him), have also been lost. However, we know that the 'Abeel
tribe spoke Arabic, for this has been documented in chronicles that
remain. It has been determined from these works of non-Arabs, that
this was the approximate time of the appearance of the word Yathrib.
The name also appears in inscriptions that have
been discovered and in books dealing with the history of the
Kingdom, in particular those dealing with the cities where various
communities had existed. It was also well-known in parts of Yemen,
between 600 and 1300 B.C. At that time, prosperity flourished and
their power and influence were spread to the Hijaaz and Palestine.
When the Sultan of Yemen became weak, the existing groups of
inhabitants protected the trade routes to the north. This caravan
route specifically passed Yathrib.
This approximate history also agrees with those
historians who have mentioned the presence of the tribe,
Al-'Amaaleeq. They fought wars with Bani Isra'il in the northern
part of the Arabian peninsula and in
Sinai.
