Abstract:
Since the formation of centralized political systems in South Arabia, the governments of this region, under the influence of the Mesopotamia civilization, have been worshiping the celestial bodies included Moon, Sun and Venus. Among them, due to geographical conditions, the moon had the highest position. This Yemenis' religion in the south of the Arabian Peninsula is fundamentally different from the northern Arabs' religion. Before the advent of Islam, although idolatry was a common belief of the southern and northern Arabs, but idolatry was practiced by the Yemenis in the form of worship of celestial bodies and depending on fixed rituals, while having diversity in the temples, unlike the northern Arabs whose religion is based on diversity in rituals and restrictions in the temples. The evolution of the Yemenis' religion has also been different from that of the northern Arabs. The movement of return to monotheism in the Yemenis' religion manifested itself with their inclination towards the Abrahamic religions, Christianity and Judaism, so that even Judaism became their official religion at the end of the Himyarites Kingdom. This evolution took place among the Himyarites at an earlier time than in North Arabia, and it is considered in its kind an uplifting process. Unlike to the decline of the North Arabia's religion, which in the period under discussion had a declining process from Hanafi to paganism.