The Messianism of Shukr Kuḥayl II: Two New Letters

Abstract

Shukr Kuḥayl II was one of the last pseudo-messiahs who appeared in Yemen, and his movement, which lasted from 1868 to 1875, was the best known of them all. He took his name from, and sought to build his reputation after that of Shukr Kuḥayl I, who had been active a few years previously and was killed by Muslims. Although he was not as pious or learned as his namesake, Shukr Kuḥayl II achieved public notice through the many epistles that he wrote and circulated both within and outside of Yemen. The main purpose of these flyers, in which he preached repentance, was to enlist support for and contributions to his cause. This paper presents two new letters that testify to his publicity in the distant rural areas of Yemen. The first is the message from the Jews of the village of Ghulah in northern Yemen to Shukr and his response to them, from which it appears that they had declined his request for donations. The second reports the arrival of an agent sent by a community leader in southern Yemen to investigate the activities of a person who was campaigning in Shukr's name in three villages. From this report we learn that the activist had been exposed as an impostor and that he had pleaded with the agent not to be tried before the community leader.