In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “ttested by several historical sources of the arabic peninsula”. Today it says “most notable community of christians in pre-islamic arabia”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “ttested by several historical sources of the arabic peninsula”. Today it says “most notable community of christians in pre-islamic arabia”.
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The opening as it read in 2025
Christians of Najran were the most notable community of Christians in pre-Islamic Arabia . Christianity appears to have spread into the region by the fifth century, if not earlier. In some Islamic tradition, Najran is thought to have been the site that allowed Christianity to first get a foothold in South Arabia . Najran was the home of several Christian bishops as well, including the legendary Quss Ibn Sa'ida al-Iyadi , a contemporary of and possible influence on Muhammad . Some traditions suggest the existence of a Kaaba of Najran , which had a similar architectural style to the Kaaba of Mecca . The Christians of Najran are best known for having been persecuted and massacred during the reign of the Jewish Himyarite king , Dhu Nuwas . The outrage that followed in the international Christian community made this what has described as "the most widely broadcast episode of the early sixth century," with the works written on it now forming an important source for the history of the community. The massacre also instigated an invasion of the Himyarite Kingdom by its Christian neighbour, the Ethiopian Aksumite Kingdom , ushering in an era of Christian rule over South Arabia during much of the sixth century. The Christians of Najran persisted, and are said to have sent a delegation that met with the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who allowed them to worship in his mosque, and their interaction is believed to be the occasion in which Surah 112 of the Quran was revealed. The Quranic story of the People of the Ditch in Surah 85 is also often interpreted as recounting the massacre of Najran's Christians.
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1296670914.
The opening as it stood in 2010
The existence of a Christian community of Najran is attested by several historical sources of the Arabic peninsula, where it recorded as having been created in the 5th century CE or perhaps a century earlier. According to the Arab Muslim historian , Ibn Ishaq , Najran was the first place where Christianity took root in South Arabia.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 358342461.
The opening as it stood in 2015
The existence of a Christian community in Najran is attested by several historical sources of the Arabian peninsula, where it recorded as having been created in the 5th century CE or perhaps a century earlier. According to the Arab Muslim historian , Ibn Ishaq , Najran was the first place where Christianity took root in South Arabia.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 660992111.
The opening as it stood in 2020
The existence of a Christian community in the city of Najran is attested by several historical sources of the Arabian peninsula, where it recorded as having been created in the 5th century CE or perhaps a century earlier. According to the Arab Muslim historian Ibn Ishaq , Najran was the first place where Christianity took root in South Arabia. In the early 6th century, the Christians are said to have been persecuted by a Himyarite king named Dhu Nuwas .Dhu Nuwas was eventually defeated after foreign intervention from Abyssinia.In the 7th century, Christians of Najran interacted with the Islamic prophet Muhammad , who allowed them to worship in his mosque.There is evidence that the community continued to thrive until the 9th century; the community no longer exists today.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 961471714.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Historical community in southern Arabia The existence of a Christian community in the city of Najran in present-day southwestern Saudi Arabia is attested by several historical sources of the Arabian Peninsula , where it recorded as having been created in the 5th century AD or perhaps a century earlier. According to the Arab Muslim historian Ibn Ishaq , Najran was the first place where Christianity took root in South Arabia . In the early 6th century, the Christians are said to have been persecuted by a Himyarite king named Dhu Nuwas . Dhu Nuwas was eventually defeated after foreign intervention from Abyssinia. In the 7th century, Christians of Najran interacted with the Islamic prophet Muhammad , who allowed them to worship in his mosque. There is evidence that the community continued to thrive until the 9th century; the community no longer exists today.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1174928676.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “ttested by several historical sources of the arabic peninsula”. Today it says “most notable community of christians in pre-islamic arabia”. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2010 and 2025.
Then
ttested by several historical sources of the arabic peninsula
Now
most notable community of christians in pre-islamic arabia
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
