Banu Hanzala Tribe
Banū Hanẓala Tribe was a big tribe from the dynasty of Hanzala b. Malik b. Zayd Munat b. al-Tamim in Arabian Peninsula. Some people in this tribe converted to Islam in the fourth year of the Prophet's (s) bi'that (his first revelation) by contributions of Aktham b. Sayfi. In 9/630-1, many heads of Banu Hanzala, including 'Utarad b. Hajib and Aqra' b. Habis visited the Prophet (s) in Masjid al-Nabi and converted to Islam.
After the Prophet's (s) demise, Sajah claimed prophecy among Banu Hanzala and found some followers. They refused to pay their zakat. In the Battle of Butah, which was planned to quench these riots, Khalid b. Walid arbitrarily killed Malik b. Nuwayra. In the battle of Jamal, motivated by Talha and al-Zubayr, many people of the Banu Hanzala tribe joined the army of Aisha. However, Banu Yarbu', from this tribe, kept its allegiance to Imam Ali (a). In the Battle of Nahrawan, some people of Banu Hanzala betrayed Imam Ali (a) and took the leadership of some groups of Khawarij.
The lineage
The Banu Hanzala tribe is a big tribe from the dynasty of Hanzala b. Malik b. Zayd b. Munat b. al-Tamim in Arabian Peninsula. Their lineage goes back to Ilyas b. Mudarr, a progeny of Ma'add b. 'Adnan. Hanzala was one of the major heads in Arabia. He became the head of Banu Tamim after his uncle, Sa'd. His progeny grew in population, power and poetic abilities, such that many of Ayyam al-'Arab (epics of Arabs) are intertwined with them. There are kinsmen coming from this tribe: Barajim, including five families, to whom belong some great figures of Islam; Banu Yarbu' b. Hanzala, and Banu Darim b. Malik b. Hanzala.
Residences
Banu Hanzala lived in a large territory in Central Arabia (Najd) that extends from Yamama (today's 'Arid) to Hajar (today's al-Ahsa'), Basra and Kufa, and they generally had a Bedouin lifestyle. Here are some areas where Banu Hanzala resided: Hazn (today's Salb, on the East of Najd), Samman, Dahna', and Raqmatan which had fertile lands. Some sources have mentioned many ponds around which groups of Banu Hanzala resided. Thus there were occasional quarrels and fights over water, such as the ones between Zuwayrayn and Bakr b. Wa'il. After Islamic conquests, some groups of Banu Hanzala immigrated to neighboring cities or in some newly founded ones such as Kufa and Basra and gradually in Eastern cities, including Istakhr in Fars, Isfahan, and Khurasan.
Fire worship
Banu Hanzala (especially the Banu Darim kinsman) had friendly relations with Anushiruwan (Khosro I) and Sassanian Empire. For example, Hajib b. Zurara, one of the seniors of the Banu Hanzala tribe, made attempts to get a permission to go to Iran in order to provide foods and supplies for its tribe. Because of these relations, they came to convert to Zoroastrianism, being the only Arabian tribe to worship fire. This might have assuaged the concerns of the Sassanian Empire about Arabian encroachment on their realm.
In the Age of the Prophet (s)
It seems that the first conversion of Banu Hanzala to Islam occurred in the fourth year of the Prophet's (s) bi'that (his first revelation), to which Aktham b. Sayfi made a lot of contributions. Some people from Banu Hanzala took part in the Battle of Badr (in the second year of Hijra). The Prophet (s) gave some part of Hunayn's booty to Aqra' b. Habis (from Banu Darim) and called him to Islam. He accompanied the Prophet (s) in the Conquest of Mecca, Hunayn, and Ta'if. In addition to people from Banu Hanzala who individually went to the Prophet (s) and converted to Islam, in 9/630-1 many heads of Banu Hanzala, including 'Utarad b. Hajib and Aqra' b. Habis visited the Prophet (s) in Masjid al-Nabi and converted to Islam.
In the 10/631-2, when the Prophet sent agents to different areas and tribes of Arabia to collect zakat, he sent Malik b. Nuwayra al-Yarbu'i to the Banu Hanzala tribe.
After the Prophet's (s) demise
Not long after the demise of the Prophet (s) in 11/632, Sajah claimed prophecy among the people of Banu Hanzala (the Banu Yarbu' kinsman), and some people who had accepted Islam with hesitations converted to him and refused to pay their zakats. In the Battle of Butah, which was planned to quench these riots, Khalid b. Walid arbitrarily killed Malik b. Nuwayra.
Since 13/634-5, groups of Banu Hanzala took part in Islamic conquests in Iran. In the Battle of Jamal, motivated by Talha and |al-Zubayr, some people of Banu Hanzala joined the army of Aisha. However, Banu Yarbu' kept their allegiance to Imam Ali (a), though in the Battle of Nahrawan, some people of Banu Hanzala disobeyed Imam Ali (a), and took the leadership of some Khawarij, such as 'Urwa b. Udayya (d. 58/677-8) and Shabath b. Rib'i. According to Fuad Hamza, the lineage of Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, goes back to Banu Hanzala.
Banu Hanzala poets
There are prominent poets and literary people from Banu Hanzala, such as Jarir, from the kinsman of Banu Yarbu', Farazdaq and Miskin al-Darimi from Banu Darim. Moreover, al-Sikkari (d. 257/870-1) collected the poems of Banu Yarbu'. Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi has mentioned some epic poets of Banu Hanzala. The poetic tradition of Banu Hanzala continued after Islam. A group of Banu Hanzala who visited the Prophet (s) in 9/630-1, held poetry meetings with the Prophet (s)'s companions.
References
- The material for writing this article is mainly taken from قبیله بنیحنظله in Farsi WikiShia.