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Draft:The ʿAbd al-Qays Clan

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'Abd al-Qays Clan
EthnicityAdnanite Arab
LocationBahrain, Kufa
ReligionIslam

The ʿAbd al-Qays Clan (Arabic: بنو عبد القيس) is a prominent Arab clan that converted to Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (s). Following the Demise of the Prophet (s), the majority of the clan became devoted followers of Imam 'Ali (a). The Prophet (s) commended them for accepting Islam voluntarily and prayed for God's forgiveness upon the tribe. Imam al-Husayn (a) similarly regarded the 'Abd al-Qays as the most distinguished of the Rabi'a people.

Several clansmen, including Sa'sa'a b. Sawhan, Zayd b. Sawhan, and Sayhan b. Sawhan, served in the army of Imam 'Ali (a). Others, such as Yazid b. Thubayt al-'Abdi and his two sons, 'Abd Allah and 'Ubayd Allah, as well as 'Amir b. Muslim al-'Abdi, were martyred while fighting in the army of Imam al-Husayn (a) during the Event of Karbala.

The 'Abd al-Qays were Adnanite Arabs belonging to the Rabi'a confederation. They settled in Kufa following the city's establishment and expansion.

Introduction and Status

The 'Abd al-Qays was a major clan[1] of Adnanite Arabs[2] belonging to the Rabi'a tribe.[3] Their lineage is traced to Afsa b. Du'mi b. Jadila b. Asad b. Rabi'a b. Nizar b. Ma'add b. 'Adnan.[4] Ibn Manzur notes that 'Abqasi and 'Abdi are alternative demonyms for the 'Abd al-Qays.[5]

The clan originally inhabited Tihama.[6] Subsequently, segments of the tribe migrated to Bahrain[7] in eastern Arabia,[8] while others settled on the coast of Qatif. In later years, population growth prompted a group to migrate to Oman.[9] Following their migration to Bahrain, the 'Abd al-Qays became known as *Ahl al-Hajar*.[10] According to al-Tabari, the clan settled in Kufa after the city's founding and expansion.[11] They resided there through the time of Imam 'Ali (a) and during much of the reign of Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan.[12]

The Prophet Muhammad (s) held the people of 'Abd al-Qays in high esteem, asking God to forgive them because they had embraced Islam without preconditions.[13] A narration by Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Barqi states that Imam al-Husayn (a) also regarded the 'Abd al-Qays as the best of the Rabi'a people.[14]

'Abd al-Qays Clan Before Islam

Prior to the advent of Islam, the 'Abd al-Qays played a prominent role in conflicts against the Sassanid Empire, frequently engaging Iranian forces that sought territorial expansion.[15] The Sassanid King Shapur II suppressed the clan, forcibly relocating a portion of them to Kerman and Ahvaz.[16]

Conversion to Islam

The historian al-Maqrizi (d. 845/1441-42) notes that the 'Abd al-Qays were originally Christians.[17] The date of their conversion to Islam is variously cited as 5/626-27, 8/629-30, 9/630-31, or 10/631-32.[18]

Historical accounts detail their conversion as follows:

  • In response to the invitation of the Prophet Muhammad (s) to the people of Bahrain, a delegation of twenty men led by 'Abd Allah b. 'Awf converted to Islam in the year of the Conquest of Mecca.[19]
  • Other accounts state that Munqidh b. Habban converted after meeting the Prophet (s) during a trade trip to Medina. The Prophet (s) taught him Sura al-Fatiha and Sura al-'Alaq. Munqidh delivered the Prophet's (s) letter to the clan leader, Mundhir b. 'A'idh. Subsequently, Mundhir converted along with Munqidh and facilitated his clan's acceptance of Islam.[20]
  • According to Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, a Christian monk informed Mundhir b. 'A'idh of the Bi'tha of a prophet in Mecca who accepted gifts but refused Sadaqa (charity) and bore a specific physical mark. Mundhir traveled to the Prophet (s) during the year of the Conquest of Mecca with sixteen others and converted to Islam.[21]

After the Demise of the Prophet (s)

During the caliphate of 'Umar b. al-Khattab, Hakam b. Abi l-'As led a large army, including 'Abd al-Qays tribesmen, in an offensive against Iran. After capturing the island of Abarkawan (Qeshm), he conquered Tawwaj and settled the 'Abd al-Qays there.[22]

According to Muhammad Hadi Amini (d. 2006), the majority of the 'Abd al-Qays were sincere Shi'as of Imam 'Ali (a)[23] who accompanied him in his campaigns. Notable martyrs of the Battle of Jamal from the clan included Zayd b. Sawhan,[24] Sayhan b. Sawhan,[25] Rashid b. Samura,[26] and 'Abd Allah b. Raqaba.[27] Sa'sa'a b. Sawhan, a veteran of the battles of Jamal, Siffin, and Nahrawan, also belonged to the clan.[28]

Upon entering Kufa, Imam 'Ali (a) appointed Sa'd b. Mas'ud al-Thaqafi, the commander of the 'Abd al-Qays forces, as governor of the Zawabi region in Iraq[29] and later, in 36/656-57, of al-Mada'in. Sa'd retained this position until the caliphate of Imam al-Hasan (a).[30]

However, some members of the clan, such as Khirrit b. Rashid al-Naji[31] and Suhar b. 'Abbas—a genealogist and orator of the Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan era[32]—joined the Khawarij.

Companions of the Imams (a) from 'Abd al-Qays

Several Companions of Imam al-Husayn (a) at the Event of Karbala hailed from the 'Abd al-Qays, including Yazid b. Thubayt al-'Abdi[33] and his two sons 'Abd Allah[34] and 'Ubayd Allah;[35] 'Amir b. Muslim al-'Abdi[36] and Sayf b. Malik al-'Abdi.[37]

Some historical reports regarding the event of Karbala place members of the 'Abd al-Qays in the opposing Kufa army, most notably Murra b. Munqidh al-'Abdi, who is identified as the killer of Ali al-Akbar (a).[38]

Other companions of the Imams (a) from the clan include:

Scholars, Poets, Historical Monuments

The Egyptian historian 'Ali b. Yusuf (d. 646/1248-49) reports that Abu l-Aswad al-Du'ali (d. 69/688-89) enlisted an eloquent man from the 'Abd al-Qays to assist him in the vocalization and dotting of the Quran.[43]

Scholars from the clan who authored works include Mu'awiya b. 'Ammar,[44] known for books on Hajj, *Yawm wa Layla*, and Zakat, and 'Umar b. Muhammad b. Udhayna,[45] author of *al-Fara'id*. The clan also produced poets such as Abu Munqidh Bishr b. Munqidh,[46] 'Abd Allah b. Jimh,[47] and 'A'idh b. Mihsan.[48]

Historical sources also mention mosques associated with the clan:

Notes

  1. ↑ Kaḥḥāla, Muʿjam qabāʾil al-ʿArab, 1414 AH, vol. 2, p. 726.
  2. ↑ Jaʿfarī, Tashayyuʿ dar masīr-i tārīkh, 1382 Sh, p. 129.
  3. ↑ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣāba fī tamyīz al-ṣaḥāba, 1415 AH, vol. 5, p. 383.
  4. ↑ Ibn Ḥazm al-Andalusī, Jamharat ansāb al-ʿArab, 1418 AH, p. 295.
  5. ↑ Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, 1414 AH, vol. 6, p. 188.
  6. ↑ Waṣfī Zakarīyā, Riḥlatī ilā l-Yaman, 1406 AH, p. 80.
  7. ↑ Aḥmadī Miyānjī, Makātīb al-Rasūl (s), 1421 AH, vol. 3, p. 195.
  8. ↑ Ḥasan Sharāb, al-Maʿālim al-athīra fī l-sunna wa l-sīra, 1411 AH, p. 105.
  9. ↑ ʿAwtabī Ṣaḥārī, al-Ansāb, 1427 AH, vol. 1, p. 177.
  10. ↑ Jaʿfarī, Tashayyuʿ dar masīr-i tārīkh, 1382 Sh, p. 129.
  11. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, 1387 AH, vol. 4, p. 48.
  12. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, 1387 AH, vol. 4, p. 48.
  13. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 238.
  14. ↑ Barqī, al-Maḥāsin, 1371 AH, vol. 1, p. 147.
  15. ↑ "'Abd al-Qays", Abadis General Encyclopedia.
  16. ↑ Miskawayh al-Rāzī, Tajārib al-umam, 1379 Sh, vol. 1, p. 154.
  17. ↑ Maqrīzī, Imtāʿ al-asmāʿ, 1420 AH, vol. 2, p. 99.
  18. ↑ Aḥmadī Miyānjī, Makātīb al-Rasūl (s), 1421 AH, vol. 3, p. 196.
  19. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 238.
  20. ↑ Aḥmadī Miyānjī, Makātīb al-Rasūl (s), 1421 AH, vol. 3, p. 196.
  21. ↑ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣāba, 1415 AH, vol. 3, pp. 330-331.
  22. ↑ "'Abd al-Qays", Abadis General Encyclopedia.
  23. ↑ Amīnī, Aṣḥāb Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿalayh al-salām wa l-ruwāt ʿanh, 1412 AH, vol. 1, p. 64.
  24. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-ghāba, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 139.
  25. ↑ Maghribī, Sharḥ al-akhbār, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 34.
  26. ↑ Maghribī, Sharḥ al-akhbār, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 34.
  27. ↑ Maghribī, Sharḥ al-akhbār, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 34.
  28. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-ghāba, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 403.
  29. ↑ Dīnawarī, Akhbār al-ṭiwāl, 1412 AH, pp. 146, 153, 205.
  30. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, vol. 3, p. 280.
  31. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, vol. 3, pp. 365-371.
  32. ↑ Ibn al-Nadīm al-Baghdādī, al-Fihrist, 1417 AH, p. 132.
  33. ↑ Kūfī, Tasmiyat man qutil maʿa l-Ḥusayn, 1406 AH, p. 153.
  34. ↑ Kūfī, Tasmiyat man qutil maʿa l-Ḥusayn, 1406 AH, p. 153.
  35. ↑ Kūfī, Tasmiyat man qutil maʿa l-Ḥusayn, 1406 AH, p. 153.
  36. ↑ Kūfī, Tasmiyat man qutil maʿa l-Ḥusayn, 1406 AH, p. 153.
  37. ↑ Authors, Se maqtal-i gūyā dar ḥamāse-yi ʿĀshūrā, 1382 Sh, p. 24.
  38. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, al-Kāmil, 1965, vol. 4, p. 74.
  39. ↑ Ṭūsī, Rijāl al-Ṭūsī, 1427 AH, p. 156.
  40. ↑ Ṭūsī, Rijāl al-Ṭūsī, 1427 AH, p. 123.
  41. ↑ Ṭūsī, Rijāl al-Ṭūsī, 1427 AH, p. 26.
  42. ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl al-Najāshī, 1365 Sh, p. 283.
  43. ↑ Qifṭī, Inbāh al-ruwāt ʿalā anbāh al-nuḥāt, 1424 AH, vol. 1, p. 40.
  44. ↑ Ṭūsī, Fihrist kutub al-Shīʿa, 1420 AH, p. 462.
  45. ↑ ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Rijāl al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, 1411 AH, p. 119.
  46. ↑ Sezgin, Tārīkh al-turāth al-ʿArabī, 1412 AH, part 2, vol. 2, p. 154.
  47. ↑ Wāsiṭī Zabīdī, Tāj al-ʿarūs, 1414 AH, vol. 4, p. 29.
  48. ↑ Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, 1414 AH, vol. 1, p. 240.
  49. ↑ Ibn Kathīr al-Dimashqī, al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, 1407 AH, vol. 5, p. 48.
  50. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī, al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, 1385 AH, vol. 4, p. 234.
  51. ↑ Massignon, Khiṭaṭ al-Kūfa wa sharḥ kharīṭatihā, vol. 1, p. 55.

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