Ajay Kumar at 19:26, 28 September 2023

2023-09-28T19:26:29Z

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{{Short description|Ancient Arab tribe}}
{{about|the Arab tribe|the Andalusi dynasty|Amirids}}
{{Infobox tribe
| name = Banu ʿĀmir<br>بنو عامر
| type = [[Qays]]i Arab tribe
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| nisba ='Āmiri
| location =[[Hejaz]] (Origin), [[Najd]], [[Maghreb]]
| descended = Amir ibn Sa'sa'a ibn Mu'awiya ibn Bakr ibn Hawazin
| parent_tribe = [[Hawazin]]
| branches =
*[[Banu Kilab]]
*[[Numayrid dynasty#Origins|Banu Numayr]]
*[[Banu Ka'b]]
* [[Banu Hilal]]
| religion = [[Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia|Polytheism]] (pre-630)<br/>[[Sunni Islam]] (post-630)
|ethnicity=[[Arabs|Arab]]|language=[[Arabic]]}}
The '''Banu Amir''' ({{lang-ar|بنو عامر|translit=Banū ʿĀmir}}) was a large and ancient [[Arab]] tribe originating from Western [[Arabia]], that dominated [[Najd]] for centuries after the rise of [[Islam]]. The tribe is an Arab Adnanite tribe and its lineage is traced back to [[Adnan]] and [[Ishmael]] son of [[Abraham]] through [[Hawazin]], and its original homeland was the border area between [[Nejd]] and [[Hejaz]] in Khurmah and Ranyah. Although the Banu Amir were engaged in a long war with the [[Quraysh]] before the appearance of Islam—manifesting in particular as the [[Fijar War]]—the tribe was characterized by giving late allegiance to [[Muhammad]] and his immediate successors. The tribe produced several well-known [[Arabic poetry|Arabic poets]], the most famous of whom was [[Labid ibn Rabi'ah]], an author of one of the [[Seven Hanged Poems]]. Other poets included [[Amir ibn al-Tufayl]], an important tribal chief; al-Ra'i al-Numayri, an opponent of [[Jarir ibn Atiyah|Jarir]]; and the female poet [[Layla al-Akhyaliyyah]]. The protagonists of the romantic saga of ''[[Layla wal Majnun]]'', Qays and Layla, also belonged to Banu Amir.

== Branches ==
[[Image:Banu Amir Branches.JPG|thumb|right|300px|A genealogy of the tribes branching from Banu 'Amir ibn Sa'sa'ah]]
The main tribes that constituted this confederation were as follows:
* [[Banu Kilab]] – The descendants of Kilab ibn Rab'iah ibn 'Amir ibn Sa'sa'a ibn Mu'awiyah ibn Bakr ibn Hawazin. A [[Bedouin]] tribe that lived in western [[Nejd]] and who led the Banu 'Amir confederation prior to Islam. Like other Amiri tribes, they were allied with the eastern Arabian [[Qarmatian]] movement, then came to dominate central Arabia after the Qartmatian's demise. Later the tribe migrated northwards to Syria and briefly established the [[Mirdasid]] dynasty there. The tribe seems to have settled and dispersed among the native population there during the [[Mameluke]] period.
* [[Numayrid dynasty#Origins|Banu Numayr]] – a mostly Bedouin tribe that lived on the western borders of [[al-Yamamah]] and were allied with the [[Umayyad]] dynasty. They left for the banks of the [[Euphrates]] river in [[Iraq]] after a 9th-century [[Abbasid]] military campaign against them in al-Yamama.
* [[Banu Ka'b]] – this section was the largest of the Bani 'Amir, and was divided into four tribes: [[Banu Uqayl]], Banu Ja'dah, [[Banu Qushayr]], and Al Harish. All were native to [[al-Yamamah]], particularly the southern regions of that district, and included both bedouin [[pastoralists]] and settled [[agriculturists]]. Of the four, Banu Uqayl was by far the largest and most powerful. Having left for northern Iraq in the late [[Abbasid]] era, the bedouins of Banu Uqayl established the [[Uqaylid dynasty]] in [[Mosul]] (5th Islamic century). Later, sections of the tribe returned to Arabia, settling in the [[Province of Bahrain]] where they gave rise to the [[Usfurid]] and [[Jabrid]] dynasties. Several tribal groups in Iraq originated from Uqayl, including [[Khafajah]], Ubadah and [[al-Muntafiq]]. Other sections of Kaab left al-Yamamah and Nejd at a later date and settled along both sides of the [[Persian Gulf]]. They are now known as [[Bani Kaab]] and mostly live in the [[Ahwaz]] region of [[Iran]] and [[UAE]] and [[Iraq]].
* [[Banu Hilal]] – probably the most well-known Amirid tribe, they were enlisted by the [[Fatimid]] rulers of [[Egypt]] in the 11th century, and left for [[Upper Egypt]] before invading [[North Africa]] in what later became a celebrated [[saga]] in the [[Arab World]]. In 1535, the Banu Amir ruler Ibn Radwan collaborated with [[Spain]] in an attack on the city of [[Tlemcen]]. The project was to replace the ruler of Tlemcen [[Mohammed al-Shaykh|Sultan Muhammad]] by Ibn Radwan's younger brother Abdulla. They were opposed by the [[Banu Rashid]] tribes under Sultan Muhammad, and the Spanish forces were besieged at the Tibda fortress and exterminated, except for 70 prisoners.<ref name="Abun-Nasr 153">[https://books.google.com/books?id=jdlKbZ46YYkC&pg=PA153 ''A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period'' by Jamil M. Abun-Nasr p.153''ff'']</ref>

In addition to the Uqaylid tribes of Iraq, the modern tribes of [[Subay']], the [[Suhool]] in [[Nejd]], and some sections of [[Bani Khalid]] trace their lineage to Banu 'Amir.

== Military campaigns during Muhammad's era ==
{{Campaignbox Campaigns of Muhammad}}
{{Main|List of expeditions of Muhammad}}

The tribe was involved in military conflict with Muhammad. Four months after the Uhud battle, a delegation of Banu Amir came to Muhammad and presented him with a gift. [[Abu Bara]] stayed in Medina. Muhammad declined to accept that gift because it was from a polytheist and asked Abu Bara to embrace Islam. He requested Muhammad to send some Muslims to the people of Najd to call them to Islam. At first, Muhammad was quite apprehensive of this, as he feared that some harm might befall on these Muslim missionaries. On Muhammad's hesitation, Abu Bara guaranteed the safety of the emissaries of Muhammad.<ref name="Mubarakpuri pp. 352">Mubarakpuri, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r_80rJHIaOMC&pg=PA352 The sealed nectar: biography of the Noble Prophet], pp. 352.</ref>

The Muslim scholar [[Al-Tabari|Tabari]] describes the event as follows:
{{cquote|bgcolor=#F0FFF0|The Messenger of God declined to accept it, saying, "Abu Bara', I do not accept presents from polytheists, so become a Muslim if you want me to accept it." Then he expounded Islam to
him, explained its advantages for him and God's promises to the believers, and recited the Qur'an to him. He did not accept Islam, but was not far from doing so, saying, "Muhammad, this matter of yours to which you call me is good and beautiful. If you were to send some of your companions to the people of Najd to call them to your religion, I would hope that they would respond to you." The Messenger of God said, "I fear that the people of Najd would do them some harm." Abu Bara' replied, ''I will guarantee their protection, so send them to call people to your religion.'' The Messenger of God thereupon sent al-Mundhir b. `Amr
'''[Tabari Volume 7, p. 151]''' <ref>Tabari, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ctvk-fdtklYC&pg=PA151 The History of al-Tabari Vol. 7: The Foundation of the Community: Muhammad], p.151, 1987, {{ISBN|0887063446}}</ref>
}}
Ibn Ishaq's biography claims that forty men were sent to them; but [[Sahih al-Bukhari]] states that there were seventy—Al-Mundhir bin 'Amr, one of Banu Sa'ida, nicknamed 'Freed to die'—commanded that group, who were the best and most learned in the Qur'an and jurisprudence.<ref name="Mubarakpuri pp. 352"/>

Muhammad also ordered the [[Expedition of Shuja ibn Wahb al-Asadi]] in June 629<ref name="Abu Khalil 212">{{cite book|last=Abu Khalil|first=Shawqi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mZmBkoDa9fcC&pg=PA212|title=Atlas of the Prophet's biography: places, nations, landmarks|date=1 March 2004|publisher=Dar-us-Salam|isbn=978-9960897714|page=212}}</ref> with the purpose of raiding the Banu Amir tribe to plunder camels.<ref>Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 244. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110608195204/http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch6s4.html online])</ref><ref>William Muir, The life of Mahomet and history of Islam to the era of the Hegira, Volume 4, p. 93 (footnote).</ref>

==See also==
*[[Usfurids]]
*[[Jarwanid dynasty]]
*[[Mirdasid dynasty]]
*[[Uqaylid dynasty]]
*[[List of expeditions of Muhammad]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Historical Arab tribes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amir}}
[[Category:Tribes of Arabia]]
[[Category:Tribes of Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:Banu 'Amir|*]]

Banu 'Amir - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 19:26, 28 September 2023