Banu Bakr
Encyclopedia
Banu Bakr ibn Wa'il or Banu Bakr, son of Wa'il ( ) were an Arabian tribe
belonging to the large Rabi'ah branch of Adnanite tribes, which also included 'Anizzah, Taghlib
, and Bani Hanifa. The tribe is reputed to have engaged in a 40-year war before Islam
with its cousins from Taghlib, known as the War of Basous. The pre-Islamic poet, Tarafah was a member of Bakr.
Bakr's original lands were in Nejd, in central Arabia, but most of the tribe's bedouin sections migrated northwards immediately before Islam, and settled in the area of Al-Jazirah
, on the upper Euphrates
. The city of Diyarbakir
in southern Turkey
takes its name from this tribe.
The following are some of the sub-tribes of Bakr ibn Wa'il in the pre-Islamic and early-Islamic eras:
Most of the bedouins of Bakr in al-Yamama joined the rest of the tribe in Mesopotamia
after the appearance of Islam, where they merged with the tribe of 'Anizzah. However, some inhabitants of al-Yamama continued to trace their descent from Bakr through Bani Hanifa up to the modern era, particularly in Riyadh
.
The tribe is distinct from the tribe of Bani Bakr ibn Abd Manat, who lived in the Hejaz
and had important interactions with Muhammad
.
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
belonging to the large Rabi'ah branch of Adnanite tribes, which also included 'Anizzah, Taghlib
Taghlib
Banu Taghlib or Taghlib ibn Wa'il were a large and powerful Arabian tribe of Mesopotamia and northern Arabia. The tribe traces its lineage to the large branch of North Arabian tribes known as Rabi'ah, which also included Bakr, 'Anizzah, Banu Hanifa and Anz bin Wa'il .The tribe's ancestral...
, and Bani Hanifa. The tribe is reputed to have engaged in a 40-year war before Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
with its cousins from Taghlib, known as the War of Basous. The pre-Islamic poet, Tarafah was a member of Bakr.
Bakr's original lands were in Nejd, in central Arabia, but most of the tribe's bedouin sections migrated northwards immediately before Islam, and settled in the area of Al-Jazirah
Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia
Upper Mesopotamia is the name used for the uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey which is known by the traditional Arabic name of Al-Jazira , variously transliterated into Roman script as Djazirah, Djezirah and Jazirah...
, on the upper Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
. The city of Diyarbakir
Diyarbakir
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
in southern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
takes its name from this tribe.
The following are some of the sub-tribes of Bakr ibn Wa'il in the pre-Islamic and early-Islamic eras:
- Banu Shayban - mostly nomadic (bedouinBedouinThe Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
), led the Battle of Dhi Qar against the Sassanid Persians in southern IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
prior to IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. The jurist Ahmad ibn HanbalAhmad ibn HanbalAhmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh...
claimed descent from this tribe. - Banu HanifaBanu HanifaBanu Hanifa were an ancient Arab tribe inhabiting the area of al-Yamama in the central region of modern-day Saudi Arabia. The tribe belonged to the great Rabi'ah branch of North Arabian tribes, which also included 'Anizzah, Abd al-Qays, Bakr, and Taghlib...
- mostly sedentary, were the principal tribe of al-YamamaAl-YamamaAl-Yamamah is an ancient district lying to the east of the plateau of Najd in modern-day Saudi Arabia, or sometimes more specifically, the now-extinct ancient village of Jaww Al-Yamamah, near Al-Kharj, after which the rest of the region was named...
(the region around modern-day RiyadhRiyadhRiyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
). - Qays ibn Tha'labah - bedouin and sedentary, were the inhabitants of the town of ManfuhaManfuhaManfuha was an ancient village in the Nejd region of central Saudi Arabia. Established on the edge of the narrow, fertile valley known as Wadi Hanifa, Manfuha was until the mid-20th century considered a twin village to the current Saudi capital of Riyadh....
(now part of Riyadh). The pre-Islamic poets al-A'shaAl-A'shaAl-A'sha or Maymun Ibn Qays Al-a'sha was an Arabic Jahiliyyah poet from Manfuha, Arabia.He was widely traveled and was nicknamed Al-A'sha which means "night-blind" after he lost his sight. One of his qasidah or odes is sometimes included in the Mu'allaqat, an early Arabic poetry collection....
and Tarafah were among its members. - Banu 'Ijl - mostly bedouinBedouinThe Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
, located in al-Yamama and the southern borders of MesopotamiaMesopotamiaMesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
. - Banu Yashkur - bedouin and sedentary, inhabitants of al-Yamama. Al-Harith ibn Hillizah, one of the purported authors of the Seven Hanged Poems of pre-Islamic Arabia, was a member of Yashkur.
Most of the bedouins of Bakr in al-Yamama joined the rest of the tribe in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
after the appearance of Islam, where they merged with the tribe of 'Anizzah. However, some inhabitants of al-Yamama continued to trace their descent from Bakr through Bani Hanifa up to the modern era, particularly in Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
.
The tribe is distinct from the tribe of Bani Bakr ibn Abd Manat, who lived in the Hejaz
Hejaz
al-Hejaz, also Hijaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
and had important interactions with Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.