Bakr ibn Wa'il

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Bakr ibn Wa'il, a large tribe of Rabi'a ibn Nizar that settled the Peninsula's east to the edges of Iraq; among its branches are Banu Shayban, the victors of Dhu Qar.

Bakr ibn Wa'il, a tribe of Rabi'a ibn Nizar; the Raheeq counts among Rabi'a Asad, Anaza, Abd al-Qays and Wa'il's two sons Bakr and Taghlib and Hanifa. When Adnan's sons scattered, clans of Bakr migrated with Abd al-Qays and Tamim to Bahrayn, while Banu Hanifa went to Yamama and settled its capital Hajar; the rest of Bakr held the land's length from Yamama to Bahrayn to the coast of Kazima to the sea — the edges of Iraq's Sawad — while Taghlib settled the Euphrates Jazira. Of Bakr are Banu Shayban: al-Nu'man ibn al-Mundhir deposited his family and wealth with them, and when Kisra demanded it, Hani' ibn Mas'ud refused to hand it over — hence the battle of Dhu Qar which Banu Shayban won, counted by the author the first day the Arabs defeated the Persians.

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Bakr ibn Wa'il, a tribe of Rabi'a ibn Nizar; the Raheeq counts among Rabi'a Asad ibn Rabi'a, Anaza, Abd al-Qays and Wa'il's two sons Bakr, Taghlib and Hanifa. When Adnan's sons scattered, clans of Bakr ibn Wa'il migrated with Abd al-Qays and clans of Tamim to Bahrayn, and Banu Hanifa ibn Sa'b ibn Ali ibn Bakr went out to Yamama settling its capital Hajar. The rest of Bakr ibn Wa'il held the land's length from Yamama to Bahrayn to the coast of Kazima to the sea, then the edges of Iraq's Sawad, al-Abla and Hit. Taghlib settled the Euphrates Jazira, with clans that neighbored Bakr. Of Bakr ibn Wa'il are Banu Shayban, on whom al-Nu'man ibn al-Mundhir descended depositing his family and wealth; when Kisra demanded it, Hani' ibn Mas'ud refused to hand it over — hence the battle of Dhu Qar which Banu Shayban won, counted by the author the first day the Arabs defeated the Persians. The author takes the wars of Bakr and Taghlib, with Aws and Khazraj and Abs and Dhubyan, as his example that rivalry in honor often ended in wars between tribes sharing one father.

Overview

Bakr ibn Wa'il is a tribe of Rabi'a ibn Nizar. The Sealed Nectar counts from Rabi'a: Asad ibn Rabi'a, Anaza, Abd al-Qays, and the two sons of Wa'il, Bakr and Taghlib and Hanifa. ¹ ²

Dwellings

When the sons of Adnan scattered, branches of Bakr ibn Wa'il migrated with Abd al-Qays, together with branches of Tamim, to Bahrain. Banu Hanifa ibn Sa'b ibn Ali ibn Bakr went to al-Yamama and settled at Hajr, its chief town. ³ The rest of Bakr ibn Wa'il stayed along the length of the land from al-Yamama to Bahrain, to the shore of the sea at the Gulf of Kazima, then the edges of the Iraqi plain, al-Ubulla and Hit. ⁴ ⁵ Taghlib settled in the Euphrates region of the Jazira, and some of its branches lived alongside Bakr. ⁴

The day of Dhu Qar

From Bakr ibn Wa'il came Banu Shayban, who were given refuge by al-Nu'man ibn al-Mundhir, who entrusted them with his family and wealth. When Kisra demanded them back, Hani ibn Mas'ud refused to hand them over, and so came the battle of Dhu Qar, in which Banu Shayban were victorious. The author counts it as the first day on which the Arabs won against the Persians. ⁶ ⁷

Wars of Bakr and Taghlib

The author gives the wars of Bakr and Taghlib, along with those of the Aws and al-Khazraj, and of Abs and Dhubyan, as examples of how rivalry for honour often led to wars between tribes that share one father. ⁸

For young visitors

Bakr ibn Wa'il is a large tribe that lived in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, up to the edges of Iraq. Among its branches were Banu Shayban, who defeated the Persians at the day of Dhu Qar.

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Sources

al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.20

Muhadarat Tarikh al-Umam al-Islamiyya — Muhammad al-Khudari , 1/14-15

al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.21

al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.22

Muhadarat Tarikh al-Umam al-Islamiyya — Muhammad al-Khudari , 1/15-16

al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.26

Muhadarat Tarikh al-Umam al-Islamiyya — Muhammad al-Khudari , 1/29-32

al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.45

Banu Taghlib ibn Wa'il

Banu Taghlib ibn Wa'il of Rabi'a, many of them Christian in the Jazira; famed for Zur'a ibn al-Nu'man's words to Umar — 'a people of Arabs who would scorn the jizya' — so he compounded with them for double the sadaqa taken of Muslims on land and herds, not foreigners' jizya, on condition they not Christianise their children, a clause over which jurists differed and Ali censured their breach; of them is Malik ibn Tawq, lord of al-Rahba.

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