Banu al-Dil

A clan of Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manaf ibn Kinana. Before Islam, Khuza'a had killed their chiefs, the Banu al-Aswad ibn Razn. So, taking advantage of the truce of al-Hudaybiyya, they launched a night raid on Khuza'a at al-Watir under Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya ¹.

Before Islam, Khuza'a killed Banu al-Aswad ibn Razn, namely Salama, Kulthum and Dhu'ayb, at Arafa by the boundary markers of the Sanctuary. The blood-money for Banu al-Aswad was doubled, as a mark of their standing in the Jahiliyya ². That vengeance remained pending until the truce of al-Hudaybiyya came, when Khuza'a entered the Prophet ﷺ's pact and Banu Bakr entered that of Quraysh ³.

Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya set out with Banu al-Dil, though not all of Banu Bakr followed him, and launched a night raid on Khuza'a at al-Watir ³. At the boundaries of the Sanctuary, he said to someone who appealed to him: "Take your vengeance" ³.

Al-Akhzar ibn La'at al-Dili recited a poem boasting of driving Banu Ka'b away from al-Watir. Budayl ibn Umm Asram answered him with a poem containing a detailed reply ⁴.

Ibn Hisham relates that 'Amr ibn Umayya (may God be pleased with him) al-Damri (may God be pleased with him), on his way back from Mecca, took shelter in a cave at Dajnan. A one-eyed elder of Banu al-Dil came in with a small flock of his. The elder recited verses to the effect that he would never be safe as long as he lived, and 'Amr killed him with the end of his bow while he slept. See the account ⁵.