Banu Hamdan

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Hamdan, the best-known of the Qahtani tribe Kahlan's branches in Yemen; its delegation came to the Prophet ﷺ on his return from Tabuk and he wrote them a letter.

Hamdan, first of the famous Qahtani Kahlan branches in Yemen named by al-Raheeq. In the era of troubles the author opens at 300 CE the Romans entered Aden and, with their help, the Abyssinians occupied Yemen in 340 CE for the first time, exploiting the rivalry between Hamdan and Himyar — the occupation lasting to 378 CE. Before Islam Hamdan routed Murad on the Day of al-Radm, led by al-Ajda' ibn Malik per Ibn Ishaq or Malik ibn Huraym per Ibn Hisham. Its delegation came to the Prophet ﷺ on his return from Tabuk — Malik ibn al-Namt of the marks, Malik ibn Ayfa', Dimam ibn Malik al-Salmani (may God be pleased with him) and Umayra ibn Malik al-Kharifi (may God be pleased with him) of the Kharif, Yam and Shakir districts — and the Prophet wrote them a letter; the kings of Himyar numbered al-Nu'man Qayl Dhu Ra'in, Ma'afir and Hamdan.

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Hamdan, first of the famous Qahtani Kahlan branches in Yemen named by al-Raheeq. In the era of troubles the author opens at 300 CE the Romans entered Aden and, with their help, the Abyssinians occupied Yemen in 340 CE for the first time, exploiting the rivalry between Hamdan and Himyar — the occupation lasting to 378 CE. Before Islam Hamdan routed Murad on the Day of al-Radm, led by al-Ajda' ibn Malik per Ibn Ishaq or Malik ibn Huraym per Ibn Hisham. Its delegation came to the Prophet ﷺ on his return from Tabuk — Malik ibn al-Namt of the marks, Malik ibn Ayfa', Dimam ibn Malik al-Salmani (may God be pleased with him) and Umayra ibn Malik al-Kharifi (may God be pleased with him) of the Kharif, Yam and Shakir districts — and the Prophet wrote them a letter. The kings of Himyar numbered al-Nu'man Qayl Dhu Ra'in, Ma'afir and Hamdan; its entry into Islam was at Ali's hands in al-Raheeq.

Summary

Hamdan is the first of the most famous clans of Kahlan, of the Qahtanite line in Yemen, that The Sealed Nectar counts ¹ ².

Rivalry with Himyar

In the period of disturbance that the author dates from 300 CE, the Romans entered Aden. With their help, the Abyssinians occupied Yemen for the first time in 340 CE, exploiting the rivalry between the tribes of Hamdan and Himyar. Their occupation continued until 378 CE ³ ⁴. See the first Abyssinian occupation of Yemen.

In Ibn Hisham's Sira (volume four)

Shortly before Islam, Hamdan struck Murad at the Day of al-Radm. They were led by al-Ajda' ibn Malik according to Ibn Ishaq, or by Malik ibn Harim according to Ibn Hisham ⁵. Their delegation came to the Prophet ﷺ on his return from Tabuk: Malik ibn al-Namt, known as Dhu al-Mish'ar, Malik ibn Ayfa', Dimam ibn Malik al-Salmani (may God be pleased with him), and 'Umayra ibn Malik al-Kharifi (may God be pleased with him), from the districts of Kharif, Yam and Shakir. The Prophet wrote for them a letter ⁶ ⁷. It also mentions the letter of the kings of Himyar: al-Nu'man, qayl of Dhu Ru'ayn, Ma'afir and Hamdan ⁸.

What is not covered here

The Sealed Nectar adds nothing more to this on the accounts of Hamdan. Its conversion at the hands of Ali is recorded in The Sealed Nectar.

For young visitors

Hamdan is a large Yemeni tribe. Its rivalry with Himyar helped the Abyssinians occupy Yemen for the first time.

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Sources

al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.16

Muhadarat Tarikh al-Umam al-Islamiyya — Muhammad al-Khudari , 1/11-13

al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.24

Tafhim al-Quran — Abu al-A'la al-Mawdudi , 4/195-198

al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/228

al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/244

al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/245

al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/235

The delegation and mission to Hamdan

A delegation of Hamdan came in 9 AH after Tabuk; the Prophet appointed Malik ibn al-Namt over their Muslims and sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to invite the rest — after six unanswered months Ali ibn Abi Talib was sent instead, the whole tribe embraced Islam, and the Prophet prostrated at the news saying: peace upon Hamdan.

At a glance