Banu Abs
Encyclopedia
The is an ancient Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...

 tribe from central Arabia, they branch from the powerful Ghatafan tribes. They still inhabit the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. Of the earliest stories concerning this tribe was the famous classical love and war story of Antar and Abla. Antarah ibn Shaddad
Antarah ibn Shaddad
 'Antarah Ibn Shaddād al-'Absī عنترة بن شداد العبسي was a pre-Islamic Arabian hero and poet famous both for his poetry and his adventurous life. What many consider his best or chief poem is contained in the Mu'allaqat...

 al Absi (c.525-615), was one of the seven great pre-Islamic Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

 poets, throughout this non-fiction story, he displayed Chivalry, bravery, and eloquence in the Arabic language. This earned him the name among all of the Arabs of the Peninsula as the "Complete Knight". Furthermore, he was the author of the Divan
Divan
A divan was a high governmental body in a number of Islamic states, or its chief official .-Etymology:...

 and he was a Warrior, his father was the leader of the Banu Abs Shaddad and his mother was Zabiba, an African slave.

History

The Banu 'Abs originate almost 2000 years ago branching from the Ghatafan clan, and had inhabited and still inhabit the outskirts of Hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...

 in modern Nejd in an area called today Hurrat Bani Rasheed. The Tribe is known for its independence and bravery, as it had been called one of the Jamarat of the Arabs, or the most powerful tribes that took no allegiance to anyone but themselves. The earliest stories regard tales of war and chivalry before Islam, in the famous war of AlDahhas wil Ghabraa, between them and their cousins Bani Thibyan, which had lasted almost 40 years. The war had ended when the King Zuhair of the Banu 'Abs , had called for an end to the bloodshed, asking the wealthy merchants of both tribes to pay the losses caused by the war. Before he had died King Zuhair had predicted like many Christians and Jews before him that there will arrive a Prophet that will unite humanity under God's rule, and had advised for his tribe to follow the future Prophet with all allegiance. Soon, enough, they had willingly done so, and Islam had become their religion, and the whole tribe had humbly converted before the Hijra of the Muslims to Madinah.

After the Prophet 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...

 had died, the tribe of 'Abs, had willingly participated in the Arab conquests and their tribe members had reached the outskirts of the Middle East and North Africa, toppling dictatorships, and converting the masses under Islam. Today, many peoples from all around North Africa, and the Middle East can claim ancestry to this legendary tribe.

Throughout centuries, this tribe has had vast encounters with invaders, and conquerors attempting to invade them, in the most famous encounter with the Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...

, where the tribe of 'Abs had no more than 3000 fighters, and they were faced by the behemeth of Persia, with 20,000 warriors, and the tribe of 'Abs had successfully won the war, although one of the largest Persian generals at the time commanded such an army against the small tribe.

Even, after many centuries, the latest migration of large amounts of the Banu Abs to North Africa, was in the strife revolving around the unification of the Second Saudi State
Second Saudi State
The Second Saudi State existed during the 19th century when the rule of the House of Saud was restored to central and eastern Arabia after having previously been brought down by an Ottoman-Egyptian invasion in 1818...

 although they demanded autonomy to themselves, as the Ottoman Empire had granted them for so long.

Genealogy

The Banu 'Abs are of the Northern "Arabized" Arabs and the tribal name leads to Adnan
Adnan
Adnan is the traditional ancestor of the Adnani Arabs of northern, central and western Arabia, as opposed to the Qahtani of Southern and south eastern Arabia who descend from Qahtan.-Origin:...

 (father of Northern Arabs) and the full name is Abs ibn Bughaydh ibn Raith ibn Ghatafan ibn Sa'd ibn Qais Aeelan ibn Modhar ibn Nizar ibn Ma'd ibn Adnan.They are relatives to many tribes in Arabia and are far cousins of Quraysh, Banu Tamim
Banu Tamim
Banī Tamīm Tamim is one of the largest of all Arab tribes. Their history goes back to pre-Islamic times....

, and Kinanah. Also part of the Ghatafan tribes close to the Banu 'Abs are the Mutair and Thibyaan.

Modern times

Today, most of the politically active members of the tribe are in the Kuwaiti Parliament, here are the current Parliament members:

1. Former Parliament Member, Abbas bin Habib Al-Minawir Al-Musaylim, a very influential political figure until now, and an area in Kuwait has been named after him, Al Abbasiyah.

2. Former Parliament Member, Barrak bin Nassir kAl-Noun Al-Aouni, one of also the most influential figures in Kuwait today.

3. Current Parliament Member, Ali bin Salim Al-Ajiylan Al-Diqbasi

4. Also, a rising member is Thekraa Al-Rashidi, that lives in Kuwait. As a famous lawyer, she is also a strong contender in the upcoming elections.

Also the 'Abs Universal Organization for Social Development is a non-profit organization dedicated to:

"Social, cultural, economic and humanitarian organization. It aims to improve the living conditions of Rashaida people and in particular the Rashaida people in the Sudan, Eritrea and poor areas. Also, it aims to raise the level of education and cultural knowledge for Rashaida people in the whole Arabic world."

- The organization includes some charities. The charities are going to build some schools and hospitals in some poor countries which are home to Rashidi people.

The President is Mr. Fayez Albghaili Al- Rashidi

Secretary-General is Mr. Mubarak Al-Duwailah

Deputy of Secretary-General Dr. Abdullah Saad Alawaimrai"5
Other Famous intellectuals include:

1. Dr. Basheer Alrashidi (Psychiatrist)

2. Mohammed Al-Rashidi (Journalist)

3. Dr. Mustafa al'Absi (Professor)

4. Mohammed Al-Rasheedi
Mohammed Al-Rasheedi
Mohammed Al-Rasheedi is a member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, representing the fourth district. Born in 1964, Dr. Al-Rasheedi obtained a PhD in law and worked in education training before being elected to the National Assembly in 2008. While political parties are technically illegal in...

 (Politician)

Banu Rasheed

Currently, Bani Rasheed
Bani Rasheed
Bani Rasheed , also known as Rashaida, is one of the largest tribes in the Arabian Peninsula. It is an Adnani tribe . The great-grandfather of the Bani Rasheed is Rasheed alZaul of the Banu Abs tribe....

 or Rashaida are sons of Rasheed Al-Zaul . Rasheed AlZual was one of Banu Ab's famous warriors, living in the 7th century, and afterwards his progeny had named themselves after them. The Banu Abs tribe are currently located in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Jordan, Palestine, Persian Gulf states and North Africa.

Al Hubus

The Habsi tribe is one of the largest tribes of Oman. The inhabitants of this tribe reside in the Eastern region of Oman, and Ras Al Khaima along side the Shuhooh. They descend directly from Banu Abs, and branch into several other large tribes. Some of the most notable are, The Jawaber (Al Jabry, which is distinct from Bani Jabir of Yemen or Hamdan, present in other parts of Oman), Yal Thaneen, Aial Mahara, Aial Abdu, Awlad Habn, Al Ghassassina, Bani Bu Said, Maqadima, Ghananima, Sawalem, Najyah, Asiyrah.

The Habsi tribe and its many branches are known for their courage, strength, and bravery, as were their ancestors (Banu Abs).

Distinctive Culture

The modern Bedouins in Arabia value Ancient Arabic traditions such as chivalry, honor, bravery, truthfulness, nobility, and generosity. The Banu 'Abs however are known for their unique values that greatly value very old traditions above and much more, which are distinct alongside many other tribes in Arabia, that have succeeded in preserving their traditional dress, language, and ethics although several countries around them have been Westernized. Their dialect is Nejdi, and are a mix between the Northern people of Hail, and also it is evident that they speak in a Bedouin dialect as well. They even have their own tribal emblem or symbol, which is common amongst Arab tribes.

Notable Tribe Members

  • Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman
    Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman
    Huthayfa ibn al-Yaman was a close companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and one of the earliest converts to Islam. He is particularly revered by the Sufis and he related a considerable number of hadith, particularly those relating to eschatology...

  • Muhammad al-Shaybani
    Muhammad al-Shaybani
    Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī was a disciple of Abu Hanifa , and Abu Yusuf, and a jurist.-Early years:...

  • Antarah ibn Shaddad
    Antarah ibn Shaddad
     'Antarah Ibn Shaddād al-'Absī عنترة بن شداد العبسي was a pre-Islamic Arabian hero and poet famous both for his poetry and his adventurous life. What many consider his best or chief poem is contained in the Mu'allaqat...

  • Khaled bin Sinan
    Khaled bin Sinan
    Khaled bin Sinan al-`Abasi was a revered figure of pre-Islamic Arabia who is thought to have lived sometime between the 1st and 7th century CE...

  • Harith ibn Rab'i
    Harith ibn Rab'i
    Harith ibn Rab'i was one of the companions of Muhammad.Hi full name was Abu Qatada al-Harith ibn Rabi'i al-Ansari-Biography:He had a Mawla named "Abu Muhammad". Presumably, he had a son named "Qatada ibn al-Harith"...

  • Al-Tutili
    Al-Tutili
    Al-A'ma al-Tutili was a Muwallad poet born in Tudela in Al-Andalus. Al-A'ma' means 'the blind one' and 'Tutili' means 'from Tudela'. He was raised in Seville there he gained talent in poetry, he later lived in Murcia. He died young...

  • Walid ibn al Qa'qa al-Absi
  • Qurra Ibn Sharik al-Absi
  • Zuhair ibn Qais
  • Orwah bin Al Ward bin Zaid Al-Absi
  • Rasheed Al Zaul Al-Absi

See also

  • Arabian tribes that interacted with Muhammad
    Arabian tribes that interacted with Muhammad
    -Introduction:The most prominent of such Arabian tribes were the Banu Quraish which were in turn divided into several sub-clans. The Qur'aish sub-clan of Banu Hashim was the clan of Muhammad, while their sister sub-clan, the Banu Abd-Shams became known as his most staunch enemies...

  • Bani Rasheed
    Bani Rasheed
    Bani Rasheed , also known as Rashaida, is one of the largest tribes in the Arabian Peninsula. It is an Adnani tribe . The great-grandfather of the Bani Rasheed is Rasheed alZaul of the Banu Abs tribe....

  • Rashaida
  • Tribes of Arabia
    Tribes of Arabia
    Tribes of Arabia refers to Arab clans hailing from the Arabian Peninsula.Much of the lineage provided before Ma'ad relies on biblical genealogy and therefore questions persist concerning the accuracy of this segment of Arab genealogy...

  • Najd
    Najd
    Najd or Nejd , literally Highland, is the central region of the Arabian Peninsula.-Boundaries :The Arabic word nejd literally means "upland" and was once applied to a variety of regions within the Arabian Peninsula...

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