Banu Ijl (), also known as Banu Ajal, was an Arab tribe present in
Lower Mesopotamia
Lower Mesopotamia is a historical region of Mesopotamia. It's located in the alluvial plain of Iraq from the Hamrin Mountains to the Faw Peninsula near the Persian Gulf.
In the Middle Ages it was also known as the ''Sawad'' and al-Jazira al-sfli ...
in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic period. It was a branch of the
Banu Bakr tribe and part of the ''Lahazim'' tribal alliance.
Ancestry
The ancestor of the Banu Ijl was Ijl ibn Lujaym ibn Sa'b ibn Ali ibn Bakr ibn Wa'il ibn Qasit ibn Hanab ibn Afsa ibn Da'mi ibn Jadila ibn Asad ibn
Rabi'a ibn
Nizar ibn
Ma'ad ibn
Adnan.
Ijl had three sons, Tha'laba, Abd al-Aswad and Yazid, and the tribe produced three sub-clans: Banu Dubay'a, Banu Sa'd and Banu Rabi'a.
History
The Banu Ijl inhabited the region from
Ayn al-Tamr to the southern shores around the town of
Al-Ubulla. Some members of the Banu Ijl also lived in
al-Yamama
Al-Yamama ( ar, اليَمامَة, al-Yamāma) is a historical region in the southeastern 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 ...
. The tribe was also a part of the large tribal alliance known as al-Lahazim. Other tribes who were part of the alliance are
Banu Qays,
Banu Taym and
Banu Anazzah. This tribal alliance was made as a defensive coalition against other tribes, mainly the Banu Yarbu' and
Banu Shayban. Banu Ijl also participated in the famous battle of
Dhi Qar in which the Arab tribes defeated the
Sassanian army. In the early Islamic conquests, the Banu Ijl Muslim tribesmen also joined the army of
Khalid ibn al-Walid
Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...
in the battles of
Walaja
Al-Walaja ( ar, الولجة) is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, four kilometers northwest of Bethlehem. It is an enclave in the Seam Zone, near the Green Line. Al-Walaja is partly under the jurisdiction of the Bethlehem Governora ...
and
Ullais. in the Battle of Walaja it is reported that the Muslims of Banu 'Ijl fought against their own fellow Christians tribesmen of Banu Ijl who sided with the Sassanian army.
Christians were a significant part of the Banu Ijl tribe. In the eve of Islam, The leader of the tribe Abjar ibn Jabir was of
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
faith and he remained as such until his death in 660 in
Kufa.
Notable members
*
Abu Dulaf al-Ijli, military general under the successive
Abbāsid Caliph
al-Mamun.
See also
*
Tribes of Arabia
*
Arab Christians
Arab Christians ( ar, ﺍَﻟْﻤَﺴِﻴﺤِﻴُّﻮﻥ ﺍﻟْﻌَﺮَﺏ, translit=al-Masīḥīyyūn al-ʿArab) are ethnic Arabs, Arab nationals, or Arabic-speakers who adhere to Christianity. The number of Arab Christians who l ...
References
{{Historical Arab tribes
Tribes of Arabia
Rabi`ah