Banu Asad () is an Arab tribe, descended from Asad ibn Khuzayma. They are Adnanite Arabs, powerful and one of the most famous and influential tribes. They are widely respected by many Arab tribes, respected by

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s because they have buried the body of

Husayn ibn Ali Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 Common Era, CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alids, Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abu Talib ibn Abd a ...

, his family (''

Ahl al-Bayt () refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the term has also been extended to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. In Shia Islam, the term is limited to Muhammad, his daugh ...

'') and companions with the help of

Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjad (, – 712), also known as Zayn al-Abidin () was the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the fourth imam in Shia Islam, succeeding his father, Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle, Hasan ibn Ali, and his gr ...

, the son of Husayn, and many martyrs from the

Battle of Karbala The Battle of Karbala () was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 Hijri year, AH of the Islamic calendar) between the army of the second Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad caliph Yazid I () and a small army led by Husayn ibn Ali, th ...

are from the tribe. Today, many members of the tribe live in the Iraqi cities of

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

Kufa Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

Nasiriyah Nasiriyah ( , ; , BGN: , ), also spelled Nassiriya or Nasiriya, is a city in Iraq, the capital of the Dhi Qar Governorate. It lies on the lower Euphrates, about south-southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. Its po ...

Amarah Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...

Kut Kūt (), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare, Kut al-Imara, or Kut Al Amara is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad, and the capital of the Wasit Governorate. the estimated populatio ...

Hillah Hillah ( ''al-Ḥillah''), also spelled Hilla, is a city in central Iraq. On the Hilla branch of the Euphrates River, it is south of Baghdad. The population was estimated to be about 455,700 in 2018. It is the capital of Babylon Province and is ...

, Diyala and

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. There is a branch from the Banu Assad in Northern

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

called Banu Kahil who have migrated from the Hijaz to Sudan. There are also members of Bani Assad tribe in

Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...

in the

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

of Iran located with neighboring tribes of

Banu Tamim The Banū Tamīm () are an Arab tribe that originated in Najd and Hejaz in the Arabian Peninsula. It is mainly present in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Jordan and Lebanon, and has a strong presence in Algeria, and Morocco, Palestine, ...

, Bani Malik, Banu Kaab and other notable

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

tribes.

Lineage

The Bani Asad are the patrilineal lineage originating from a man named Asad bin Khuzaimah bin Mudrikah bin Ilyas bin

Mudar The Mudar () was a principal grouping of the northern Arab tribes. History The Mudar and Rabi'a are recorded in central Arabia in the Arabic histories of the pre-Islamic period; the kings of the Kindah bore the title of "king of the Ma'add ( ...

bin Nizar bin

Ma'ad Maʿadd ibn ʿAdnān (Arabic: مَعَدّ ٱبْن عَدْنَان) was a mythic Arab ancestor, traditionally regarded as the son of Adnan and the forefather of several northern Arab tribes, including Mudar and Rabi'ah. He is considered a key ...

bin

Adnan Adnan () is traditionally regarded as the patriarch of the Adnanite Arabs, a major Arab lineage that historically inhabited Northern, Western, Eastern, and Central Arabia. The Adnanites are distinct from the Qahtanite Arabs of Southern Arabia ...

... bin Qedar bin Ismâʿīl (

Ishmael In the Bible, biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael (; ; ; ) is the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah. He died at the age of 137. Traditionally, he is seen as the ancestor of the Arabs. Within Isla ...

) bin Ibrahim (

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

). The Asad tribe that exists today are from Mudar (Mudarites), from Khuzaimah to be exact, which makes them the cousins of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, mos ...

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

who share with them the same ancestor Khuzaimah ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar.

History

Legacy of the Banu Asad

In the 6th century the Banu Asad revolted against the kingdom of

kindah Kinda or Kindah may refer to: People Given name * Kinda Alloush (born 1982), Syrian actress * Kinda El-Khatib (born 1996 or 1997), Lebanese activist Surname * Chris Kinda (born 1999), Namibian para-athlete * Gadi Kinda (1994–2025), Isr ...

, A king of

Kindah Kinda or Kindah may refer to: People Given name * Kinda Alloush (born 1982), Syrian actress * Kinda El-Khatib (born 1996 or 1997), Lebanese activist Surname * Chris Kinda (born 1999), Namibian para-athlete * Gadi Kinda (1994–2025), Isr ...

named Hujr was killed by the Banu Asad. Who is the father of the last king of kindah

Imru' al-Qais Imruʾ al-Qais Junduh bin Hujr al-Kindi () was a pre-Islamic Arabian poet from Najd in the late fifth and early sixth centuries, and the last King of Kinda. He is sometimes considered the father of Arabic poetry. His qaṣīda, or long poe ...

, which started a long war between kindah with the help of some tribes like

Taghlib The Banu Taghlib (), also known as Taghlib ibn Wa'il, were an Arab tribe that originated in Jazira. Their parent tribe was the Rabi'a, and they thus traced their descent to the Adnanites. The Taghlib were among the most powerful and cohesive no ...

who were under them against the banu asad, the

Himyarite Kingdom Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...

aided imru al-Qais in this war, the war results were the end of the kingdom of kindah and imru al-Qais fleeing nejd region, the illustrious Arabian ''

mu'allaqat The Muʻallaqāt (, ) is a compilation of seven long pre-Islamic Arabic poems. The name means The Suspended Odes or The Hanging Poems, they were named so because these poems were hung in the Kaaba in Mecca. Some scholars have also suggested th ...

'' poet 'Abid bin al-Abras belonged to the Banu Asad and was fond of vaunting Hujr's murder. In the

Namara inscription The Namara inscription ( ') is a 4th century inscription in the Arabic language, making it one of the earliest. It has also been interpreted as a late version of the Nabataean script in its transition to Arabic script. It has been described by ...

, Nasrid king of al-Hira,

Imru al-Qays I ibn Amr Imru al-Qays ibn Amr ibn Adi (), commonly known as Imru al-Qays I, was the second Lakhmid king. His mother was Maria bint 'Amr, the sister of Ka'b al-Azdi. There is debate on his religious affinity: while Theodor Nöldeke noted that Imru al-Qa ...

claimed he killed two chiefs from Bani Assad, which is mentioned in

Ibn Ishaq Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar al-Muttalibi (; – , known simply as Ibn Ishaq, was an 8th-century Muslim historian and hagiographer who collected oral traditions that formed the basis of an important biography of the Islamic proph ...

where their nephew said a poem about her two uncles the Asadites "One came early to tell me of the death of the two best of Asad, 'Amr b. Mas'tid and the dependable chief (alsamad)". Banu Asad had their own '' Talbiyah'' of the prilgrimmage to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

before Islam.

Migration to Iraq

The Banu Asad migrated to Iraq in the 7th century and settled in Kufa. They have settled near the banks of the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

river near Kufa and Karbala and have also settled in Basra and in Ahvaz, sharing land with the

. The Bani Assad sided with Ali in the

Battle of the Camel The Battle of the Camel, also known as The Battle of Basra () took place outside of Basra, Iraq, in 36 AH (656 CE). The battle was fought between the army of the fourth caliph Ali (), on one side, and the rebel army led by Aisha, Talha and ...

. Many

companions of Muhammad Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

and Ali are from the Bani Assad. The Bani Assad tribe sided with

in the

, which took place on

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

10th, 61 AH (October 9 or 10, 680 CE) in Karbala, Iraq.Karbala: Chain of events Section – The Battle
/ref> Many martyrs from the Bani Assad clan died with Husayn in the Battle of Karbala.

The Mazyadid emirate of the Banu Asad

In 998, Ali ben Mazyad, leader of the Baniu Asad tribe, established a virtually independent Mazyadid state in the Kufa area of Iraq. Backed by a powerful tribal army, the Mazyadids enjoyed great influence in the area for a century and a half. They acquired titles and subsidies from the

Buyids The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...

in return for military services. Their most lasting achievement was the founding of Hillah, one of the main cities in Iraq, which became their capital in 1101. The originator of the Mazyadid name was a scholar, hadith narrator and chemist called Mazyad ben Mikhled al Sadaqa. Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani commented about the Mazyadid rulers, saying:

Members of the Bani Assad clan outside Iraq

Mansour Moosa Al-Mazeedi played an important role in developing the

Constitution of Kuwait The Constitution of Kuwait (, ) was framed by the Constitutional Assembly in 1961–1962 and signed into law on 11 November 1962 by the Emir, the Commander of the Military of Kuwait Sheikh Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah. History In June 1961, ...

issued on January 29, 1963 as part of ''Al Majles Al Ta'sesy'' or Founding Parliament. The Al Mazeedi family are Shia in Iraq, dramatically increasing the influence of Shia minorities in Arabia. And there are also Al Mazeedi Shia families in Kuwait as well as Sunni. Recently it was discovered that some Al-Mazeedi family members migrated to Yemen a few hundred years ago and settled in the region of Hadhramaut. Their tribal name is Al-Mazyad or Banu Asad, their surnames or their family names is Assadi, Al-Assadi, or Al-Mazeedi, some (about 1,000) were also found in Oman and in India, primarily in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

with ancestral concentration in a place called Thokur, a village in

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

. A group of

Sunni Muslims Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

having Assadi as surname arrived at the Mangalore Port during the rule of

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

. These

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

speaking sailors claimed their ancestry from Banu Assad. They built a Community center by name Thokur Jamia Masjid in Thokur village of

Fatalities from the Banu Asad in the Battle of Karbala

Habib ibn Muzahir (commander of the left flank), Muslim ibn Awsaja al-Asadi, Uns ibn Hars Asadi, Qais ibn Masher Asadi, Abu Samama Umru ibn Abdullah.

Burials

On the 13th of Muharram, three days after the massacre, members of the Banu Asad in Karbala had the honor of burying the bodies of Husayn, his family and their companions. The Banu Asad tribe is widely respected by other Shia Arab tribes. Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, the 4th Twelver Shia

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

, helped the Banu Asad tribe to bury the martyred bodies and helped them to identify the bodies of Husayn ibn Ali, his father, and the Ahl al-Bayt and their companions.

Modern Clans

All clans are related which goes back to the same of ancestor of Asad bin Khuzayma.

Āl Ghrēj (Gharīq)

Source: **Āl Shari' **Āl Haj Yacoub **Āl Hilala **Āl Hamoudi Among them are in the Al-Mashurab area between Al-Hindiya and Tuwayraj on the outskirts of Karbala. They are: **Elbuganim **Elbo Dhahi **Elbo Magdy **Elbo Bahr **Elbo Majzim Among them are in Najaf and Ahvaz: **The Tarahians Among them in Karbala: **Āl Kammounah Among them are: **Āl Sheikh Jaafar **Āl Khudari **Āl Sheikh Aliwi Among them in Kirkuk: **Āl Naftji

Al Sheikhs

Source: Their leadership is in Āl Khayun. *Āl Khayun **Āl Hassan **Āl Jayyid **Āl Janaah **Āl Sheikh And their other sub-clans are *Āl Wanis **Āl Freeh **Āl Khaitan **Āl Badir **Āl Ghaithan **Āl Jasim **Āl Sh'haf **Āl Tarshaan **Āl Hamad **Āl Khamees *Āl Abbas **Elbu Sodah **Elbu Sidyo **Elbu Zahroon *Āl 'Aneesy (isa) **Āl Sahr **Āl Ataab **Āl Sweenij

The Haddadin

Source:الكوراني، سلسلة القبائل العربية في العراق (بنو أسد بن خزيمة)، ص 13. Al-Haddadin **Āl Rasheeda **Āl Mas'ood **Āl Sajiyah **Āl Shneen **Āl Awaad **Āl Hjool **Āl Hlool **Āl Asghar *Bani 'Askari **Āl Abdul Ameer **Āl A'beed **Āl Sheikh Ali **Āl Sh'haab *Āl Khaṭir **Āl Shabib *There are Sayyids who have joined the Bani Assad tribe, in southern Iraq many centuries ago *There are more tribes and clans of Banu Asad

Leading personalities

* Habib bin Muzahir Al-Asadi * Muslim ibn Awsaja Al-Asadi * al-Kumayt ibn Zayd al-Asadi *

Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Asadi Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Asadi al-Amri ( ') was the first of the Four Deputies, who are believed by the Twelvers to have successively represented their twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, during his Minor Occultation (874–941 CE). Uthman is also said ...

* Muhammad ibn Uthman Al-Asadi * Hafs bin suleiman Al-Asadi * Aasim ibn Abi al-Najud Al-Asadi * Dhiraar bin Al-Azwar Al-Asadi * Maytham al-Tammar Al-Asadi * Wabisa ibn Ma'bad al-Asadi

References

Other sources

* Wiesenhöfer, Josef. ''Ancient Persia''. pages 231 to 235. .
Bani Assad in Ashura
* https://web.archive.org/web/20170330190328/http://al-hakawati.net/english/Culture_Traditions/bani_asad.asp {{DEFAULTSORT:Assad Mudar Tribes of Arabia Tribes of Saudi Arabia Tribes of Iraq Yemeni tribes