The Banu Ghani () was an

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 ...

tribe that inhabited the area between Bisha and

Diriyah Diriyah (; formerly romanization of Arabic, romanized as Dereyeh and Dariyya) is a towns in Saudi Arabia, town and governorate in Saudi Arabia. Located on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Diriyah was the original home of t ...

pre-Islamic Arabia Pre-Islamic Arabia is the Arabian Peninsula and its northern extension in the Syrian Desert before the rise of Islam. This is consistent with how contemporaries used the term ''Arabia'' or where they said Arabs lived, which was not limited to the ...

and parts of which migrated to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

during the Muslim conquest of that region.

History

Origins

According to Arab genealogical tradition, the progenitor of the Banu Ghani was a certain Ghanī ibn Aʿṣur ibn Sʿad ibn Qays ʿAylān, making them part of the larger

Qays Qays ʿAylān (), often referred to simply as Qays (''Kais'' or ''Ḳays'') were an Arab tribal confederation that branched from the Mudar group. The tribe may not have functioned as a unit in pre-Islamic Arabia (before 630). However, by the ea ...

confederation.Fück 1965, p. 1004. They were the brothers of the

Bahila Bāhila () was an Arab tribe based in Najd (central Arabian Peninsula, Arabia). Part of the tribe was settled and part of it was semi-nomadic. The Bahila was first mentioned during the early years of Islam, in the mid-7th century. During that time ...

tribe. Throughout their history, they were a relatively small tribe compared to the other subtribes of Qays.

Pre-Islamic era

In the mid-6th century a leader of the Banu Ghani, Riyah ibn Ashall, killed the son of the powerful chieftain of the

Banu Abs The Banu Abs (, "sons of ") are an ancient Bedouin tribe that originated in central Arabia. They form a branch of the powerful and numerous Ghatafan tribes. They still inhabit the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa but have spread to man ...

, Zuhayr ibn Jadhima. His daughter was later wed to the founder of the paramount clan of the

Banu 'Amir The Banu Amir () was a large and ancient Arab tribe originating from Western Arabia that dominated Najd for centuries after the rise of Islam. It was an independent branch of the Hawazin confederation, and its original homeland was the border are ...

, Ja’far ibn Kilab.Fück 1965, p. 1005. From then onward, the Banu Ghani acted as subordinate allies of the Banu Amir, victoriously fighting alongside them at the battle of Shi’b in 580 and the battle of Raqam toward the close of the century. However, they suffered heavy casualties alongside the Banu 'Amir subtribes of

Banu Kilab The Banu Kilab () was an Arab tribe in the western Najd (central Arabian Peninsula, Arabia) where they controlled the horse-breeding pastures of Dariyya from the mid-6th century until at least the mid-9th century. The tribe was divided into ten br ...

and Banu Ka'b at the hands of the Banu Tayy at the battle of Muhajjar in the early 7th century. They later retaliated against the Tayy.

Islamic era

Though one member of the tribe, Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi, was an early companion of the Islamic prophet

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 ...

, most of the tribe converted after the defeat of the pagan Arab tribes at the

Battle of Hunayn The Battle of Hunayn () was a conflict between the Muslims of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the tribe of Qays in the aftermath of the conquest of Mecca. The battle took place in 8 AH () in the Hunayn valley on the route from Mecca to ...

in 630. They remained Muslim when many of the converted Arab tribes apostatized during the

Ridda wars The Ridda Wars were a series of military campaigns launched by the first caliph Abu Bakr against rebellious Arabian tribes, some of which were led by rival prophet claimants. They began shortly after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in ...

following Muhammad's death in 632. Many Ghani tribesmen migrated to Syria during the Muslim conquest of the region between 634 and 638. Following the rout of the Qaysi tribes at the Battle of Marj Rahit in 684, the Qaysi–Yamani wars ensued. During the long-running conflict, the Banu Ghani fought alongside their Qaysi kinsmen against the Yamani tribes and the

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 ...

References

Bibliography

* {{Historical Arab tribes Qays Medieval history of Syria Tribes of Arabia