The Banū Lahab (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: بنو لهب) are a tribe of Qahtanite Arabs that are part of the

Azd The Azd (Arabic: أَزْد), or Al-Azd (Arabic: ٱلْأَزْد), is an ancient Tribes of Arabia, Arabian tribe. The lands of Azd occupied an area west of Bisha and Al Bahah in what is today Saudi Arabia. Land of Azd Pre-Islamic Arabia Pre- ...

tribal group. They currently inhabit the towns in

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, a governorate of the

Al Bahah Region Al-Baha Province, also known as Al-Baha Region ( ' ), also spelled as Al-Bahah, is a province in Saudi Arabia. It is the smallest province in the country by both area and population. History History of the Province Before Islam The provin ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. In pre-Islamic times, the Banu Lahab were professional soothsayers of the Arabian community. The Bani Lahab tribe still exists today. Saudi arabic

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 ...

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Al-Qunfudhah

Al-Baha Al-Baha or Al-Bahah (Arabic: الباحة) is a city and governorate in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia, located in the Sarawat Mountains. It is the capital of Al-Baha Province and is considered one of the country's notable tourist destinations. ...

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Tribal lineage

Genealogists have agreed that the lineage of the Banu Lahab can be traced back to a Qahtani Arab man named Lahab al-Azdi. However, they differ on his lineage: *

Ibn al-Kalbi Hishām ibn al-Kalbī (), 737 – 819 CE / 204 AH, also known as Ibn al-Kalbi (), was an Arab historian. His full name was Abu al-Mundhir Hisham ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib ibn Bishr al-Kalbi. Born in Kufa, he spent much of his life in Baghdad. L ...

stated that his lineage was Lahab, son of Ahjan, son of Ka'b, son of al-Harith, son of Ka'b, son of 'Abd Allah, son of Malik, son of Nasr, son of al-Azd. *

Ibn Qutaybah Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muslim ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī al-Marwazī better known simply as Ibn Qutaybah (; c. 828 – 13 November 889 CE/213 – 15 Rajab 276 AH) was an Islamic scholar of Persian people, Persian descent. He served as a q ...

stated that his lineage was Lahab, son of 'Amir, son of al-Azd. Despite inconsistencies in both reports, they agree that Lahab was descended from al-Azd, the progenitor of the Azdite tribes.

Related tribes

Banu Lahab's sibling tribes were the Banu Aslam and the Banu Qarin. Their uncle tribe was the Banu Zahran. Together with their sibling tribes and uncle tribes, the Banu Lahab are part of the larger Azd Shanu'ah confederation.

History

In the pre-Islamic times, Banu Lahab held prominence in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

as convincing soothsayers, a trait which they inherited from their progenitor Lahab al-Azdi. The Banu Lahab also became the leader of the Azd tribal confederation for a short period of time until the reign of the sons of

Muzayqiya Muzayqiya () was the leader of the Azd tribes and a king ruling parts of Yemen in the 2nd century CE. Muzayqiya succeeded his brother Imran in the leadership of the kingdom. During his time, the Ma'rib Dam collapsed which resulted in several Qahta ...

. In the 7th century CE, the converted to Islam and their flagbearer and leader was al-Nu'man ibn al-Razi'ah al-Lahbi. They were known to have sent letters to 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 ...

Modern history

The Banu Lahab currently reside in

, mainly in the

References

{{reflist Tribes of Arabia