The Banu Udhra () was a nomadic Arab tribe which mainly dwelt in the

Wadi al-Qura Wadi al-Qura () is a wadi north of Medina in Saudi Arabia,. mentioned in early Islamic sources. It was located on the main trade road between the Hejaz and Bilad al-Sham, Syria. The wadi is tentatively identified with the modern Wadi al-'Ula regio ...

region in the northern

Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...

near the southern approaches of

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 ...

. The tribe was part of the

Quda'a The Quda'a () were a confederation of Arab tribes, including the powerful Banu Kalb, Kalb and Tanukh, mainly concentrated throughout Syria (region), Syria and northwestern Arabia, from at least the 4th century CE, during Byzantine Empire, Byzanti ...

confederation.

Location

From the pre-Islamic period, the Udhra dwelt in what the Arabic sources referred to as ('the approaches of Syria'), especially in the

region, as far north as the

Tayma Tayma (; Taymanitic: 𐪉𐪃𐪒, , vocalized as: ) or Tema is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between Medina and Dumah (Sakakah) begins to cross the Na ...

oasis. They largely remained there during the early Islamic period, though some clans of the tribe had migrated into Syria and later Egypt and

Muslim Spain Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

. In Spain, they largely settled in Jaen, Almeria and around Algericas.

Genealogy

The Udhra were a constituent of the

group. In the Arab genealogical tradition the tribe traced its descent to the Quda'a as follows: Udhra ibn Sa'd Hudhaym ibn Zayd ibn Layth ibn Sud ibn Aslum ibn al-Haf ibn Quda'a. They were the main component of the Quda'a's Sa'd Hudhaym group and incorporated their brother tribes of Banu Harith and Banu Salaman. The best known early authority on the Udhra's genealogy was a member of the Banu Harith, the late-7th-century al-Nakhkhar ibn Aws ibn Ubayr al-Udhri, who preserved the tribe's genealogical tradition before it was incorporated into the major 8th-century Arab genealogy monographs. The Udhra are sometimes confused with the Udhra branch of the

Banu Kalb The Banu Kalb () was an Arab tribe which mainly dwelt in the desert and steppe of northwestern Arabia and central Syria. It was involved in the tribal politics of the Byzantine Empire's eastern frontiers, possibly as early as the 4th century. ...

, another important Quda'a tribe. The two main sub-branches of the Udhra during the early Islamic period were the brother clans of Hunn ibn Rabi'a and Rizah ibn Rabi'a.

Religion

In the pre-Islamic period, part of the Udhra were

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

and part followed Arabian polytheistic cults. The tribe, or significant parts of it, converted to Islam after a delegation 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 ...

led by one of their chiefs, Ziml ibn Amr, in May or June 630.

History

During the pre-Islamic period, the Udhra had a protection arrangement with the Jewish farmers of Wadi al-Qura, stipulating a share in their crops in return for staving off raids from other

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

tribes. They maintained close links with the

Quraysh The Quraysh () are an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founding prophet Muhammad was born. By ...

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 ...

, especially the

Banu Zuhra Banu Zuhrah () is a clan of the Quraysh tribe. Akhnas ibn Shariq al- Thaqifi and the Banu Zuhrah were with the Meccan as part of the escort that preceded the battle of Badr, but since he believed the caravan to be safe, he did not join Qurais ...

clan, and, to a lesser extent, the Aws and

Khazraj The Banu Khazraj () is a large Arab tribe based in Medina. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era. The Banu Khazraj are a South Arabian Qahtanite tribe that were pressured out of South Arabia as a result of the destruction of the Marib ...

tribes of

Yathrib Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

(Medina). The Udhra did not play a prominent role in the early Muslim state. The scant mention of the tribe during the campaigns of Muhammad and 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 ...

suggests the tribe had a weak position in the politics of the Hejaz and likely submitted to the Muslim state with little or no resistance. Ziml ibn Amr served as head of the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

caliph

Mu'awiya I Mu'awiya I (–April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and immediately after the four Rashid ...

's (select troops) and of

Yazid I Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (; 11 November 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from April 680 until his death in November 683. His appointment by his father Mu'awiya I () was the first ...

's (bureau of the seal), which dealt with caliphal correspondences. The tribe was evidently favored by Caliph

Umar II Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan (; February 720) was the eighth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 717 until his death in 720. He is credited to have instituted significant reforms to the Umayyad central government, by making it much more efficient and ...

(), who appointed members Uthman ibn Sa'd al-Udhri and Abd al-Rahman ibn Khashkhash al-Udhri as his governor in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and his

qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

(head judge), respectively.

References

Bibliography