Dāhis and al-Ghābra (

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 ...

: داحس والغبراء) was an armed conflict between two tribes of the

Ghatafan The Ghaṭafān () were an Arab tribal confederation originally based northeast of Medina. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the tribes of Banu Abs, Banu Dhubyan and Ashja'. They were one of the Arab tribes that interacted with Muhammad. Th ...

. The conflict started due to a dispute over

horse betting Betting on horse racing or horse betting commonly occurs at many horse races. Modern horse betting started in Great Britain in the early 1600s during the reign of King James I. Gamblers can stake money on the final placement of the horses taking ...

and occurred in the 6th century CE.

Background

Family Tree of the Dahis and Ghabra leaders

The chief of

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 ...

, Qays ibn Zuhayr, had organized a

event with the chief of

Banu Dhubyan Dhubyan or Banu Dhubyan () are an Arabian tribe of Ghatafan branch, one of the Adnani branches. Banu Dhubyan inhabited the Hijaz region. Influential people of Dhubyan * Al-Nabigha Al-Nābighah (), al-Nābighah al-Dhubiyānī, or Nābighah ...

, Hudhayfah ibn Badr. Qays brought a horse named Dahis, while Hudhayfah brought a horse named al-Ghabra. The winner would receive at least a hundred camels from the rival tribe. During the race, the Banu Dhubyan sent a few men from their tribe to distract the horse named Dahis. As a result, Dahis slowed down and its rival al-Ghabra was able to win. When the Banu Abs heard about this, they ordered the Banu Dhubyan to pay the hundred camels, as they were the ones who would have won if not for the intervention. But Hudhayfah ibn Badr refused to pay up, and the Banu Abs responded by stabbing his brother to death. Banu Dhubyan retailiated by stabbing the brother of Qays ibn Zuhayr. The stabbings led to a series of bloody violence between the tribes.

Conflict

Course of conflict

The fighting lasted for approximately forty years. The pre-Islamic poet

Antarah ibn Shaddad Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Absi (; 525–608 AD), also known as ʿAntar (), was a pre-Islamic Arabian poet and knight, famous for both his poetry and his adventurous life. His chief poem forms part of the '' Mu'allaqāt'', the collection of seven "h ...

was one of the fighters in the war, fighting on the side of the Banu Abs. Other Arabian tribes including the

Hawazin The Hawazin ( / ALA-LC: ''Hawāzin'') were an Arab tribe originally based in the western Najd and around Ta'if in the Hejaz. They formed part of the larger Qays tribal group. The Hawazin consisted of the subtribes of Banu Sa'd, and Banu Jusham, a ...

and the

Tayy The Tayy (/ALA-LC: ''Ṭayyi’''; Musnad: 𐩷𐩺), also known as Ṭayyi, Tayyaye, or Taiyaye, are a large and ancient Arab tribe, among whose descendants today are the tribes of Bani Sakher and Shammar. The '' nisba'' (patronymic) of Tayy i ...

participated in the conflict on the side of the Banu Dhubyan. More than a hundred people died in the fighting, which included Hudhayfah ibn Badr and Antarah ibn Shaddad. Some of the Banu Abs, however, refrained from fighting in order to guard the caravans of the

Lakhmids The Lakhmid kingdom ( ), also referred to as al-Manādhirah () or as Banū Lakhm (), was an Arab kingdom that was founded and ruled by the Lakhmid dynasty from to 602. Spanning Eastern Arabia and Sawad, Southern Mesopotamia, it existed as a d ...

that were passing through

Al Yamama Al-Yamama () is a historical region in south-eastern Najd in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Only a handful of centralized states ever arose in the Yamama, but it figured prominently in early Islamic history, becoming a central theater in the Ridd ...

. The Lakhmid ruler at the time,

Al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir Al-Nuʿmān III ibn al-Mundhir (), also transcribed Naʿaman, Nuʿaman and Noman and often known by the patronymic Abu Qabus (), was the last Lakhmid king of al-Hirah (582 – ) and a Nestorian Christian Arab. He is considered one of the mos ...

, had promised the Banu Abs rewards if they successfully protected his caravans. This led to the envy of the Banu Dhubyan, and further escalated the conflict.

End of conflict

Two merchants, al-Harith and

Ibn Sinan Ibn Sinan (Arabic: ابن سنان) was a nobleman and poet of pre-Islamic Arabia from the Banu Murra tribe. He was also the cousin of al-Harith ibn 'Awf. Together with al-Harith, Ibn Sinan was remembered for his involvement in ending the war o ...

from neighboring tribes intervened and offered to pay the blood money for both the Banu Abs and Banu Dhubyan as well as all the lives of the chiefs that were taken during the conflict. A truce was formed between the Banu Abs and Banu Dhubyan, ending the conflict.

Time period

The conflict happened a few years after the

Basus War The Basus War (often written al-Basus War; ''ḥarb al-basūs'') was a 40-year conflict between two cousin tribes in Arabia of Late Antiquity. It was caused by the slaughtering of a camel that was owned by a neighboring tribe, and the subsequent ...

, which occurred in circa 494–534 CE. This would indicate that the conflict happened in the 6th century.

Sir William Muir Sir William Muir (27 April 1819 – 11 July 1905) was a Scottish Orientalist, and colonial administrator, Principal of the University of Edinburgh and Lieutenant Governor of the North-Western Provinces of British India. Life He was born ...

dates the conflict to take place around 568–609 CE.

References