Banu Tamim
Banū Tamīm or Banī Tamīm is one of the tribes of Arabia, mainly present in Saudi Arabia, With a strong presence attested in Algeria, in Palestine, in Tunisia, and to a lesser extent in Libya following the Aghlabid dynasty. Today, the word Tamim in Arabic means strong and solid. It can also mean perfect.
History and origin
The traditional family tree of Banu Tamim is as follows: Tamim son of Murr son of 'Id son of Amr son of Ilyas son of Mudar son of Nizar, son of Ma'ad, son of Adnan son of Isma'il ibn Ibrahim.Tamim is one of the largest Arab tribes. The tribe occupied in the 6th century the eastern part of the Arabian peninsula before playing an important role with the revelation of Islam. They came into contact with Muhammad in the 8th year of Hijrah, but they did not immediately convert to Islam. There are hadiths which praise virtually all of the major Arab tribal groups, and to indicate the extent of this praise, a few examples are listed here:
The tribe traces its lineage to Adnan and Biblical figures Ishmael and Abraham. It has been said that Banu Tamim is the largest Arab tribe. "Had it not been for the coming of Islam, the Tamīm tribe would have consumed the Arabs."
In Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 18, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib says:
"Remember that Bani Tamim is such a clan that their star has not set as yet, amongst them if one great man dies there is another to take his place. Remember that after embracing Islam and even during pre-Islamic days these people were never regarded as mean, jealous or covetous. On the contrary, they had a very high status. Besides they have claims of kinship and friendship with us. If we behave kindly, patiently and sympathetically towards them Allah will reward us. But if we ill treat them we shall be sinning."
Lineage and branches
Banu Tamim are an Adnanite tribe, which means they claim descent from the Ishmael of the Quran through Adnan. Banu Tamim trace their lineage as follows:- Abraham
- Ishmael
- Adnan
- Ma'ad
- Nizar
- Mudar ibn Nizar
- Ilyas ibn Mudar
- Amr
- Ed
- Mowr
- Tamim
They were mostly localized in Najd in the days before Muhammad, but have then expanded to all corners of the Arabian Peninsula in pursuit of the Islamic conquests. Stretching from Morocco to Persia and further to India known as Iraqi Biradari. Some emigrated to Sri Lanka and South East Asia as part of the trading diaspora.
Dynasties
- The Aghlabid dynasty
- The Al Thani, ruling family of Qatar.
- The Al ash-Sheikh family of the Grand Muftis of the Emirate of Diriyah, then the Emirate of Najd and now modern day Saudi Arabia.
- Al Khater – a family of the middle east based primarily in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain
- Al Shabrami - a family based in "Samira" a small town near Hail city the north side of Saudi Arabia.
- Al Majali – rulers of tribes of Al-Karak in Jordan in the 19th century.
- Al Maayta- family of Al-Karak
- Al Bayayda-family of Al-Karak
Notable people
- Khabbab ibn al-Aratt – a companion of Muhammad
- Ahnaf ibn Qais, companion of Umar ibn al-Khattab
- Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Sa'id al-Tamimi – physician in Palestine during the 10th century CE
- Abu Al Fazal Abdul Wahid Yemeni Tamimi – Muslim saint Of the Junaidia order
- Abd-Allah ibn Ibadh al-Tamimi – Founder of the Ibadi sect
- Al-Farazdaq - Classical poet
- Al-Hurr ibn Yazid al Tamimi - A general of the Umayyads who defected to Husayn ibn Ali
- Al-Qa'qa'a ibn Amr at-Tamimi – A general who commanded an army from his tribe and helped conquer Persia under Caliph Umar
- Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi – Shafi'i scholar and mathematician from Baghdad
- Muhammed ibn Umail al-Tamimi – tenth century alchemist from Al-Andalus
- Ibn Ishaq al-Tamimi al-Tunisi – 13th century Tunisian astronomer and the author of an important zij
- Bassem al-Tamimi – an activist leader and member of the Palestinian Resistance
- Ahed Tamimi – Daughter of Bassem Al-Tamimi, also a Palestinian activist
- Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab – Founder of the Aghlabids' Dynasty, the emirs of Ifriqiya and Sicily from 800–909.
- Jarīr – classical Arab poet
- Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani – founder of the State of Qatar
- Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
- Muhammad Ibn al 'Uthaymīn – Saudi Salafi preacher
- Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi – ruler of eastern parts of archaic Arabian peninsula who converted to Islam
- Sheikh Edebali - Sufi Master who served in the foundation of the Ottoman Empire.