The Banū Qushayr ( ar, بنو قشير) was a branch of the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

tribe of

Banu Amir The Banū ʿĀmir ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿa ( ar, بنو عامر بن صعصعة) was a large and ancient Arab tribe originating from central Arabia, that dominated Najd for centuries after the rise of Islam. The tribe is an Arab Adnanite tribe and its ...

, historically resident in central Arabian Peninsula and later spreading to Khurasan, Iraq,

Upper Mesopotamia Upper Mesopotamia is the name used for the uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, in the northern Middle East. Since the early Muslim conquests of the mid-7th century, the region has been ...

Genealogy

According to Arab genealogical tradition, the eponymous progenitor of the Banu Qushayr was a son of Ka'b ibn Rabi'a ibn Amir, thus making them a branch of the

Banu Ka'b The Banu Ka'b ( ar, بنو كعب) are a nomadic Arab tribe which originated in the Najd region of the Arabian Peninsula, and inhabit Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Iran (Khuzestan). They often raided, then settled various areas of southern and c ...

, itself a branch of the large tribe of Banu Amir. Qushayr’s brothers were progenitors of the large tribes of

Banu Uqayl Banu Uqayl ( ar, بنو عُـقَـيـْل) are an ancient Arab tribe that played an important role in the history of eastern Arabia and Iraq. They belonged to the Banu Ka'b branch of the large Banu 'Amir confederation. The Banu 'Amir confede ...

and Banu Ja'da.Della Vida 1986, p. 526. The mother of Qushayr was Rayta bint Kunfudh ibn Malik of the Banu Sulaym.

History

In the pre-Islamic period, the Qushayr were attached to their parent tribe, the Banu Amir, and were resided in the region of al-Yamama (central Arabia). They were involved in all the wars between the Banu Amir and rival tribes, particularly the

Banu Tamim Banū Tamīm ( ar, بَنُو تَمِيم) is an Arab tribe that originated in Najd in the Arabian Peninsula. It is mainly present in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, and has a strong presence in Morocco, Palestine, Tuni ...

and

Banu Shayban The Banu Shayban () is an Arab tribe, a branch of the Bakr ibn Wa'il group. Throughout the early Islamic era, the tribe was settled chiefly in the Jazira, and played an important role in its history. History In the pre-Islamic period, the Shayb ...

. During one of these wars, the Qushayri leader Malik ibn Salama al-Khayr, known as Dhu'l-Ruqayba, captured the Shaybani chief Hajib ibn Zurara. The Salama al-Khayr family were the princely household of the Banu Qushayr. The Qushayr embraced Islam along with the Banu Amir in 630. During the Muslim conquests of Syria and Mesopotamia, the Qushayr participated, but did not play a distinguished role. After the conquests, they largely settled in the eastern parts of the caliphate, such as Khurasan. During the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

period (661–750), they maintained great numbers and power in that province and many of its governors, including Zurara ibn Uqba, hailed from the Salama al-Khayr family.

References

Bibliography

* {{Historical Arab tribes History of Khorasan Banu 'Amir