Banu 'Akk ( , Ancient South Arabian:𐩲𐩫𐩣 lit. ʿkm, ʿAkkum; Greek:’Αχχιται) or simply 'Akk, was one of the main pre-Islamic Arab tribes. The tribe inhabited Yemen in the

Jahiliyyah In Islamic salvation history, the ''Jāhiliyyah'' (Age of Ignorance) is an era of pre-Islamic Arabia as a whole or only of the Hejaz leading up to the lifetime of Muhammad. The Arabic expression (meaning literally “the age or condition of i ...

Traditional Arab genealogy

According to

Ibn Hisham Abu Muhammad Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham ibn Ayyub al-Himyari (; died 7 May 833), known simply as Ibn Hisham, was a 9th-century Abbasid historian and scholar. He grew up in Basra, in modern-day Iraq and later moved to Egypt. Life Ibn Hisham has ...

the members of the Banu 'Akk tribe are descendants of a man called

Al-Dith ibn Adnan Al-Harith ibn Adnan (; perhaps the same as Akk) is the brother of Ma'add ibn Adnan, who is an ancestor of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is featured in ancient Arabic literature. Parentage Some say that Ma'add ibn Adnan had a brother called ...

() or also known as 'Akk. Akk dwelt in

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

because he took a wife amongst the Banu Ash'ar and lived with them. The Banu Ash'ar were descended from Nabat ibn Udad ibn Zayd ibn Yashjub ibn Arib ibn Zayd ibn Kahlan ibn Saba'. While regarding the Banu 'Akk lineage, there seems to be a dispute between scholars in determining their origins. For example, According to al-Sam'ani they are of

Adnanite The Adnanites () were a tribal confederation of the Ishmaelites, Ishmaelite Arabs who originate from the Hejaz. They trace their lineage back to Ishmael in Islam, Ishmael, son of the Islamic prophet and patriarch Abraham in Islam, Abraham and hi ...

origin. On the other hand, Ibn Hazm writes that they were descendant from

Qahtan The Qahtanites (; ), also known as Banu Qahtan () or by their nickname ''al-Arab al-Ariba'' (), are the Arabs who originate from modern-day Yemen. The term "Qahtan" is mentioned in multiple Ancient South Arabian script, Ancient South Arabian ins ...

, hence,

Qahtanite The Qahtanites (; ), also known as Banu Qahtan () or by their nickname ''al-Arab al-Ariba'' (), are the Arabs who originate from modern-day Yemen. The term "Qahtan" is mentioned in multiple Ancient South Arabian script, Ancient South Arabian ins ...

Arabs. The mother of Madh'hij, who is the founder of the Madh'hij tribe, is said to be from 'Akk. The tribe of Banu Ghafiq from which the general Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi descended, is a branch of Banu 'Akk.

History

Pre-Islamic period

The Arab tribes were known to go on a pilgrimage to the temples of the pagan deities of Arabia. Banu 'Akk tribesmen would travel from Yemen to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage to the deity

Wadd Wadd () (Ancient South Arabian script: 𐩥𐩵) or Ved, if translated to English, was the national god of the Kingdom of Ma'in, inhabited by the Minaean peoples, in modern-day South Arabia. Wadd is mentioned once in the Quran as part of a l ...

. According to '' Kitab al-Asnam (The Book of Idols)'' of

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 ...

, The Banu 'Akk had a unique chant and rituals to Wadd. The tribe would bring two young Kids from the tribe, of theirs in front of the tribesmen, and the young men proceed to shout: "We are the ghuraba 'Akk!" Guraba means we the roans of 'Akk because they live in the costal city of Hudaidah in yemen, then The tribesmen reply and shout: "'Akk to you submits, Your worshippers from Yemen. May we once more make this pilgrimage!"

Islamic period

The Banu 'Akk participated in many battles and conflicts. Under the

Rashidun Caliphate The Rashidun Caliphate () is a title given for the reigns of first caliphs (lit. "successors") — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali collectively — believed to Political aspects of Islam, represent the perfect Islam and governance who led the ...

, Amr ibn al-'As entered Egypt with an army that included approximately 3,000 to 4,000 men from the tribe of Banu 'Akk. In 817 AD, the Banu 'Akk participated in a revolt alongside Banu Ash'ar against

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

Caliph

al-Ma'mun Abū al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Hārūn al-Maʾmūn (; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun (), was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. His leadership was marked by t ...

's governor of Yemen

Notable people

Among the tribe's members are: * Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Ghafiqi

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 ...

commander and governor of

Al-Andalus 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 ...

* Muhammad ibn Aslam Al-Ghafiqi An ophthalmologist who lived in the 12th century * Mehjaa ibn Saleh The first Muslim killed in the

Battle of Badr The Battle of Badr or sometimes called The Raid of Badr ( ; ''Ghazwahu Badr''), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ; ''Yawm al-Furqan'') in the Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan, 2 AH), near the pre ...

* Abū Jaʿfar al-Ghāfiqī 12th century botanist * Muhammad ibn Muqatil al-Akki

governor of

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...

References