The Banū 'Asīr (Arabic: قبيلة عسير) or the Aseer are a South Arabian tribe that live in the ʽAsir Province of present-day Saudi Arabia. of Adnanite and Qahtanite descent. The former ruling dynasties of the Al Aidh Emirate and the Sheikdom of Upper Asir are descended from this tribe.
| Banū 'Asīr قبيلة عسير | |
|---|---|
| Adnanite and Qahtanite Arabs | |
 Flag of the Banu 'Asir | |
| Ethnicity | Arab |
| Nisba | al-'Asīrī |
| Location | ʽAsir Province, Saudi Arabia |
| Descended from | 'Asīr ibn 'Abs |
| Parent tribe | Either Banū 'Akk or the Rabīʿa |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Tribal lineage
editThe tribe is descended from 'Asir ibn 'Abs, whose full lineage is given as 'Asir, son of 'Abs, son of Shahara, son of Ghalib, son of 'Abd Allah, son of Akk, son of Adnan.[1] As their descent is traced back to the patriarch Adnan, they are amongst the Adnanite tribes. However, they are also descended from Akk ibn Adnan which indicates that they are also mixed with Qahtanite descent as with all of Akk's other descendants.[a]
Al-Hamdani gives an alternative version of the lineage of 'Asir, which completely rejects the Qahtanite ancestry: 'Asir, son of Shaharah, son of 'Anz, son of Wa'il, son of Qasit, son of Hinb, son of Afsa, son of Du'miyy, son of Jadila, son of Asad, son of Rabi'a, son of Nizar, son of Ma'ad, son of Adnan. [3]
Branches
editThe branches of the tribe are as follows:
History
editAncient history
editIn historical inscriptions, the term "Banu 'Asir" was used to refer to an alliance of mainly Qahtanite tribes in southwestern Arabia.[5] The Banu 'Asir may have become Muslims after the 630s CE, as all of the Arab tribes living in the central Arabian Peninsula began to profess Islam around that time.[6]
Contemporary history
editThe Banu 'Asir would inhabit the southwestern parts of the Arabian Peninsula, such as those bordering .[4] In 1823, the Mughaidi branch of the Banu 'Asir formed the Al Aidh Emirate which ruled the 'Asir Province.[4][7] The independent Sheikdom of Upper 'Asir was later formed after breaking free from the Ottoman takeover of 'Asir until Ibn Saud annexed southwestern Arabia, unifying the country into present-day Saudi Arabia.[8]
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ al-Ash'ari, Abu al-Hajjaj (1990). كتاب التعريف بالأنساب والتنويه بذوي الأحساب [The Book of Defining Lineages and Praising Those of Noble Lineage] (in Arabic). Jordan: Dar Al Manar.
- ^ Hishām, ʻAbd al-Malik Ibn; Isḥāq, Muḥammad Ibn; Guillaume, Alfred (1997). The life of Muhammad: a translation of Isḥāq's Sīrat rasūl Allāh. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195778281.
- ^ al-Hamdani (1940), Kitab al-Iklil; al-Juz' al-Thamin. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
- ^ a b c d e f Tayyib, Muhammad S. (2001). Mawsu'at al-Qaba'il al-'Arabiyah [Dictionary of Arabian Tribes] (3rd ed.). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al Fikr (published 2010).
- ^ Al Dosari (1998). 'Iimt al-Sa'amir. Saudi Arabia: King Abdulaziz Foundation. p. 43. ISBN 978-9960-693-28-6.
- ^ Shoufani, Elias (1973). Al-Riddah and the Muslim Conquest of Arabia. Heritage. University of Toronto Press.
- ^ Cahoon, Ben. "Upper 'Asir". worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ Bang, Anne (1997). The Idrisi State in Asir 1906–1934. Hurst Publishers. pp. 111–114. ISBN 9781850653066.