Zahran (Arabic: زهران), also known as Banū ʿZahrān ibn Kaʿab,[1] is one of the oldest Arabian tribes in the Arabian Peninsula.[2] It is regarded as one of the largest tribes in Al Bahah Province.[3]

زهران
Arabian tribe
Emblem of the Royal Zahranid Family of Oman (House of Al Said)
NisbaZahranī
LocationAl Baha, Hijaz Mountains, Saudi Arabia (origin)
Descended fromZahran ibn Kaʿab ibn Al-Harith
Parent tribeAzd Shanū’ah, Azd
ReligionPre 630 AD (Polytheism) Post 630 AD (Islam)
SurnamesAl Zahrani (main), sub-tribes (prominent): Al Dawsi, Al Haddani, Al Aamri, Al Jaafari, Al Jadari, Al Shehhi

Al Baha is the homeland of Zahran and Ghamid.[4] However, many tribes that descend from Zahran and Azd migrated to Oman and Tanukh (Levant) under leadership of Malik bin Fehm in the 3rd century.[5] Oman’s modern royal family, Al Said, is said to descend from Zahran through Malik ibn Fehm.[6] Moreover, many currently live in Mecca, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam due to large migration from villages and small cities during the 1960s and '70s in search of a better life.

Zahran is a well-known tribe before and after Islam. Many of them left their houses, homes and relatives and joined the prophet Mohammed in Medina.[4]

Name edit

Zahran (Arabic: زهران) is the name of the shared common ancestor of Zahran. Etymological sources indicate that it is of Arabic Semitic origin, meaning “bright” and “pure”.[7]

Lineage edit

Al-Zahrani is a nisba to

Zahran ibn Ka’ab ibn Al-Harith ibn Ka’ab ibn Abdullah Ibn Mālik ibn Nasr ibn Al-Azd, an Azdite offshoot.[8]

Islamic Prophecy edit

There are Islamic prophecies with regards to 'End-Times' that have quoted the tribe; like the following by Abu Hurairah:

Abu Hurairah said, “I heard the Prophet say, The Hour will not come until the buttocks of the women of Daws move (quiver) while going around Dhu l-Khalasah”. Dhu l-Khalasah was an idol worshiped by the tribe of Daws and neighboring clans during the Jahiliyyah. (Hadith from Bukhari.) And Dhu l-Khalasah is named after Khalasah: a valley in Zahran’s homeland, specifically in Daws,[9] one of the biggest clans in Zahran.[10]

Recent History edit

The author of Kitab Akhbar Makka Lil’Azraqi (Azraqi’s Revisioned Book of Reports about Mecca), mentions that the local clans in the region used to re-honor Dhu l-Khalasah in the early 20th century and slay tributes to it. The prominent Saudi geographic researcher: Rushdi Saleh Malhas, dedicated a section under the title "Security Crisis and Return to Dhu l-Khalasah" to comment on the issue of "Dhu l-Khalasah":

“When the security cord in the Arabian Peninsula was dimished in recent times and its residents lacked comfort and tranquility, and poverty and destitution prevailed in the land, souls felt the desire for asceticism and faith, and the need for a refuge to which they dread, so local clans returned to their first Jahiliyyah, by re-honoring Dhu l-Khalasah, clinging to heresies and superstitions.”

During the emergence of the third/modern Saudi state between 1341- 1344 Hijri / 1921 - 1925 AD, Dhu l-Khalasah was destroyed by order of king Abdulaziz, otherwise known as Ibn Saud. The order was carried in delegation by Abdulaziz Al Ibrahim, who led a campaign that demolished most of the image cult and threw its ruins into a nearby valley. One of those who engaged in the campaign emphasized that the structure of Dhul-Khalasa was immensely strong, stating that the force of dozens of men was required to move a single stone, and that its durability indicates considerate tactful building skills.[11]

Branches edit

  • Banu Daws comprises three divisions: Banu Manhib, Banu Fahm and Banu Ali.[12][13]
  • Banu 'Amr includes four divisions: Banu Bashir, Banu Harir, Banu Jundob and Banu 'Adwan (Banu 'Adwan occupied Adwan village in Syria and gave the village its name).[12][14]
  • Banu Aws includes five divisions: Banu Hasan, Bal-Khirmar, Banu Kinanah (not to be confused with Banu Kinanah), Banu 'Amir (not to be confused with Banu 'Amir) and Ahl Baydan.[12]

Zahrani Arabic dialect edit

Zahrani Arabic dialect is closely related to standard Arabic language.[2] Ahmed Abdul Ghafur Attar, a Saudi poet and linguist, said in an article that the language of the Hejaz, especially that which is spoken in Belad Ghamdi and Zahran, is close to the Classical Language.[15]

Faisal Ghori (Arabic فيصل غوري), a famous scholar of Arabic literature, in his book Qabayil Al- Hejaz (Hejazi tribes) wrote: "We can say is that there are some tribes in Arabia whose language today much closer to the classical Arabic language. The tribes of Belad Ghamid and Zahran are a good example of this."[15]

Zahrani tribal governance edit

Members of the tribe in Al Baha elected their tribal chief in 2006, the first election of its kind in Saudi Arabia. Mohammad Bin Yahya Al Zahrani won the election.[16][17]

Notable people edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "ص225 - كتاب الأنساب للصحاري - مالك بن كعب - المكتبة الشاملة الحديثة". al-maktaba.org. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  2. ^ a b Alzahrani, Halimah. "Phonological Description of Zahrani Dialect": 2. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Near East/South Asia Report. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1983.
  4. ^ a b c Cuddihy, Kathy (2001). An A to Z of Places and Things Saudi. Stacey International. ISBN 9781900988407.
  5. ^ "ص259 - كتاب الأنساب للصحاري - خبر انتقال مالك بن فهم الأزدي وخروجه إلى عمان وحربه الفرس وما كان - المكتبة الشاملة الحديثة". al-maktaba.org. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  6. ^ Al Seiyyabi, Salim. "إسعاف الأعيان في أنساب أهل عمان".
  7. ^ "معنى إسم زهران في قاموس معاني الأسماء صفحة 1". www.almaany.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  8. ^ الجزري, ابن الأثير. الباب في تهذيب الأنساب (in Arabic). pp. ج 2، صفحة 82.
  9. ^ الفيصل (in Arabic). المملكة العربية السعودية، دار الفيصل الثقافية]،. 1986. p. 102.
  10. ^ "May 1968. - White Rose eTheses Online" (PDF).
  11. ^ أخبار مكّة، ج 1، ص 381
  12. ^ a b c Near East/South Asia Report. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1983. p. 17.
  13. ^ "May 1968. - White Rose eTheses Online" (PDF).
  14. ^ Schumacher, Gottlieb; Oliphant, Laurence; Le Strange, G. (Guy) (1889). Across the Jordan; being an exploration and survey of part of Hauran and Jaulan;. Robarts - University of Toronto. London, Watt.
  15. ^ a b Nadwi, Abdullah Abbas (1968). A study of the Arabic dialects of the Belad Ghamid and Zahran region of Saudi Arabia on the basis of original field recording and an examination of the relationship to the neighbouring regions (phd). University of Leeds. p. 1.
  16. ^ "Saudi tribesmen hold first-ever election." Saudi Election Website. October 5, 2006. Archived February 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Dostal, Walter; Kraus, Wolfgang (2005-07-08). Shattering Tradition: Custom, Law and the Individual in the Muslim Mediterranean. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9781850436348.
  18. ^ "His Name and Genealogy". Al-Islam.org. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  19. ^ The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (1 ed.). Ibn Hisham. p. 181.
  20. ^ a b c d "ص225 - كتاب الأنساب للصحاري - مالك بن كعب - المكتبة الشاملة الحديثة". 2020-12-17. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  21. ^ عبدالله, عبدالعزيز. معجم رواة الحديث الأماجد من علماء زهران وغامد. p. 36. ISBN 978-9960-34-074-6.
  22. ^ معجم رواة الحديث الأماجد من علماء زهران وغامد - ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz ibn ʻAbd Allāh Zahrānī - كتب Google. 2021-02-06. ISBN 9789960340746. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  23. ^ مغلطاي (2011). إكمال تهذيب الكمال في أسماء (in Arabic) (1 علاء الدين ed.). مغلطاي بن قليج بن عبد الله البكجري المصري الحكري الحنفي.
  24. ^ "بخروش بن علاس.. قائد معارك الجنوب". جريدة الرياض (in Arabic). Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  25. ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (22 February 2020). "Powerful new Khashoggi film hits its mark … but will audiences get to see it?". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2020-02-22 – via www.theguardian.com.