(Redirected from Banu Tayy)
'Tayy' () is a large and ancient
Arabian tribe belonging to the southern or
Qahtanite branch of Arab tribes. Their original homeland was the area of the two mountains Aja and Salma in north central Arabia (currently
Ha'il Province,
Saudi Arabia), though, like all
Qahtanite tribes, it is believed they originally moved there from
Yemen. The tribe shared the area with
Bani Assad and
Bani Tamim, and its members included both nomads and settled town-dwellers.
The tribe is believed to have included a number of
Christians before
Islam, though most of the tribe's members are reported to have been
pagan. The most famous figure from Tayy in that period was the legendary
Hatim Al-Ta'i (''Hatim of Tayy''), said to be a Christian, and renowned among the Arabs for genorosity and hospitality. He also figures in the
Arabian Nights. The early Islamic historical sources report that his son,
'Adiyy ibn Hatim, whom they sometimes refer to as the "king" of Tayy, converted to
Islam before
Muhammad's death. He is particularly revered by the
Shi'a, who consider him a partisan of
Ali. Another figure from Tayy during this period was
Zayd al-Khayr, a prominent member of Tayy who is said to have led Tayy's delegation to
Muhammad accepting
Islam.
Though sections of Tayy began migrating to neighboring regions such as Iraq and Syria before Islam, Tayy participated heavily in the
Muslim Conquests of the early centuries of
Islam, with sections or individual members of the tribe settling in many parts of the Islamic Empire, including Lebanon and Egypt. Most of these, however, were later assimilated into the general populations of these areas or into other tribes.
Though no longer existing as an autonomous tribal grouping since the early Islamic era, Tayy has been the progenitor of several other tribes in
Iraq,
Syria,
Saudi Arabia, and
Kuwait. Among the tribes that are descendent of Tayy are
Banu Lam, the
Fudhool tribal confederation, and some sections of
Bani Khalid. Many individuals in Iraq use the surname "Al-Ta'ii", as well, though they mostly belong to Bani Lam and other tribes descendent of Tayy.
See also
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Shammar
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Ha'il
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Al Rashid
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Adiyy ibn Hatim