Banu Fazara

The Banu Fazāra (Arabic: بنو فزارة) were an Arab tribe whose original homeland was current day the region known as Najd in Saudi Arabia.

Origins of the tribe[]

According to Arab genealogical tradition, the progenitor of the Banu Fazara was Fazāra ibn Dhubyān ibn Baghīd ibn Rayth ibn Ghaṭafān. Thus the tribe belonged to the Dhubyan branch of the Ghatafan, making the Fazara a north Arabian tribe.^[3] Its ancestral pasture grounds were in the Wadi al-Rumma region of the Najd in central Arabia.^[3]

In the modern day, the Fazara section of the Sudanese Arabs are camel-nomadic Arab tribes who live in the pastures of North Kordofan. They include the Shanabla, Majaneen, Bani-Jarrar, and Bani-Dhubian.^[4]

Umm Qirfa[]

Umm Qirfa Fatima^[5] was a wife of a pagan leader of the Banu Fazara Arab tribe from Wadi Al-Qura. She was described as being an old woman with high social status and wife of Malik ibn Hudhayfa ibn Badr al-Fazari.^[6]

Expedition of Zayd ibn Harithah[]

According to reports by Al-Waqidi and Ibn Sa'd, Muhammad's companion Zaid ibn Harithah went out on a journey to Syria and with them was Merchandise for the Companions of the Prophet. While they were near Wadi al-Qura, men of the Tribe of Banu Fazara (whose leader was Umm Qirfa) ambushed them,^[7] killed 9 of his companions^[8] and robbed all the merchandise they were carrying.^[7]

Zaid Ibn Harithah with all the wounds inflicted on him returned to Madinah to tell Muhammad what had happened. After a while he recovered from his wounds and asked Muhammad for permission to take revenge on the tribe of Banu Fazara, permission was granted. Then Zayd raided the people of Fazara and killed their chief leader (Umm Qirfa) and those who were involved in killing his companions and robbing the merchandise.^[7]

Besides that, Safi-Ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri in his book Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum tells that Umm Qirfa wanted to kill Muhammad:^[9]

An expedition led by Abu Bakr As-Siddiq or Zaid bin Haritha was despatched to Wadi Al-Qura in Ramadan 6 Hijri after Fazara sept had made an attempt at the Prophet’s life. Following the Morning Prayer, the detachment was given orders to raid the enemy. Some of them were killed and others captured. Amongst the captives, were Umm Qirfa and her beautiful daughter, who was sent to Makkah as a ransom for the release of some Muslim prisoners there. Umm Qira’s attempt at the Prophet’s life recoiled on her, and the thirty horsemen she had gathered and sustained to implement her evil scheme were all killed.

— Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar): Biography of the Prophet, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum: The Sealed Nectar – Biography Of The Noble Prophet [Revised Edition January 2002], page 337

The death of Umm Qirfa[]

There is a report that says Zayd killed her by tying each of her legs with a rope, tied the rope to two camels and then made them run so which she was split in half.

Allah’s Messenger sent Zayd to Wadi Qura, where he encountered the Banu Fazarah. Some of his Companions were killed, and Zayd was carried away wounded. Ward was slain by the Banu Badr. When Zayd returned, he vowed that no washing should touch his head until he had raided the Fazarah. After he recovered, Muhammad sent him with an army against the Fazarah settlement. He met them in Qura and inflicted casualties on them and took Umm Qirfah prisoner. He also took one of Umm’s daughters and Abdallah bin Mas’adah prisoner. Ziyad bin Harithah ordered Qays to kill Umm Qirfah, and he killed her cruelly. He tied each of her legs with a rope and tied the ropes to two camels, and they split her in two.

— Al-Tabari, Michael Fishbein - The History of al-Tabari, 8 (The Victory of Islam), SUNYP, pp. 95-97, 1997

According to some Islamic sources, Tabari's report is regarded as extremely weak and fabricated and cannot be used and is not used as evidence among Islamic scholarship.^[10] In this view, Muhammad himself forbids mutilation.^[11] However, some Islamic sources agree that Umm Qirfa was killed and point it out as Islam's "method of action".^[12]

Researcher 'Ali ibn Naayif Ash-Shahood in his book Al-Mufassal Fi Ar-Radd ‘Ala Shubuhaat A’daa’ Al-Islam states about this matter:^[10]

This narration was reported in Tabaqaat Ibn Sa’d, and Ibn Al-Jawzi reported it from him in his book entitled Al-Muntathim, and the source of the narration is Muhammad ibn ‘Umar Al-Waaqidi, who was accused of lying according to the scholars of Hadeeth. The story was also reported in brief by Ibn Kathir in Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah, but he did not comment on it at all. Ibn Hishaam mentioned it as well in his book entitled As-Seerah; both of them narrated it from Muhammad ibn Is-haaq who did not mention the chain of narrators of this narration. To conclude, the narration is not authentic so it is not permissible to use it as evidence.

— Ali ibn Naayif Ash-Shahood, Al-Mufassal Fi Ar-Radd ‘Ala Shubuhaat A’daa’ Al-Islam

Her brothers were executed and her daughter Um Zaml described as being "the prettiest girl in Arabia"^[13] was captured by Salama b. Al-Akwa, who then presented her beauty to Muhammad. On this, Muhammad remarked "What girl did you take, oh Salama?" Salama responded "A girl, O messenger of God with whom i hope to ransom a woman of ours from Banu Farazara", after being asked the same question repeatedly, Salama quickly sensed that Muhammad wanted the girl for himself so he offered the girl to Muhammad, however Muhammad instead gifted the girl to Hazn b. Abu Wahb,^[14] his maternal uncle, for "private use". This union bore them, Abdu'l-Rahmān b. Hazn.^[15]

This is however contradicted by a hadith in Sahih Muslim which states she was given back to her people in exachange for Muslim prisoners,

It has been narrated on the authority of Salama (b. al-Akwa') who said: We fought against the Fazara, and Abu Bakr was the commander over us. He had been appointed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When we were only at an hour's distance from the water of the enemy, Abu Bakr ordered us to attack. We made a halt during the last part of the night to rest and then we attacked from all sides and reached their watering-place where a battle was fought. Some of the enemies were killed and some were taken prisoners. I saw a group of persons that consisted of women and children. I was afraid lest they should reach the mountain before me, so I shot an arrow between them and the mountain. When they saw the arrow, they stopped. So I brought them, driving them along. Among them was a woman from Banu Fazara. She was wearing a leather coat. With her was her daughter who was one of the prettiest girls in Arabia. I drove them along until I brought them to Abu Bakr who bestowed that girl upon me as a prize. So we arrived in Medina. I had not yet disrobed her when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) met me in the street and said: Give me that girl, O Salama. I said: Messenger of Allah, she has fascinated me. I had not yet disrobed her. When on the next day the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) again met me in the street, he said: O Salama, give me that girl, may God bless your father. I said: She is for you, Messenger of Allah! By Allah. I have not yet disrobed her. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent her to the people of Mecca, and surrendered her as ransom for a number of Muslims who had been kept as prisoners at Mecca.^[16]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• W. Montgomery, Watt (1991) [1965]. "Fazāra". In Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch.; Schacht, J. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Islam. Vol. II: C–G (new ed.). Leiden and New York: Brill. p. 873. ISBN 90-04-07026-5.