Chief of the Prophets — Page 7
Chapter One 7 Every tribe had its own poet and the tribe’s honour and fame depended on his poetic prowess. The poets’ influence extended to the point that their rhetoric would sometimes ignite fires of enmity between tribes and even lead to civil wars. Their retentive faculties were so remarkable that they could memorize very long eulogies that they had heard only once or twice. Customs and Habits Drinking, gambling, and fornication were so rampant that people would shamelessly boast about their illicit deeds and indulgences. The poet who did not mention his personal beloved—real or imagined—before narrating the stories of the tribe’s bravery and courage was not deemed entertaining. The famous Qaṣīdah (a poem in praise of another person) of Bānat Su‘ād (also known as Qaṣīdah al-Burdah ) presented by Ka‘b bin 1 Zuhair to Muḥammad sa , presented a true picture of these habits of the Arabs. A further example of the state of ignorance of the society was that fighting would erupt over trivial matters and swords would be drawn. Sometimes disputes between tribes would escalate to the point that enmity, killing, and devastation would go on for years. It was common for tribal allies to join the war thus extending its circle so far and wide that tribe after tribe would be wiped out. The famous fight of Banū Taghlib and Banū Bakr, which is known in history as the War of Basūs, 2 is a minor page in the history of Arabia. The following story that describes the war of Basūs illustrates the fiery and combative nature of the Arabs of that time: The story begins at the end of the 5 th century A. D. with Kulaib bin Rabī‘ah, a famous and influential chieftain of the 1 Patronymic names are commonly used in the Arabian culture. Bin means son, and the name, Ka‘b bin Zuhair refers to Ka‘b, the son of Zuhair. Similarly bint means daughter and the name, Salamāh bint ‘Amr refers to Salamāh, the daughter of ‘Amr. [Publisher] 2 Tārīkhul-Kāmil by Ibni Athīr.