| Abd al-Qays عبد القيس | |
|---|---|
| Rabi'i Arab tribe | |
| Ethnicity | Arab |
| Nisba | ‘Abdī, Qaisi, Ab-Qasi |
| Location | Eastern Arabia Iraq Oman |
| Descended from | Abdel-Qays bin Qurayy bin Afsah bin Doumi bin Jadilah binAnizah bin Asad binRabi'a ibn Nizar binMa'add binAdnan |
| Parent tribe | Anizah |
| Branches | Bani Muharab, Bani Shen, Bani Nakra, Bani Amar(عامر ربيعة) |
| Language | Arabic |
| Religion | Islam(MostlyShia) |
TheAbd al-Qays (Arabic:عبد القيس) is an ancientArabian tribe from theRabi'a branch of theNorth Arabian tribes. The tribe is from Eastern Arabia. The majority of theBaharna are from the Abd al-Qays tribe, with a significant minority from the cousin tribes of Bakr andTaghlib Ibn Wai’l tribes, which are today known asthe Anizah tribe. The majority of the tribe resides today in TheGulf cooperation Council countries, which areKuwait,Saudi Arabia,Bahrain,Qatar,Oman and theUAE.
The name of the tribe means 'servant of the [god] Qays'.[1] It belonged to the tribal groups originally resident in the area ofal-Arid inSouth Arabia who migrated northwestward to an area extending north toSudayr and south toal-Kharj. Later, in the Arab genealogical tradition, these tribes were called theRabi'a,[1] a branch of the northern ArabMa'add confederation.
Inpre-Islamic times, the Abd al-Qays frequently raidedIran.[2] The Sasanian kingShapur II (r. 309–379) led an expedition against the Arabian tribes, during which he massacred most of the Abd al-Qays.[2] Later, several Abd al-Qays tribesmen were relocated by Shapur to the Iranian province ofKirman.[2]
By the 5th century, the Abd al-Qays had shifted to nomadism, dwelling outside of theTuwaiq escarpment in the southernNajd (central Arabia). In the 6th century, the tribe migrated northeastward the oases ofal-Ahsa,Tarout Island andQatif ineastern Arabia.[1]
During theArab conquest of Iran, considerable numbers of Abd al-Qays tribesmen entered southeastern,[clarification needed] launching extensive raids in the region.[2] Several groupings of Abd al-Qays settled nearTavvaz in the Iranian coastal mountains andBasra inlower Mesopotamia.[2] In the early 8th century, 4,000 Abd al-Qays warriors formed part of the army ofQutayba ibn Muslim on hiscampaign intoKhorasan.[2]
The majority of theBaharna are descendants of the Banu Abd al-Qays, while some are from the tribes ofBakr ibn Wa'il and others.[3][4]
Abd al-Qays were mostlyChristians before the advent ofIslam.
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