Adnanite Arab tribe
For the architectural feature of certain mosques, see
anaza
.
Anizah
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Ethnicity
| Arab
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Nisba
| Anez?
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Location
| Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine
and the United Arab Emirates.
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Descended from
| Anizah Ibn Asad Ibn
Rab??a
Ibn
Nizar
Ibn
Ma’ad
Ibn
Adnan
.
[1]
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Parent tribe
| Rab??a
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Religion
| Islam
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Anizah
or
Anazah
[2]
(
Arabic
:
????
,
romanized
:
?anizah
,
Najdi
pronunciation:
[?ni.zah]
) is an
Arabian
tribe in the
Arabian Peninsula
,
Upper Mesopotamia
, and the
Levant
.
Approximate locations of some of the important tribes and states of the Arabian Peninsula in the early 1900s, Anizah inhabited and Ruled over Nejd between modern-day
Saudi Arabia
and
Turkey
.
Genealogy and origins
[
edit
]
Anizah's existence as an autonomous tribal group, like many prominent modern tribes, predates the rise of
Islam
in the seventh century. The classical Arab genealogists placed Anizah within the large
Rabi?a branch
of the
Adnanites
alongside the tribes of
Abd al-Qays
,
Banu Bakr
,
Bani Hanifa
, and
Taghlib
. In the genealogical scheme, Anizah's eponymous ancestor is a great uncle of all of these.
Two main branches of Anizah are recorded by the early Muslim scholars. One branch was nomadic, living in the northern Arabian steppes bordering
Syria
and
Mesopotamia
. The other, known as
Bani Hizzan
, was sedentary, living within the
wadis
of the district of
Al-Yamama
in eastern
Najd
, just south of their purported cousins, the Bani Hanifa of the Abu Bakr, who inhabited modern-day
Riyadh
. Families tracing their origin to Anizah through Hizzan still exist in that area today.
[3]
The other tribes of Rabi?a were far more prominent in the events of late
pre-Islamic Arabia
and the early Islamic era. According to historians such as
al-Tabari
(10th century), the Anizah joined with Bakr ibn Wa'il under an alliance they called
al-Lahazim
. Many of these tribes were followers of the
Christian
faith prior to Islam. Others such as bani Taghlib remained largely
Christian
even after the
Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia
and
the Levant
.
Bahrain
's
House of Khalifa
and
Kuwait
's
House of Sabah
royal families both trace their ancestry to this vast tribe.
[4]
Saudi Arabia
's
House of Saud
trace their ancestry to Anizah's cousin tribe, the Bani Hanifa,
[5]
which has merged with the larger tribe Anizah, and are therefore considered members of it as well.
[6]
History
[
edit
]
Sheikh Mashaan Ibn Hathal the Paramount Sheikh of Anizah
Anizah in Hejaz
[
edit
]
According to the historians
Abu'l-Hasan Bayhaqi
and
Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi
, the Anizah tribe settled in the
Hijaz
region, specifically in
Khaybar
, at the end of the 10th century AD.
[7]
[8]
Ali bin al Mugrab Al Uyuni
mentioned the news of the Anizah tribe fighting rulers of Khaybar,
al Jaafar al-Tayyar
and expelled them from it.
[9]
With the passage of time, a part of the Anizah become urban, while the other part remained on the nomadic lifestyle.
Anizah in Syria and Iraq
[
edit
]
Post-card of Emir Mejhem ibn Meheid, chief of the Anizah tribe near Aleppo with his sons after he was decorated with the Croix de Legion d'honneur on 20 September 1920 by
General Gouraud
The modern tribe of Anizah became prominent in the
Ottoman
era, as masters of the oasis towns of northwestern Arabia, particularly
Khaybar
and
Al-'Ula
. Although not farmers themselves, the Anizah levied crops from the inhabitants, and only spent the winter months in the area, while migrating northwards into southern
Syria
in the summer months, where they collected tribute from the inhabitants of the
Hawran
region. The tribute was known as
khuwwa
("brotherhood"), and in exchange, the tribesmen pledged to protect the farmers from other tribes. Other clans of the tribe spread across the northern Arabian steppes as far north and east as the Euphrates. According to
Encyclopedia of Islam
, "it is not known whence they came", while many such as the Western travelers
Philby
and
Anne Blunt
simply assumed they had recently migrated from
Nejd
, having been pushed northwards into Syria by other tribes. However, the tribe does not appear in the historical or genealogical records of Nejd, and members of the tribe posit a migration from Syria and Iraq southwards to Nejd, which comports with the original lands of the Bakr ibn Wa'il. In particular, it is believed they originated from the area of
Ayn Tamr
in the Iraqi desert near
Karbala
. In the 19th century, the
Swiss
traveler
Burckhardt
and the
British
traveler
Doughty
visited the tribe in their stronghold of
Khaybar
and gathered from them many details of Bedouin life.
Sheikh Medjuel el Mezrab of the Anizah was the husband of Lady
Jane Digby
.
One branch of the Anizah in that area, centered around
Al-Jouf
and the valley of
Wadi Sirhan
and extending into
Jordan
and Syria, became so large and powerful that it practically developed into an independent tribe, known as the
Ruwallah
. The Ruwallah engaged in battle with other branches of Anizah, and also became the arch-enemy of the large tribe of
Shammar
, who inhabited roughly the same area and dominated Nejd in the late 19th century after temporarily deposing the
Al Saud
. A 19th century oral poetic epic telling the tale of a rivalry between two heroes from Shammar and Anizah was published in 1992.
[10]
The Ruwallah were among the tribes that took part in the "
Arab Revolt
" against the Ottomans in 1916. Another northern branch of Anizah, the `Amarat, was centered in the deserts of
Iraq
.
Anizah in Ahwaz
[
edit
]
Members of the Anizah tribe were displaced in the eighteenth century from the land of Najd to Iraq and from Iraq to
Ahvaz
, and they still live there
[
citation needed
]
Anizah in Nejd
[
edit
]
The sparse chronicles of Nejd relating to the pre-
Wahhabi
era relate a process of penetration of the tribe into northern and western Nejd, where they began to claim pastures during the winter months.
[11]
One 19th-century historian, Ibn La'bun, a descendant of Anizah who went by the tribal appellation of "Al-Wa'ili", recorded the story of the settlement of several `Annizi families in Nejd, which he placed in the 14th century CE. In the 15th century, the region of
Al-Qassim
in northern
Nejd
was being rapidly settled through migration and the majority of this activity was by members of Anizah. In the early 18th century the Bedouins of Anizah are recorded to have reached as far as the gates of
Riyadh
, killing its ruler in battle. This battle was part of a tribal war in which Riyadh and its neighboring villages took sides.
With the rise of the
First Saudi State
in the late 18th century, Anizah were among the tribes that adopted a favorable attitude towards this new power, but took little active part in supporting it militarily, due to their geographical location. The royal family of Saudi Arabia
Al Saud
family are from the 'Anizah tribe,
[12]
with Al Saud having ancestry from Wa'il, the region's native inhabitants as well as the migratory Anizah. The Saud intermarried with their 'Anizah rivals, al Shammar, along with other powerful tribes to solidify their dynasty. Ibn Saud sired dozens of children by his many wives. He had at most four wives at a time, divorcing many times, making sure to marry into many of the noble clans and tribes within his territory, including the chiefs of the Bani Khalid, Ajman, and Shammar tribes, as well as the Al ash-Sheikh.
[13]
Anizah in the 19th century
[
edit
]
Sheikh Mashaan Ibn Hathal was a 19th-century cavalier, leader, and poet who gained his fame from leading the Tribe of Anizah across the Arabian peninsula and unifying it against the tribe's enemies at the Battle of Al Shimasiyah on 18 June 1825. Sheikh Mashaan died in the battle of Al Shimasiyah but the Anezis won consequently.
[14]
20th century
[
edit
]
Limited settlement of Bedouin tribesmen in nearby towns and villages has always been an ongoing process in the region. Settled families in Anizah are to be found not only in
Saudi Arabia
, where they are most numerous, but also in
Kuwait
,
Jordan
,
Iraq
,
Syria
,
Lebanon
,
United Arab Emirates
, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Ahwaz (Iran) and the
West Bank
, where the village of
Anzah
near
Jenin
is reportedly named after the tribe.
The establishment of the modern borders of the
Middle East
dealt a severe blow to the Bedouin lifestyle of tribes such as Anizah, which were accustomed to raising their animals over wide areas spanning many modern states. Special arrangements were made in the early 20th century for these tribes, but the vast majority ended up settling within these new states and taking Saudi, Kuwaiti, Iraqi, Lebanese, Syrian, or Jordanian citizenship. These recently settled tribesman are often distinguished from their sedentary cousins by retaining tribal appellations such as al-`Annizi or Al-Ruwaili as their surnames.
Notable people
[
edit
]
Among the tribe's members are:
- Al-Qarid Al-Anzi
[
ar
]
, chieftain of the Rabi`ah tribes in
Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Rabi` ibn Al-Afkal
[
ar
]
,
Rashidun
commander and governor of
Mosul
during the reign of
Omar
- Matar ibn Hilal Al-Anzi
[
ar
]
,
companion
of
Muhammad
- Talq ibn Habib Al-Anzi
[
ar
]
,
t?bi
and
hadith
narrator
- Yahya ibn ?Umar Al-Anez?,
military leader of the Abbasid Caliphate
- Harith al-Muhasibi
, Muslim scholar and founder of the Baghdad School of Islamic philosophy
- Abu al-Atahiya
,
Abbasid
Classical poet
- Abu Saeed bin Al-Arabi
[
ar
]
,
Sunni
Sufi
Master And Imam of
al-Masjid al-Haram
in the 10th century AD
- Othman bin Sanad
[
ar
]
, influential writer, poet and historian who lived in the 18th century AD in
eastern Arabia
- Hamad Ibn La'bun
[
ar
]
, historian who lived in the 19th century AD
- Abdulaziz al-Tuwaijri
, Saudi politician
- Sa'd ibn Junaydil
, Saudi historian and
historical geographer
- Abdul-Rahman Al-Sudais
, General President for the
Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques
and one of the imams of the
al-Masjid al-Haram
- Mohammed Salem Al-Anzi
, Qatari football player
- Safaq Al-Anzi
, Saudi Professional Shooter
Notable Families
[
edit
]
The Anizah tribe is historically divided into urban and nomadic families, the most prominent of which are:
- Al-Hathal : the
sheikhs
of the sheikhs of Anizah, they descend from The Al-Hblan branch of Anizah. In the eleventh century AH/17th century CE, their grandfather Hathal Ibn Adenan led the Tribes of Anizah. Hathal Ibn Adenan was given the title of (Sheikh Al-Shuyoukh) by the
Sheriff of Makkah
,
Saad Ibn Zeid
(1666-1705).
Several stories about the way Hathal obtained the Sheikhdom were told, however Ibn Abar a notable Anezi Historian believes that history tells us that Hathal came to power when Makkah's Sharif was unable to collect the
zakat
of one of the tribes near Makkah and was disturbed about it, here Sheikh Hathal emerged and pledged to the sheriff to bring him the zakat of this tribe, and in fact this was done for him, and from here he was appointed as a general sheikh of the tribe of Anizah and was given the seal and the bundle of Sheikhdom.
Ibn Abar quoted on this saying :
"It is for the benefit of this narration that it is told from various perspectives with agreement and consensus on the cause and content, and it is for the purpose of collecting zakat from this tribe and bringing it to the Sharif, and we have the right to ask why sheikh Hathal pledged to carry out this mission. Did Sheikh Hathal have a personal contact with the Sharif, or did he have knowledge and connections with him? Was he the one who offered this service on his own initiative, or was it something that was brought to his attention? Why was the actual version of this story not kept in the same way over and over again? There are a lot of unanswered questions and mysterious occurrences around the circumstances of this case that we don't know about! There is no doubt, however, that the man was of enormous importance and presence among the people of his tribe, and that he was not an average person at the time, and that something like this prompted him to assume the Sheikhdom of this vast, great, and ancient tribe."
Hathal had two sons who were both considered Sheikhs : Sheikh Abdullah Ibn Hathal, and Sheikh Mndeel Al-Shuja' Or Mndeel the Brave. Their progeny are still regarded to be the Sheikhs of Anizah and are still given the honorary title of the Sheikhs of Shuyoukh of Anizah.
- Al-Awaji : sheikh of the tribe of Walad Suleiman,
- Al-Aida : sheikh of the tribe of Walad Ali,
- Al-Qaqa’a : sheikh of al-Qa’qa’ah from al-Rawla,
- Ibn Mujlad : sheikh of Al-Dahamisha,
- Al-Rafdi : Sheikh of Al-Salqa,
- Ibn Bakr : Sheikh of Al-Suwaylmat from Al-Dahamsheh,
- Ibn Dhbayan : Sheikh of Al-Mehlef of Al-Dahamsheh,
- Al-Taiyar : from the sheikhs of Walad Ali,
- Ibn Ghabin : Sheikh of Dana Kahil from Al-Fadaan,
- Ibn Muhaid : Sheikh of Al-Fadaan,
- Ibn Quaishish : Sheikh of Al-Kharsa and currently is also the sheikh of Dana Majid from Al-Fadaan,
- Ibn Huraymis : Sheikh Al-Aqaqrah from Al-Fadaan,
- Ibn Murshid : Sheikh of Sbaee,
- Ibn Hudayb : Sheikh of Al-Abedah from Sba’ah,
- Ibn Aida : Sheikh of Al-Rasaleen from Sba’ah,
- Al Mana : From the Sheikhs of Al-Mehlef
- Ibn Shaalan : the sheikh of Al-Ruwullah, including
Nuri Al Shalaan
- Ibn Melhem : the Sheikh of Al-Manabaha,
- Ibn Swailem : from the Sheikhs of Walad Suleiman,
- Al-Faqeer : the Sheikh of Al-Faqara from Al-Manabha,
- Ibn Ya’ish : the Sheikh of Al-Masalikh from Al-Manabha,
- Ibn Dhwehr : from the sheikhs of Walad Suleiman,
- Ibn Ma’jil : the Sheikh of Al-Ashaja’ah from Al-Mehlef,
- Ibn Jandal : Sheikh Al-Sawalmeh from Al-Mehlef,
- Ibn Majid : the sheikh of Al-Abadla, from the Mehlef,
- Ibn Khael : the sheikh of the Tawala’, from the Walad Ali,
- Al-Murtaed : the sheikh of Al-Yemnah, from the Walad of Sulayman,
- Ibn Nasir : the sheikh of al-Mr’ad, from al-Rawla.
- Al-Saud : rulers of Saudi Arabia,
[15]
their relation to Anizah is disputed and is claimed to be maternal, Al Saud officially and are locally recognized paternally as part of
Banu Hanifa
.
- Al-Sabah : rulers of Kuwait
[16]
- Al-Khalifa : rulers of Bahrain
[17]
- El Assaad Family/AlSaghir dynasty : rulers of Jabal Amel 1639-1971
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Ibn Hazm
, Arab genealogy crowd, p.294
- ^
J. E. Peterson
Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia
, P. 68. ISBN 9781538119808.
- ^
Hamad Al-Jassir
, "Hizzan",
Compendium of the Lineages of the Settled Families of Nejd
, pt. II, p. 889 (Arabic)
- ^
"
'Anizah Tribe - sauditribes"
.
sites.google.com
. Retrieved
May 17,
2021
.
- ^
The Son King: Reform and Repression in Saudi Arabia
. Oxford University Press. January 15, 2021.
ISBN
978-0-19-755814-0
.
- ^
"?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????"
. Al Riyadh Newspaper. April 25, 2008
. Retrieved
August 20,
2022
.
- ^
Abu'l-Hasan Bayhaqi, alkamayim
- ^
Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi, The rapture in the history of the pre-Islamic Arabs
- ^
Diwan ibn al Mugrab
- ^
The social context of pre-Islamic poetry: poetic imagery
- ^
U.M. Al-Juhany,
Najd before the Salafi Reform Movement
, Ithaca Press, 2002
- ^
C.M. Doughty
,
Travels in Arabia Deserta
- ^
"Role of Ikhwan in Early Saudi State
"
- ^
"The title of glory in the history of Najd" pages 26-30
- ^
"
'Anizah Tribe - sauditribes"
.
sites.google.com
. Retrieved
May 17,
2021
.
- ^
"
'Anizah Tribe - sauditribes"
.
sites.google.com
. Retrieved
May 17,
2021
.
- ^
"
'Anizah Tribe - sauditribes"
.
sites.google.com
. Retrieved
May 17,
2021
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
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These prefixes ignored in the alphabetical ordering: Al, Bani, Banu.
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