Layla bint al-Minhal
Layla bint al-Minhal (Arabic: ليلى بنت المنهال, romanized: Laylā bint al-Minhāl), also known as Umm Tamim (Arabic: ام تميم, romanized: Umm Tamīm), was the wife of Malik ibn Nuwayra, and later, of Khalid ibn al-Walid. She belonged to the tribe of Banu Tamim, and is said to have great beauty.
Layla bint al-Minhal | |
|---|---|
| ليلى بنت المنهال | |
| Born | likely Eastern Arabia |
| Died | c. 7th-century |
| Other names | Umm Tamim |
| Spouse(s) | Malik ibn Nuwayra (until his death) Khalid ibn al-Walid (m. 632) |
| Parent(s) | al-Minhal |
Biography
Layla's husband Malik might have been appointed by Muhammad as the collector of the sadaqa ('alms tax') over his clan of the Tamim, the Yarbu. Following the Islamic prophet's death, Malik stopping passing the tax, and also refused to give his tax to Medina.[1] According to the account of the 8th-century historian Sayf ibn Umar (d. 786–809), Malik started to cooperate with Sajah, his kinswoman from the Yarbu, and was encountered with his small party by the Muslims after being defeated by rival clans from the Tamim.[2]
The Rashidun general Khalid ibn al-Walid and his army encountered Malik and eleven of his clansmen from the Yarbu in 632. The Yarbu did not resist, proclaimed their Muslim faith and were escorted to Khalid's camp. Khalid had them all executed over the objection of an Ansarite, who had been among the captors of the tribesmen and argued for the captives' inviolability due to their testaments as Muslims. Afterward, Khalid married Layla, an act for which some Shia Muslims view Khalid as a war criminal.[3] When news of Khalid's actions reached Medina, Umar, who had become Abu Bakr's chief aide, pressed for Khalid to be punished or relieved of command, but Abu Bakr pardoned him.[1] Abu Bakr acted in the same way as the prophet Muhammad did when Khalid might have attacked the Banu Jadhima and killed their men.[4] Muhammad did declare himself innocent of Khalid's actions but did not discharge or punish him.[5]
Watt considers accounts about the Yarbu during the Ridda Wars in general to be "obscure ... partly because the enemies of Khālid b. al-Walīd have twisted the stories to blacken him".[6] In the view of the modern historian Ella Landau-Tasseron, "the truth behind Malik's career and death will remain buried under a heap of conflicting traditions".[2]
References
- Landau-Tasseron 1991, p. 267.
- Landau-Tasseron 1991, p. 268.
- Mulder 2014, pp. 92–93.
- Crone 1978, p. 928.
- Umari 1991, pp. 172–173.
- Watt 1956, p. 139.
Bibliography
- Crone, P. (1978). "Khālid b. al-Walīd". In van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch. & Bosworth, C. E. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume IV: Iran–Kha. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 928–929. OCLC 758278456.
- Kister, M. J. (2002). "The Struggle against Musaylima and the Conquest of Yamama". Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam. 27: 1–56.
- Landau-Tasseron, Ella (1991). "Mālik b. Nuwayra". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume VI: Mahk–Mid. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 267–269. ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.
- Mulder, Stephennie (2014). "Seeing the Light: Enacting the Divine at Three Medieval Syrian Shrines". In Roxburgh, David J. (ed.). Envisioning Islamic Art and Architecture: Essays in Honor of Renata Holod. Leiden and Boston: Brill. pp. 88–108. ISBN 978-90-04-26402-1.
- Umari, Akram Diya (1991). Madīnan Society at the Time of the Prophet, Volume II: The Jihād against the Mushrikūn. Translated by Huda Khattab. Herndon, Virginia: The International Institute of Islamic Thought. ISBN 0-912463-37-6.
- Watt, W. Montgomery (1960). "Abū Bakr". In Gibb, H. A. R.; Kramers, J. H.; Lévi-Provençal, E.; Schacht, J.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 109–111. OCLC 495469456.