Amir ibn al-Tufayl

Amir ibn al-Tufayl (d. ca. 11 AH / 632 CE) was a pre-Islamic knight, chieftain, and poet of the Banu 'Amir ibn Sa'sa'a tribe in Najd al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Lineage and Early Life

His full lineage is 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl ibn Malik ibn Ja'far ibn Kilab al-'Amiri al-Alam lil-Zirikli. He was surnamed Abu 'Ali, and in another report Abu 'Aqil al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. He was the nephew of 'Amir ibn Malik, known as Mula'ib al-Asinna, and the cousin of the poet Labid ibn Rabi'a Jamharat Ansab al-Arab - …+1. He grew up in Najd, lost one eye in battle, and had no surviving offspring al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. He assumed leadership of Banu Ja'far ibn Kilab and led them in numerous intertribal conflicts, particularly against Banu Khath'am, Ghatafan, and Madhhij Khizanat al-Adab wa Lubb …+1.

Role in Bi'r Ma'una

When his uncle 'Amir ibn Malik granted safe conduct to a delegation of the Prophet's ﷺ companions led by al-Mundhir ibn 'Amr, 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl sought to attack them al-Jami al-Sahih lil-Suna…. He rallied his own tribe, Banu 'Amir, but they refused to violate 'Amir ibn Malik's protection al-Jami al-Sahih lil-Suna…. 'Amir then incited clans from Banu Sulaym—including Ri'l, Dhakwan, and 'Usayya—who answered his call and killed the Muslim emissaries at Bi'r Ma'una al-Jami al-Sahih lil-Suna…+1. In retribution for violating the pact of safe conduct, Rabi'a ibn 'Amir ibn Malik later stabbed 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl in the thigh al-Jami al-Sahih lil-Suna….

Delegation to Medina and Death

'Amir later traveled to Medina as part of a delegation of Banu 'Amir alongside Arbad ibn Qays and Jabbar ibn Salma Nihayat al-Arab fi Funun …. He sought political concessions in exchange for converting to Islam, demanding succession after the Prophet ﷺ or dividing authority so that he would rule over the nomadic population (ahl al-wabar) while the Prophet ﷺ governed the settled lands (ahl al-madar) Nihayat al-Arab fi Funun …+1. The Prophet ﷺ refused these demands and offered him command of the cavalry instead, which 'Amir rejected with threats of war Nihayat al-Arab fi Funun …+1. During the audience, 'Amir also conspired with Arbad to assassinate the Prophet ﷺ by distraction, but Arbad was unable to draw his sword al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya. The Prophet ﷺ then prayed against him, saying: "O Allah, protect me from 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl" al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.

On his journey back before reaching his clan, 'Amir was afflicted with a plague-like glandular ulcer (ghudda) in his neck al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1. He sought shelter at the dwelling of a woman from Banu Salul, where he died around 11 AH (with another estimate dating his death to around 10 AH), having reached about eighty years of age according to one report al-Alam lil-Zirikli+2. In his final moments, he lamented dying of a disease associated with camels in the house of a Saluli woman rather than falling in battle, uttering the well-known phrase: "A swelling like the swelling of a young camel, and death in the house of a Saluli woman!" al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1.

Standing and Poetry

'Amir was widely celebrated among the pre-Islamic Arabs for his horsemanship and martial leadership, becoming proverbial for prowess in battle al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-…+1. His poetic corpus consists largely of martial verses, self-praise (fakhr), and satires preserved through the transmission of the grammarian Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Qasim al-Anbari in the collected Diwan 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.