Amr ibn Maʻdīkarib al-Zubaīdi al-Madḥ'hijī () (died 642 CE) was an Arabian cavalry commander of the Zubaid clan in Yemen, part of the Madhhij tribe confederation. Amr is considered a legendary warrior, battling against legendary figures like Amir ibn-Tufail, Antarah ibn-Shaddad and Durayd ibn-al-Simma.
Amr converted to Islam in the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and became one of the two champions of the Rashidun Caliphate, the other being Tulayha. Both were said to have the strength of a thousand soldiers. Amr participated in the Battle of the Yarmuk and the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah against the elephants of the Sassanids. He also led the Rashidun in the Battle of Jalula, and served in the Muslim conquest of Khorasan. Amr was killed during the Battle of Nahavand in 642 CE.
Amr had several swords that became the subjects of certain legends of later Arabic poetry, particularly during the Abbasid caliphate, such as swords named Dhu al-Nun, al-Qalzam and ash-Shamsharah.
Arab tribes residing mainly in Iraq, particularly the sub-branches of Zubaid such as Jubur, Obaid and Al-Uqaydat, claim to be direct patrilineal descendants of Amr ibn Maʻdīkarib.
Life before Islam
At the time of Muhammad, the Zubaidi clan of the Qahtanite tribal confederation had split into two groups, which were called Zubaid al-Kabir (Zubaid the greater) and Zubaid al-Asgar (Zubaid the lesser). The Zubaid al-Asgar traced their progeny from a sub branch of the Banu Asam clan. Amr hailed from the Zubaid al-Asgar subdivision, and his father, Maʻadī Yakrib ibn Abd Allah, was the clan chieftain. Amr is considered by modern historians to be born 75 years before the Hijri year. Amr had a sister named Rayhanah, and a brother named Abd, who was killed by a Yemenite Madhhij tribe which came from a different branch of the Zubaidi clan.
Classical sources state that Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib had lived long before the founding of Islam, as he met Abd al-Muttalib, grandfather of Muhammad. He also met Abraha, a famous Aksumite warlord who, according to a narrative from the Al-Fil chapter of the Quran, was destroyed by the hell birds sent by God during his invasion of Mecca. Amr was also able to point out several historical landmarks of early medieval Yemen, such as a fortress built by Abraha which was called al-Ma'in fortress.
Due to his skill in poetry, Amr once also served as a delegation of poets of Lakhmid king Al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir.
Pre-Islamic battles As Amr lived to a great age spanning from before the advent of Islam, he participated in many battles. His career of raids and battles that filled most of his pre-Islamic lifetime was recorded with varying levels of accountability. Yemeni Mu'tazilite scholar Nashwan ibn Sa'id Al-Hamiri has said that Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib reached mythical reputation in pre-Islamic or Jahiliyyah chronicles. As indicated from ancient poems, it was recorded that Amr had defeated and captured many pre-Islamic Arabian legendary warriors such as Amir ibn al-Tufail, the chieftain of the Amir ibn Sa'sa'ah tribe, , , Antarah ibn Shaddad and Durayd ibn Summah al-Jashimi. Some legendary traditional stories also depicted Amr's extraordinary feat of encountering two lionesses and killing both in the same fight.
The battle between Amr and Antarah was one of the most quoted poems since it was regarded as the clash between two of the best warrior poets of the era. Amr was said to have been the son of one of the rivals of Antarah. The duel between Antara and Amr, and its conclusion where Amr subdued his powerful enemy and later freed him were depicted in the poems recorded by Abu al-ʽAbbās Thaʽlab. The capture of Antarah happened during a battle which was called Ghazwat al-Tatlit. The duel was also recorded in the Al-ʿIqd al-Farīd.
Amr's duel with Durayd was also famous. Durayd was known as a hero from Hawazin, who had experienced more than a hundred battles during his life including the Fijar Wars, and lived for more than one hundred years, before being slain in the battle of Hunain against Muhammad. Abu Ubaydah Mu'ammar ibn Muthanna, a famous writer from Basra during the 8th century, described Amr, Antarah, and Durayd as three of the finest cavaliers of the ancient era. Amr first meet Durayd during a raid against Hawazin. When Durayd later raided the Zubaidi clan and captured Rayhana, Amr's sister, this prompted Amr and his clan to repeatedly attack Hawazin, until they defeated them and captured Durayd as prisoner.
The conflict between Amr and Amir ibn Tufayl is also described in several pre-Islamic Arabian poems. Amir ibn Tufayl married Rayhanah, sister of Amr, but their relationship fell apart when there was a quarrel between Amir and Amr, resulting in Amir defeating and capturing Amr. When Amr escaped, he rode to Amir ibn Sa'sa'ah settlement and challenged him to a duel. Amr disarmed Amir and dismounted him by grabbing his lance. This ended the battle, and Amir was brought to his home humiliated and with his hands tied.
Another notable conflict of Amr during his Jahiliyya era was against Abbas ibn Mirdas, a famous Arabian heroic figure from Banu Sulaym. Like Amr, Abbas also lived long enough to meet Muhammad and convert to Islam. During the era of Rashidun, Amr told caliph Umar that Abbas ibn Mirdas as-Sulami was a member of a group of six powerful Arab horsemen, and that Abbas was the best of the six. The story of their conflict was recorded in the book of Shia writer and genealogist Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani in his book, Kitab al-Aghani.
Amr and Abbas both wrote taunting poetry describing the conflict between them. Both mention assaults from both sides, the casualties sustained in their battles, the raids, and the capturing of sheep flocks. Abbas' poem states that the conflict went for ninety-nine days. An account of this conflict by Abul Abbas Tha'alab describes how Amr captured Abbas by grabbing hold of his hair, before Amr later let Abbas go and pardoned him. Another pre-Islamic narrative recounts a conversation between Abbas and Amr ibn Tufail, where Amr is discussed.
Amr described to caliph Umar that the three bravest opponents he faced were: A young warrior from a clan of Sha'bah named Harith ibn Sa'ad who had beaten Amr in duels three times in a row. Amr stated that Harith was so nimble in combat that he could jump off his horse to avoid Amr's strikes, and immediately appear from behind. Amr said to Umar that he felt humiliated by this defeats as Harith spared him each time, prompting Amr to befriend Harith as he respected the strength of the young warrior. , a famous warrior from Kinana and enemy of Durayd ibn al-Summa in the Fijar Wars. According to The Meadows of Gold by Al-Masudi, this conflict happened during a Zubaid clan raid against Kinana, where Amr and his clansmen managed to seize loot and Rabia's wife. Rabia then pursued the raiding force and confronted Amr. When Amr told this story to Umar, he said that he fought inconclusive duels against Rabia. As a result, Amr gave Rabia back his wife and the loot. Amr's old rival who clashed with him numerous times, Amir ibn Tufail.
Aside from his famous poetry which was quoted by various historians, the Zubaidi were known as one of the Arab tribes which engaged in pre-Islamic tribal warfare. There are various accounts of Amr's lesser known adventures and battles, which were recorded in the form of oral traditions and poetry. As Amr had farms and a house in Tatlit, near Abha, in the modern Asir Region, adjacent to the settlement of the Khawlan clan, the majority of his conflicts and battles occurred in the far north of Yemen.
List of Amr's other battles The first record of Amr participating in battle is during the battle between the Zubaid tribe and the Khath'am tribe, where at first the Khat'am prevailed, until Amr turned the tide of the battle, securing victory for the Zubaid. Amr gained his first renown from this battle. A battle against another Yemeni tribe, the Khawlan. Al-Hindani described based on the writings of Samir Al-Fursan Al-Yami; that Amr and his Zubaid clansmen launched a devastating raid against the Khawlan, killing scores, entered their fields and acquired massive spoils of sheep and gold. Amr then presented the spoils to his uncles, Sa'ad and Shihab. The Diwan of Imru' al-Qais stated that Amr and his brother Abdullah fought against which resulted in victory for Amr, as they repelled the Mazin tribe. The invasion against the sub branch of Banu Hamdan, the clan of Banu Asid. This occurred after the Asid clan raided the Zubaidis and plundered many possessions, including equipment and horses belonging to Amr. Amr then was said to led his army in a war of vengeance, where he stated that he slaughtered thousands of Asheed clansmen. The battle against Banu Ziyad al-Harith ibn Ka'ab, where Amr reported that the women of Banu Ziyad were cheering during the battle. This battle was recorded by Yaqut al-Hamawi in his book Mu'ujam al-Buldan. Modern Yemeni historian Sulaiman Issa determined that Amr also fought with the clan of Bani Al-Harith bin Ka'b, who hailed from Madhij tribe confederat. They were led by Al-Sajf bin Qais bin Al-Ghaz, who had previously invaded Amr's homeland in Wadi Zubaid. The battle of "The Day of Bawar", a battle against Banu Sa'adi, a victory that gave Amr much pride. The battle of "The Day of Sa'adi", another battle against Banu Sa'adi which was also won by Amr and his Zubaid clan. Amr memorialised the battle through a poem. A raid by Amr against Banu Hamdan, which became the subject of the famous Hamdani poem, Hashash. Al-Asghar ibn Hashash al-Bakili ash-Shakri escaped the attack, and took refugee in a nearby settlement, where Hashash al-Ashgar composed a poem which described the attack of Amr against his tribe. Amr clashed with the Sa'adian clan led by Rabiah bin Sa'ad, entered the fortress of An'am that belonged to the Sa'ad clan, and destroyed it. The Zubaidi clan warrior and poet Qadi Abu al-Husain wrote an account of a raid under Amr's command against the Ghatafan tribe. During this raid, Qadi heard of a stranger who recited a poem about how none in his tribe could stand against Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib. This prompted Qadi to wonder whether he should pay warriors from other clans to stand against Amr and the Zubaids, so that they have someone to fight against. During the Rashidun Caliphate era, Amr recounted to caliph Umar that he had once faced a certain warrior who challenged him to a duel in a midst of battle, not knowing who he was. When he heard the name Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakarib, the enemy fell dead immediately from fear. Amr concluded by remarking that this man was among the most cowardly opponents he ever faced during his life. Amr's raid against Banu Nabhan, which was recounted in the divans or Saga of Antarah ibn Shaddad. A story which Amr told Umar about his revenge attack against a particular clan from the Kinda confederation, as the clan once raided the Madhhij clan of Amr and kidnapped some women of Madhhij. Amr immediately took his horse and rode alone towards the Kinda settlement, where Amr said he prevailed fighting against the whole of their clan warriors by himself. A raid against the Hawazin tribe, which was recounted in the Diwan of Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib compilation. The adventure of Amr in capturing several notable warriors such as Sinan bin Abi Haritha, Al-Harith bin Zalim, Hashim ibn Harmala, and Husayn ibn Harmala, which was followed by Amr's defeat and capture of an Arabian soldier named Khiyar ibn Murrah al-Marri. The Diwan narration recorded that this happened in Souk Okaz market after Amr performed the Hajj. A vague mention of the conflict between Amr's clan of Madhhij against a certain clan from the Qaysite tribe.