Banu 'Amir

Banu 'Amir ibn Sa'sa' (Arabic: بنو عامر بن صعصعة‎‎)
Adnanite/Qaysi Arab tribe
Ancestry of the Banu 'Amir
Location	Khurmah and Ranyah, between Nejd and Hejaz
Descended from	'Amir ibn Sa'sa' ibn Mu'awiyah ibn Bakr ibn Hawazin
Parent tribe	Hawazin
Branches	Rabi'ah Banu Kilab Mirdasid dynasty Banu Ka'b Banu Qushayr Banu Uqayl Uqaylid dynasty Usfurid dynasty Al Muntafiq Al Khafaja Banu Ja'dah Banu al-Harish Banu Numayr Numayrid dynasty Banu Hilal
Religion	Polytheism (pre-630s) Islam (post 630s)

Banu 'Amir ibn Sa'sa'ah (Arabic: بنو عامر بن صعصعة‎‎) was a large and ancient Arab tribe originating from central and southwestern Arabia that dominated Nejd for centuries after the rise of Islam. The tribe is of North Arabian stock, tracing its lineage to Adnan through Hawazin, and its original homeland was the border area between Nejd and Hejaz in Khurmah and Ranyah. Although the Banu 'Amir were engaged in a long war with the Quraysh before the appearance of Islam, the tribe was characterized by giving late allegiance to Muhammad and his immediate successors. The Banu Amir took part in the Ridda ("apostasy") following Muhammad's death, and instead allied themselves with the Apostates against the Muslims. During that period the tribe produced several well-known Arabic poets, the most famous of whom was Labid ibn Rabi'ah, an author of one of the Seven Hanged Poems. Other poets included 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl, an important tribal chief; al-Ra'i al-Numayri, an opponent of Jarir; and the female poet Layla al-Akhyaliyyah. The protagonists of the romantic saga of Layla wal Majnun, Qays and Layla, also belonged to Banu 'Amir.

The main tribes that constituted this confederation were as follows:

In addition to the Uqaylid tribes of Iraq, the modern tribes of Subay', the Suhool in Nejd, and some sections of Bani Khalid trace their lineage to Banu 'Amir.