Banu Abs

Banu Abs (Arabic: بنو عبس‎‎)
Ghatafan, Qais, Adnanite
Nisba	al-Absi
Location	Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sudan, Eritrea, Jordan
Descended from	Abs ibn Bughaydh ibn Raith ibn Ghatafan
Branches	Banu Rasheed
Religion	Sunni Islam

The Banu Abs (Arabic: بنو عبس‎‎, lit. "sons of ʿAbs") are an ancient Bedouin tribe from central Arabia. They form a branch of the Ghatafan tribes. They still inhabit the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. Of the earliest stories concerning this tribe was the famous classical love and war story of Antar and Abla.

The Banu Abs are of the Northern Arabized Arabs, meaning they descend from Adnan. The Banu Abs descend from Abs ibn Bughaydh ibn Raith ibn Ghatafan ibn Sa'd ibn Qais Ailan ibn Mudar ibn Nizar ibn Ma'ad ibn Adnan. They are related to numerous other Arabian tribes, being distant cousins of the Quraysh, Banu Tamim, and Banu Kinanah. The Banu Thibyaan and Mutayr are also descended from Ghatafan. The large and prestigious Banu Rasheed is descended from the Banu Abs; the great-grandfather of the Banu Rasheed is Rasheed al Zaul of the Banu Abs tribe.

The Banu Abs originated almost 2,000 years ago, branching from the Ghatafan clan, and inhabiting the outskirts of Hail in modern Nejd, an area called today Hurrat Bani Rasheed.

The tribe is known for its independence and bravery, as it had been called one of the Jamarat of the Arabs, or the most powerful tribes that took no allegiance to anyone but themselves. The earliest stories regard tales of war and chivalry before Islam, in the famous war of Al-Dahhas wil Ghabraa, between them and their cousins Banu Thibyaan, which had lasted almost 40 years. The war had ended when the King Zuhayr of the Banu Abs had called for an end to the bloodshed, asking the wealthy merchants of both tribes to pay the losses caused by the war. Their traditions further recall 3000 of them repelling a Sasanian attack of 20000.

...
Wikipedia