Darod
  
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| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Languages | |
| Somali and Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Sunni, Sufism) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dir, Hawiye, Isaaq, Rahanweyn, other Somali people |
The Darod (Somali: Daarood, Arabic: دارود) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan is Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as Darod. It is one of the major Somali clans, with a wide traditional territory.
The Darod in Somalia mainly live in the north, with an ancillary presence in the southern Kismayo area and the southwestern Gedo region. Various Darod subclans also inhabit the Ogaden and the North Eastern Province (currently administered by Ethiopia viz. Kenya).
According to early Islamic books and Somali tradition, Muhammad ibn Aqil's descendant Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti (Darod), a son of the Sufi Sheikh Isma'il al-Jabarti of the Qadiriyyah order, fled his homeland in the Arabian Peninsula after an argument with his uncle. During the 10th or 11th century CE, Abdirahman is believed to have then settled in northern Somalia just across the Red Sea and married Dobira, the daughter of the Dir clan chief. This union is said to have given rise to the Darod clan family. Thus, it established matrilateral ties with the Samaale main stem.
According to the British anthropologist and Somali Studies veteran I.M. Lewis, the traditions of descent from noble Arab families related to the Prophet are most probably figurative expressions of the importance of Islam in Somali society. However, "there is a strong historically valid component in these legends which, in the case of the Darod, is confirmed in the current practice of a Dir representative officiating at the ceremony of installation of the chief of the Darod family."
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Wikipedia