Arbad ibn Qays
أربد بن قيس
c. 631 CE · 9 AH
A leader of Banu Amir, maternal half-brother of the poet Labid, who circled behind the Prophet and half-drew his sword during the 9 AH delegation; the tradition says his hand was stayed, and lightning struck him dead on the way home.
At a glance
- Roles
- Politician
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
Place in the story
- OpponenttowardMuhammad · c. 631 CE · c. 10 AH†Tradition
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
A chief of Banu Amir and brother of the poet Labid by his mother; he drew his sword behind the Prophet in the delegation of year 9 AH but his hand was stayed, as the Sira relates, and a thunderbolt struck him on his return 1.
His account
Arbad ibn Qays was Labid's brother by his mother, among Banu Amir's chiefs in their delegation of year 9 AH 1. He plotted with Amir ibn al-Tufayl to assassinate the Prophet: he circled behind him and drew his sword a span, then God stayed his hand so he could not unsheathe it 1. The Prophet prayed against them both; on their way back God sent a thunderbolt upon Arbad and his camel that burned them 1.
For young visitors
A man of Banu Amir who meant to harm the Prophet with his sword but could not draw it; the Sira relates that a thunderbolt struck him on his way back.
Connections
- Member of
- Banu Amir ibn Lu'ayy
- Sibling of
- Labid ibn Rabi'a
- Participated in
- The plot of Amir ibn al-Tufayl and Arbad ibn Qays
People and things also explored
Amir ibn al-TufaylThe plot of Amir ibn al-Tufayl and Arbad ibn QaysBanu Amir ibn Lu'ayyQurayshThe Year of DelegationsAbu Hatib ibn AmrUmra bint al-Sa'diDubaa bint Amir
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 453
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Zad al-Ma'ad — Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Arbad ibn Qays”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/arbad-ibn-qays/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.