Himas ibn Qays al-Dili
حماس بن قيس الديلي
A warrior of Banu Bakr who prepared weapons before the Conquest boasting he would kill Muhammad's companions; he fought at al-Khandama, broke and fled to his house, reciting famous verses to his wife.
At a glance
- Roles
- Tribal leader
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Place in the story
- Military opponentTradition
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
A man of Banu Bakr who readied his arms before the conquest and threatened the Prophet's Companions; he fought at al-Khandama, but when he saw the Muslim cavalry their mass scattered — he fled to his house, shut his door, and spoke his famous verses to his wife 1.
In Ibn Hisham's Sira
Himas ibn Qays was readying his arms before the conquest; his wife asked him: why prepare what I see? He said: for Muhammad and his Companions — I hope to serve you some of them. When the day of al-Khandama came and he witnessed the polytheists' rout, he fled until he entered his house and said to his wife: shut my door on me — and recited his verses: "Had you seen the day of al-Khandama / when Safwan fled and Ikrima fled / and the drawn swords were set to meet us / you would not have spoken the least word of blame" 1.
For young visitors
A fighter who boasted before the battle that he would defeat the army; but when he saw the Muslim cavalry he ran fast to his house and recited to his wife verses confessing the army's power and the speed of the rout.
Connections
- Member of
- Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat
- Participated in
- The skirmish of al-Khandama
People and things also explored
The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)The Bakr–Khuza'a clash at al-WatirBanu al-DilKhuza'aQurayshKhalid ibn al-WalidKhunays ibn Khalid al-Khuza'iKurz ibn Jabir al-Fihri
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/49-50
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Himas ibn Qays al-Dili”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/himas-ibn-qays/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.