Al-Zibriqan ibn Badr's boasting poem before the Prophet

A short qasida on the rhyme of the ayn, recited by al-Zibriqan ibn Badr, the poet of the delegation of Banu Tamim, when the delegation boasted before the Prophet in his mosque, after the speech of Utarid and the reply of Thabit ibn Qays. ¹

The poet boasts that no tribe equals his noble people: among them are the kings, and among them churches are raised. They have overcome all the living, and when rain fails in a drought, their feeder feeds the people. The lords of the people come to them from every land and seek their patronage. They slaughter great camels for the guests until the guests are satisfied; and when they boast over a tribe, that tribe returns with its head cut off. They refuse, and no one refuses them. ¹

One of its lines reads: "We are the noble; no living tribe equals us; among us are kings, and among us churches are raised." ¹

Ibn Hisham says that the first half of the line is also transmitted as "among us are kings, and among us the quarter is divided", and that another line is transmitted as "from every land, humiliation, then we are followed"; some of Banu Tamim transmitted it to him. ² The editors add that "the quarter is divided" refers to the chief taking a quarter of the spoils in the pre-Islamic period, so the meaning is that they are chiefs and lords. ²

"Al-biya" are the places of prayer and worship; "al-qiza'" is thin cloud, so the meaning is that they feed people when the sky does not rain on them; "huwiyyan" means swiftly; "al-kawm" are great camels with high humps; "fi arumatina" means that this generosity is rooted in them. ¹

Hassan ibn Thabit answered it with his qasida "Inna al-Dhawa'ib min Fahr wa Ikhwatihim". ²