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Abu Saʿd ʿAbd al-Karim ibn Abi Bakr Muḥammad ibn Abi ʾl-Muzaffar Mansur al-Tamimi al-Marwazi al-Shafiʿi al-Samani (1113-1172), nicknamed Taj al-Islam (Crown of Islam) and Qiwam al-Din (Support of the Faith), was an Arab Muslim biographer and historian. He studied adab (etiquette), arabiyya (Arabic language and literature), fiqh (jurisprudence) and the Quran. His Ansab, is a biographical dictionary of scholars with 5,348 entries by nisba. For East Africa he discusses the nisba Habashi and Zunji.
Vol5 p47
Al-Habashi
This proportion to Abyssinia, a country known to be of the king Negus who converted to Islam by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). His companions migrated to him until the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) migrated to Medina, so they came back from Abyssinia, it was named Habasha, it was said Zanj, Abyssinia and Nubia and Zaghawa (1) and Fezzan (2) are born from Zia Ben Kush Ben Ham (7). Including Bilal al-Habashi, Mu'azin of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him and Abu Salam Mtour Al-Habashi, ….
Vol 7 p329-330
Al Zunji
(8)
Bilad al-Zunj is well known, it is the country of the Sudan, the Zinj are the sons of Ham, and it is said Zinj and Habash and Nuba and Zaghawa (1) and Fezzan (2) are the children of Regha ibn Kush ibn Ham (7), the Sudan are said to be from the sons of Zedekiah the son of Canaan, son of Ham (7), and I do not know any of their scholars, …………… It is said that Muslim bin Said bin Jirga, originally from the Levant, he was born white, and was nicknamed Balzanji as the opposite of white as it is also said of Zanji Kafur (=camphor a very white product) he was Imam of the people of Mecca, he was one of the jurists of the Hijaz (5).
And their scientists, they are from (the school of) Imam Abu Abdullah learned Mohammed bin Idris Shafi'i (3) in science and jurisprudence, and also from the somewhat older and sitting next to him Malik ibn Anas (4). Narrated from Amr ibn Dinar and Zahri and Ibn Abi Malika and Hisham bin Erwa and Ibn Greg, narrated by Ibn al-Mubarak, Shafi'i, al-Humaidi, Ahmad ibn Abdullah bin Yunus, and it was said: Being called a Zanji can also be because they are white with red, so they say: Al Zenji, and also the contrary, because the people of the Hijaz (5) including Samra when because he was so white said to him: Al Zenji-contrary, Ali bin al-Madani said: Muslim bin Khalid al-Zunji is not an issue, Yahya bin Moin said: it is sure, Abu Hatem Al-Razi said: Al-Zanji are not that great, they do not have writings, in writing and talking all clearly surpass the al-Zanj, ………(but then the author gives an example of Rabah bin Sanih Alzanji (6) who was a bright poet)
When Jarir (10) said: Do not ask a Taghilab (10) for honour-- it is the Walzanj who respect their uncles.
He said in his famous poem:
With the Zanj in their regiments -- Then we sang war-songs
What a worn dog built concerns -- If he does not inherit the secret and a headache
Al-Farazdaq (9) is an ordinary rock -- It no longer expects to get to the mountains.
Vol 14 p191
Nubian: …. This group is of Nubia, Sudan, the Nuba, a son of Ham (7), and it is said: Zinj and Habash, Nubia, Fezzan (2) are Zaghawa (1), are born of Kuch (7).(1) Zaghawa: also called Beri or Zakhawa, are a Sahelian Muslim ethnic group primarily residing in Fezzan North-eastern Chad, and western Sudan, including Darfur.
(2) Fezzan: in south west Libya.
(3) Mohammed bin Idris Shafi'i: (767–820 CE) was an Arab Muslim theologian, writer, and scholar, who was the first contributor of the principles of Islamic jurisprudence. His legacy on juridical matters and teaching eventually led to the formation of Shafi'i school of fiqh.
(4) Malik ibn Anas: ( 711–795 CE) was an Arab Muslim jurist, theologian, and hadith traditionist. Born in Medina.
(5) Hijaz: the province of Mecca.
(6) Rabah bin Sanih Alzanji: also written as: Sunayh ibn Ryah client of the Banu Sama ibn Lu’ay. This famous poem of his is more completely found in: Ibn al Athir 1231 gives the circumstances of the rebellion. Al-Jahiz (776-869): Al-Fakhar al-Sudan mentions him also, and Ahmed bin Yahya bin Jabir also known as (Al-Baladhuri) (AD 893) and Abd al-Karim ibn M. al Samani (1172).
(7) Ham and Kuch are both children of Noah.
(8) He is one of the few people who gives a list of Zanj people who were renowned scientists. Al Jahiz; Sudan (869) is another one. Also Ibn al Jawzi (1200).
(9) Al Farazdaq: Arab poet; (641-730). See also on him my webpages: Al-Jahiz-Sudan (869); Ibn Abd Rabbih (940); Abd al-Karim ibn M. al Samani (1172); Ibn al Jawzi (1200); Ibn Manzur (1290).
(10) Do not ask a responsible (of the Taghlib) to prevail The maternal uncles of the Zenj are more noble then him: Banu Taglib (Tagleb): also known as Taghlib ibn Wa'il, were an Arab tribe that originated in Najd (central Arabia), but later migrated and inhabited the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) from the late 6th century onward.
This is repeated by: Al Jahiz; Sudan (869); Ahmed bin Yahya bin Jabir (893); Masudi (916); Muhammad ibn Tahir Ibn al-Qaysarani (1113); Ibn Al Athir (1231).
These verses originated from the poet Jarir ibn Atiya (728) in his war of poems with the black poet al-Akhtal of the Taghlibi tribe.
Ghiyath ibn Ghawth ibn al-Salt ibn Tariqa al-Taghlibi commonly known as al-Akhtal (Al-Ahtal), was one of the most famous Black-Arab poets of the Umayyad period. He was one of the ‘Arab crows’. He belonged to the Banu Taghlib tribe, and was, like his fellow-tribesmen, a Christian.