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Muhammad ibn Tahir Ibn al-Qaysarani: Kitab al-Ansab al Muttafiqa (Book of consistent genealogies) (d1113) Palestine

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Taken from: كتاب الانساب المتفقة  by Muḥammad ibn Ṭāhir Ibn al-Qaysarānī

 

The al-Zunji and the first walzunji: Attributed to Zinj, among them is Maymun ibn Aflah al Zunjii, who was called al Mashir. The length of his fingers was the length of a finger part. Rabah bin Manea al-Zinji, the slave of Banu Najia, was one of the eloquent poets when he talked about Jarir's (1) words. He said in his famous poem:

Don't try to look for worthy people among the maternal uncles of a Taghlib (2) person;

Because even the Zanj have nobler uncles then they.

 

(1) Jarir see my webpage on: Jarir b. Atiya poet from Arabia (d728)

(2) Taghlib: The Banu Taghlib, also known as Taghlib ibn Wa'il, were an Arab tribe that originated in Najd, but later migrated and inhabited the Jazira from the late 6th century onward.

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.