Adnan ibne udd
He was an illustrious personality in the progeny of Qeedar the son of Ismail (a.s.). The progeny of Qeedar preferred to stay on in Hedjaz. Adnan too was born in Hedjaz. The tribes of Bani Ismail trace their ancestry to him. This is the reason they are referred to as Aale Adnan or Aale Mudar. He was a handsome person and from the very childhood he manifested exemplary character. His face reflected his intelligence and fortitude. His forehead was radiant and the brightness of his face manifested that Divine Light was to take birth in his progeny.
He was the noble leader of men of his time and chivalrous with his sword. He always held important positions in the Arab society. Besides the people of Batha and Yathrib, the peripatetic Bedouins of the desert too assembled under his standard. To honor the felicity of the Kaaba he ordered making of a cloth cover for the structure and personally installed it there. The historian, Bala Dari, writes:
Awwal man kisa al Kaaba Adnan- Ansab Vol1, Page 15
Adnan was the first to provide a cover to the Kaaba.
When the Kaldani monarch, Bakht Nasr, proceeded towards Arab land after capturing Bayt al Muqdis, he attacked Hedjaz when Adnan resisted his hordes to the best of his capabilities. But his men, who were smaller in number, started fleeing. He couldn’t contend with the enemy all alone or with a few dedicated men. Therefore, he felt it discreet to leave Hedjaz and head for Yemen with his son Adnan and settled down in Yemen and died there only. He left behind ten sons. The best known among his sons was Ma’ad
Ma’ad ibne Adnan
His mother’s name was Mehdo bint al Laham who was from the tribe of Bani Jarham. He resided at Yemen with his father and had his upbringing there. When Bakht Nasr expired and peace returned to Arabia, the tribes invited Ma’ad to return to Hedjaz. They deputed one emissary to Yemen particularly to make this request. He proceeded to Hedjaz with this person. It has also been recorded that when Bakht Nasr established his sway over Arabia, Hazrat Armia took Ma’ad along to Syria. When unrest subsided after Bakht Nasr’s death, he returned to Hedjaz and assumed the chieftaincy of the Arab State. Yaqoobi writes from the progeny of Ismail (a.s.) none attained the status reached by Ma’ad. He was held in the highest esteem for his forthrightness and excellent character. Like his father, he was chivalrous and an expert in the martial arts of the time. He never showed his back to an adversary in battle and faced the ignominy of defeat. The author of Taareeq e Qamees writes:
Lam yaharab lahad al arjah bil nasr waz zafr
Tareeq e Khamis Vol 1, Page 147
With whomsoever he battled, he was victorious
He was the first to innovate mounting of a saddle on the camel’s back. He also established the boundary of the precincts of the Kaaba erecting stones there.
Ma’ad had four sons—Qaza’aa, nazar, Qanas and Iyad. za’aa was the eldest son. Ma’ad was popularly known as Abu Qaza’aa. Of the four sons, Nazar was endowed with superior qualities.
Nazar ibne Ma’ad
His mother was Muana binte Jausham who was from the tribe of Bani Jarham. The birth of Nazar brought immense happiness to his father Ma’ad that he fathomed from the radiant forehead of the baby that this child will be the progenitor of the Prophet of Islam (a.s.) and the inheritor of the traditions of Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.). To celebrate the birth Ma’ad slaughtered a thousand camels and feasted the tribes of Arabia on a grand scale. He addressed the child thus:
Laqad astaqlat laka haadal qurban wanhu nazr qaleel
– Tareeq Khamis, Vol 1, page 148
Looking at your status, I consider this sacrifice too meagre. Because Nazar means ‘few’ and ‘little’, the child was named Nazar He was unique in his good looks and intellect. Diyar Bakri writes: He excelled in his good looks, intelligence and wisdom amongst the people of those times.
On the death of Ma’ad the responsibility of leading the tribes of Arabia shifted to Nazar. He discharged his duties with great sense of responsibility. He was the first to invent the Arabic script. In his last days he lived with his sons in the wilderness. When he felt that the time for his death was nigh, he moved to Makka. The author of the Tareeq e Khamees writes that Nazar was interred at Zaat al Jaish, a place near Madina. He left behind four sons– Rabiah, Anmar, Mudar and Iyad.
Mudar ibne Nazar
His mother’s name was Sauda. He was attached to the society of Ibrahim and a follower of the Deen e Hanif. He always advised others to follow this faith. The Prophet of Islam (s.a.) too confirmed about this in the following words:
“Both Rubiah and Mudar followed the Faith of Ibrahim (a.s)
Tariq e Yaqubi, Vol 1, Page 226
In another tradition he said:
“Don’t talk ill of Mudar, he was a Muslim!”
Tabqaat ibne Saad, Vol 1, Page 58
Mudar was unique in generosity and sagaciousness. In all respects he was superior to his brothers. Although all the four sons of Nazar were known for their intelligence, Mudar had special faculties of comprehension, far sightedness and delving into the minds of men. Baladari writes that when Nazar died, Rubiah and Mudar decided to go to the court of the ruler of the time to present their cases to be nominated the chief of the tribe. Mudar was thus preparing for the journey, but Rubiah quietly preceded him and reached the court. He took advantage of impressing the ruler and coming into his good books. After some days Mudar too arrived at the court, but on account of his quiet nature he was unable to get closer to the king. When the time for the return of the brothers arrived, the king asked them to request for what they wished to have from him. Mudar had a feeling that Rubiah would get a preference over him. He therefore told to the king that whatever he gave to him, he should give the twice of that to Rubiah because he was the elder of the two brothers. The king agreed to accede to this request. He now asked Mudar to ask what he wanted. Mudar asked the king to remove one of his eyes. The king was initially surprised at this strange request. But after brooding over it for a while he smiled and said, “You need not worry, I shall give equitable treatment to both of you! I shall not give preference to one brother over the other.” This is an example of the wisdom of Mudar that he conveyed his thoughts to the king in his own subtle way! In this manner he maintained his status and dignity!
In addition to his wisdom, Mudar had a sonorous voice and even animals used to be impressed with his good voice. Once he fell down from the back of a camel and his hand was bruised badly. Because of the pain he cried – Ya yadah! Ya yadah!— Oh! My hand! Oh! My hand!” earing this, the camels grazing in the neighbourhood gathered around him. While riding on the camels he used to sing. Hearing him sing, the camels used to jog along faster. This promoted the practice of Hadee Khwani, Rajz or martial songs among the Arab tribes. The words of the rajz and the jog of the camel are very well coordinated! The faster the rider sings the rajz, the faster the camel will trot.
Mohammed ibne Abdallah al Arzaqi writes that Mudar reconstructed the Kaaba following its rebuilding by Bani Jarham. Mudar made a will and testament to his sons as follows:
“One who sows the seed of discontent, will reap shame and disappointment. Excellent good is one that is done without delay! Encourage your psyche to accept the unpleasant things that might reform you. Reject those pleasurable things that might be the cause of harm to you. Patience and control of desires draw a line between good and evil.” Ref: Tariq e Yaqoobi, Vol 1, Page 226
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 