Bahila

Bahila
باهلة
Adnanites
Banner of the Bahila at the Battle of Siffin
EthnicityArab
NisbaAl-Bahili
LocationBefore 7th century:
Arabian Peninsula
After 7th century:
Syria
Iraq
Khorasan
Descended fromBahila, wife of Malik ibn A'sur
ReligionPaganism, later Islam

Bāhila (Arabic: باهلة) was an Arab tribe based in Najd (central Arabia). Part of the tribe was settled and part of it was semi-nomadic. The Bahila was first mentioned during the early years of Islam, in the mid-7th century. During that time, many Bahila tribesmen migrated to Syria and Basra. Many of those who went to Syria later moved to Khurasan as part of the Umayyad garrison there. As a sub-tribe of Qays, they fought alongside the Qaysi coalition against the Yamani tribes during the Umayyad era. The scholar al-Asma'i and the general Qutayba ibn Muslim both belonged to the tribe. The Bahila were last mentioned in the 10th century.