PART:-••••••17............
The remaining Arab chieftaincies ::
In the previous section, we have mentioned the abandonment of the Qahtani and Adnani tribes and have stated that the entire Arab country was divided between these tribes. After that, the map of their emirates and chieftaincies was such that the tribes that lived around Hira were considered subordinate to the government of Hira. And the tribes that had settled in the Badiya al-Sham were declared subordinate to the Ghassanid rulers, but this subordination was only in name, not in practice. Except for these two places, the tribes living in the interior of Arabia were completely independent.
The chieftaincy system was prevalent among these tribes. The tribes themselves appointed their chieftains. And for these chieftains, their tribe was a small government. The basis of political existence and security was tribal unity and the common interests of protecting and defending their land.
The status of tribal chiefs was like that of kings in their nation, the tribe was subject to the decision of its chief in peace and war and could not remain isolated from him under any circumstances. The chief enjoyed the same absolute power and despotism as a dictator, even some chiefs were in such a state that if they became corrupt, thousands of swords would be drawn without asking what was the reason for the chief's anger.
However, since there was also a struggle for the chiefship among cousins of the same family, it was necessary for the chief to be tolerant with his tribal people. He should spend money well, be a pioneer in hospitality, act with kindness and patience, demonstrate practical courage and defend noble causes so that in the eyes of the people in general, and in the eyes of poets in particular, he would become the epitome of virtue and excellence. (Because poets were the language of the tribe in that era) and thus the chieftains attained a higher and higher status than their counterparts.
The chieftains also had some special and privileged rights which a poet has described as follows:
لَكَ الْمِرْبَاعُ فِيْنَا وَالصََّفَايَا
وَحَكْمُكَ وَالنَّشِيْطَةُ وَالْفَضُولُ
"For you is a quarter of the booty between us and the chosen booty and the booty that you decide and the chieftain gets. And what remains after the division."
مِرْبَاعْ: A quarter of the booty.
صَفِيّ: The booty that the chieftain chooses for himself before the division.
Nashita: It is the property that falls into the hands of the chieftain on the way before reaching the original tribe.
Fuddil: It is the property that remains after the division and is not divided equally among the number of Ghazis. For example, camels, horses, etc. left over from the division, all these types of property used to be the right of the chieftain of the tribe.
Continued.......