Causes of the Basus War
The Basus War is closely associated with a woman named Basus bint Munkadh al-Tamimi, whose name has become synonymous with misfortune and despair. The phrase “the omen of Basus” has entered the lexicon as a reference to ill fortune. According to the accounts of how the war ignited, Basus was visited one day by the mother of Jassas ibn Murrah, her nephew. At that time, Basus had a neighbor from the Jarham tribe named Saad ibn Shams, who owned a camel. This camel strayed into the pasture of Kulaib, a notable figure of the Banu Wail tribe. Kulaib, upon discovering the intrusion, struck the camel, which returned to its owner with its udders mixed with milk and blood. Disturbed by the state of the animal, Saad rushed to Basus to inform her of the incident. In her grief, she lamented vocally, crying out, “O, my sorrow! O, my loss!” She recited verses of mourning, which summoned the ire of her nephew. Fueled by rage, he pursued Kulaib and ultimately succeeded in stabbing him to death. Thus, the injury of the camel became the catalyst for the Basus War, which lasted nearly 40 years.
The Basus War
The Basus War erupted between the tribes of Bakr and Taghlib, following the murder of Kulaib. Kulaib’s brother, Al-Zeir Salem, took up arms, adopting a vow of vengeance: he shaved his head, shortened his garments, shunned women, and forbade himself from gambling and drinking alcohol. Rallying his tribe, he sent a delegation to Banu Shayban, where they met with Murrah ibn Dhuhl ibn Shayban. They expressed their grievance, stating, “You have inflicted a great wrong upon us by killing Kulaib over a camel, severing ties of kinship and violating sacred norms. We offer you four options to restore our honor: either revive Kulaib, hand over his killer Jassas for retribution, send us Himam as an equal to face the consequences, or allow us to take your life in lieu of Kulaib’s blood.” Murrah responded, saying, “I cannot revive Kulaib, for Jassas has fled and I know not where he is. As for Himam, he is well-guarded and out of reach. I will not rush towards death but will offer you two choices: take any one of my remaining sons and kill him, or I will give you a thousand pitch-black camels.” This proposition further inflamed the anger of the delegation, as they felt he was trivializing Kulaib’s death by bargaining with camels. Thus, hostilities between the factions escalated into full-blown war.
Pre-Islamic Wars
The Arab tribes are well-known for their numerous conflicts and battles, which involved significant combat and high casualties. It is estimated that around fifty battles occurred among Arab tribes prior to the advent of Islam. These wars are regarded as notable events of the pre-Islamic period. The underlying reasons for such conflicts stemmed from the fragmentation of tribal bonds during that era; tribalism was a prevailing characteristic. This sense of tribal loyalty often incited continuous warfare among tribes, leading to conflicts over trivial issues and resulting in the loss of hundreds and thousands of lives.