'Utaybah

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'Utaybah (Arabic: عتيبة‎, also spelled Uteibah, Otaybah, and Oteibah) is a large Sunni Muslim tribe of the Arabian Peninsula. As is the case with many other large tribal confederations in the region, the name 'Utaybah only appeared within the last few centuries. Genealogist of the tribe, however, trace the origin of 'Utaybah to the mighty pre-Islamic tribe of Hawazin, who were once engaged in a large battle with Muhammad at Hunayn in 630 C.E.. Indeed, until sometime in the 19th century, 'Utaybah was concentrated in the area around Taif, which was Hawazin's old tribal land.

At around that time a large section of the tribe moved eastwards towards Nejd, which at the time was dominated by another large tribe known as Qahtan. A mighty war ensued between 'Utaybah and Qahtan which led to 'Utaybah taking over most of Qahtan's grazing lands in western Nejd, pushing Qahtan further to the east and south. A large boulder in western Nejd where a group of Qahtani tribesmen made their last stand against 'Utaybah is still known today as Hassaat Ghatan ("Qahtan's Rock"). The tribe remained mostly bedouin, however, and only a small number of them settled in the towns of Nejd. Sections of the tribe ended up moving as far east as Kuwait and as far north as Jordan, suggesting that the tribe must have been remarkably large by the standards of Arabia at the time and had little choice but to burst into the surrounding areas as it did.

'Utaybah and Qahtan are generally considered to be two of the largest tribes in Saudi Arabia today, though no reliable statistics exist. The rivalry between the two tribes is still alive and vivid among their members, even though almost none of them maintain their old nomadic ways.

The tribe for a long time maintained a cool attitude towards the Wahhabi movement championed by the Al Saud clan of Nejd in the 18th and 19th centuries, and tended to side more with the Sharifs of Mecca.^[1] In 1912, however, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, began an ambitious plan to settle the nomadic tribes within his domains (which at the time included Nejd and Arabia's eastern coastal areas). This was to be coupled with indoctrination of the tribesmen into the religious ideals espoused by Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, as the religious observance of the bedouin was hitherto considered to be somewhat loose. The new settlements were to be known as hijras and the accompanying religious movement was called the Ikhwan ("the Brotherhood"). As a result, a large number of 'Utaybi hijras sprung up across the land, especially in western Nejd. The most famous 'Utaybi hijras were 'Afif near Dwadmi, and Sajir near Shaqraa. A large contingent of 'Utaybah, led by Sultan ibn Bjad, joined the Ikhwan, who were then deployed by Ibn Saud against his rivals as he sought to unite as much of Arabia under his rule as possible. The Ikhwan were instrumental in gaining control of the Hejaz for Ibn Saud, but they then grew resentful and restless. The 'Utaybi leader of the Ikhwan joined with Ikhwan leaders from other tribes in revolt, but they were defeated by Ibn Saud's forces at the Battle of Sbilla near Zilfi in northeastern Nejd in 1930. The 'Utaybi hijras remained, however, and the hijra of 'Afif became particularly prosperous and is now considered a city in its own right, lying approximately half-way between Riyadh and Mecca.

Many 'Utaybis have entered the Saudi armed forces in the last few decades, and their presence is particularly heavy in the National Guard. Prominent members of the tribe include Khalaf ibn Hathal, a poet who rose to prominence during the First Gulf War, Juhayman Al-'Utaybi, the militant who led the 1979 seizure of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca (see Grand Mosque Seizure), and Dhaifallah Al-'Utaybi, mayor of Dammam and a former executive in the Saudi national oil company, Aramco.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Ikhwan
• Bedouin
• Qahtan
• Hawazin
• Saudi Arabia
• Tribes of Arabia
• 'Afif