Al-Hawazini

Overview

Al-Hawazini (al-Hawazini) is the nisba of Hawazin, one of the large groupings the genealogists place under Mudar, holding the country between the Hijaz and Najd around Taif. Thaqif, Banu Hilal and ʿAmir ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿa with its branches are reckoned to it — as reported by the classical genealogists, who differ among themselves.

A nisba to a gathering name

Hawazin sits at the level of a gathering name rather than a tribe families attribute themselves to directly, which is why the nisba is less often met than the nisbas of the branches under it: a house is more usually al-Thaqafi, al-Hilali or al-ʿAmiri. Someone bearing the gathering nisba is attributing himself to a high tier of the classical scheme, not to a named section within it, so the name locates a family in the ordering of the genealogists rather than in a particular lineage.

Note

Bearing a nisba, and a broad one most of all, does not by itself establish a specific line of descent: it may be carried by descent (ṣariḥ), by alliance (ḥilf) or by clientage (walaʾ).