Zawbaʿ
A section reported under Shammar, its country placed in Iraq and the Jazīra and, in earlier reports, in northern Najd. A historical section recorded here by name: the classical works this reference cites do not document it.
- Reported under
- Shammar, as commonly reported
- Reported country
- Iraq and the Jazīra; earlier reports place it in northern Najd
- Written
- زوبع
- In the lexicon
- The root z-b-ʿ is given for the whirlwind — the word, not the naming
- Scope
- Historical — no modern attribution
Overview
Zawbaʿ — written زوبع — is reported as one of the sections of Shammar, its country placed in Iraq and the Jazīra, along the desert margins and the river country, with earlier reports keeping it in the mountain country of northern Najd. This page describes a historical section as reported, and makes no claim about any modern family.
The name
Ibn Manẓūr enters the root z-b-ʿ for the whirlwind: al-zawbaʿah is the dust-devil that spins up from the ground, and the lexicographers add that Zawbaʿah was given in the old lore as the name of one of the jinn, so that the raised dust was spoken of as his doing. That is a good deal of colour, and none of it is an account of this section. The lexicon explains a word; it does not say that any people was named for the whirlwind, and this reference does not turn a lexical entry into a story about a tribe.
On sources
The classical works this reference cites do not document Zawbaʿ as a section of Shammar. All six are earlier than the arrangement in which the name appears, and none of them lists that tribe's sections; what is reported about Zawbaʿ comes from oral tradition and from modern writing outside the permitted sources. Yāqūt may be cited for the country of Iraq and the Jazīra where the section is placed, and it is the country that is cited, not the section. The page records a name and a reported country, not a descent.
On lineage
Branch lists and affiliations here are given as reported, and the genealogists differ among themselves. Nothing on this page establishes any living family's descent: a shared name may reflect descent, alliance (ḥilf) or clientage (walāʾ), and the sources usually say which only when they know.
Frequently asked questions
Does the lexicon explain why the section is called Zawbaʿ?
No. Ibn Manẓūr gives the senses of the root — the whirlwind, and a name out of the old lore of the jinn — but says nothing about a people bearing it. The page reports the word and leaves the naming unexplained.
Sources
- ابن منظور، لسان العرب، 711هـ — مادّة زبع — المذكور اللفظ، لا هذا القسم
- ياقوت الحموي، معجم البلدان، 626هـ — في بلاد العراق والجزيرة — المذكور الموضع، لا القبيلة
This page is an educational, historical reference compiled from published sources. It is not an authority on lineage. Where sources differ, we report the difference without taking a position. Corrections are welcome via our contact page.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-07