Circa 575 - Circa 644 Or Later
Poet

Early Life. Tumadir bint 'Amr of the tribe of Sulaym, a pastoral tribe in Najd in central Arabia, was a well-known pre-Islamic poet whose poetry continued to be celebrated in the Muslim era. Her nickname was al-Khansa', possibly meaning "gazelle" or "pug-nosed," the latter being the betterknown explanation. A strong-willed woman, she rejected the marriage proposal of a renowned tribal chief, Durayd ibn al-Simmah al-Jushami, because she considered him too old. Perhaps the most traumatic events in her life, perhaps, were the deaths of her brothers Mu'awiyah and Sakhr in tribal battles in 612 and 615. Much of her poetry consists of sorrowful eulogies for them, through which she encouraged her tribe to avenge itself on their killers. Al-Khansa' is also said to have appeared at the festive market of 'Ukaz in Makkah for the poetry contests.

Conversion to Islam. In about 630, late...