Banu Abd Shams

Ancestry

The clan names itself after Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf, the son of Abd Manaf ibn Qusai and brother of Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf, who was the great-grandfather of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Connection with the Umayyads

The clan acts as the parent clan to Banu Umayya sub-clan, the widely known Umayyad dynasty who ruled as the second Islamic Caliphate (661–750) established after Muhammad's death. Umayya was the adopted son of Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf. In pre-Islamic Arabia, the clan's chieftain Utba ibn Rabi'ah's daughter Hind bint Utbah was married to Umayyad leader Abu Sufyan ibn Harb.

Modern day

The clan has its descendants living today in a few cities of Central and Western Arabia.

Members