Abd al-Qays

The Abd al-Qays (عبد القيس) is an ancient Arabian tribe from the Rabi'a branch of the North Arabian tribes. The tribe is from Eastern Arabia, however pre 400AD the tribe lived a nomadic life in Al Hejaz Region in modern day Saudi Arabia. The majority of the Baharna are from the Abd al-Qays tribe, with a significant minority from the cousin tribes of Bakr and Taghlib Ibn Wai’l tribes, which are today known as the Anizah tribe. The majority of the tribe resides today in The Gulf cooperation Council countries, which are Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the UAE.

Origins
The name of the tribe means 'servant of the [god] Qays'. It belonged to the tribal groups originally resident in the area of al-Arid in South Arabia and which migrated northwestward to an area extending north to Sudayr and south to al-Kharj. Later, in the Arab genealogical tradition, these tribes were called the Rabi'a, a branch of the northern Arab Ma'add confederation.

Campaigns of Shapur II
In pre-Islamic times, the Abd al-Qays frequently raided Iran. The Sasanian king Shapur II ((r. 309 – 379)) led an expedition against the Arabian tribes, during which he massacred most of the Abd al-Qays. Later, several Abd al-Qays tribesmen were relocated by Shapur to the Iranian province of Kirman.

Migrations into eastern Arabia
By the 5th century, the Abd al-Qays had shifted to nomadism, dwelling outside of the Tuwaiq escarpment in the southern Najd (central Arabia). In the 6th century, the tribe migrated northeastward the oases of al-Ahsa, Tarout Island and Qatif in eastern Arabia.

Islamic period
During the Arab conquest of Iran, considerable numbers of Abd al-Qays tribesmen entered southeastern, launching extensive raids in the region. Several groupings of Abd al-Qays settled near Tavvaz in the Iranian coastal mountains and Basra in lower Mesopotamia. In the early 8th century, 4,000 Abd al-Qays warriors formed part of the army of Qutayba ibn Muslim on his campaign into Khorasan.

The majority of the Baharna are descendants of the Banu Abd al-Qays, while some are from the tribes of Bakr ibn Wa'il and others.

Religion
Abd al-Qays were mostly Christians before the advent of Islam.