Al-Muhalhil
Abu Layla ʿUday ibn Rabīʿa ibn al-Ḥāriṯ at-Taḡlibiyy, also known by the nicknames al-Muhalhil and az-Zīr, was an Arabic pre-Islamic poet and warrior born in Najd. He led the Banu Taghlib tribe in the forty-year long War of Basus.His life before the war
Despite being the brother of Kulaib ibn Rabiah who was the king of the Adnanites, al-Muhalhel had no interest in politics at first, he was nicknamed az-Zīr meaning the philander as he was more interested in the life of luxury and relations with women.The Basus war
After his brother kulaib was killed he found himself forced to lead his tribe Banu Taghlib and fight in the Basus War to take revenge for his brother, the war lasted for more than 40 years, at the beginning of the war Banu Taghlib were victorious and killed most of the Banu Bakr forces but as the war dragged on Banu Bakr were able to regroup, increase their numbers and win the war at the end. Abu Layla was the leader of Banu Taghlib for the entirety of the war, his story is used as a cautionary tale against pride and warmongering because his refusal of diplomatic solutions ended up costing his tribe the war which ended with them losing lives, money and status.After losing the war Abu Layla was able to flee to Yemen, where he lived the rest of his days under the protection of the Madhhaj tribe.His character was depicted in TV and movies most notably in the critically acclaimed TV series "Al-Zeer Salem" directed by Hatem Ali starringHis relatives
He was the maternal uncle of fellow poet Imru' al-Qais, and also the grandfather of Amr ibn Kulthum through his second daughter Layla.