Labid

Abū Aqīl Labīd ibn Rabīʿa ibn Mālik al-ʿĀmirī, born around 560, was an Arab poet from the higher Nejd region and later a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He belonged to the Bani Amir, a branch of the Hawazin tribe. In his youth, Labīd was an active warrior, and his early poetry focused heavily on the conflicts between different tribes.

His life took a significant turn when a sick uncle sent him to Medina to obtain a remedy from Muhammad. During this visit, Labīd was deeply moved by a portion of the Quran’s shortest chapter, Al-Kawthar, and soon after embraced Islam. His literary reputation is cemented by the inclusion of one of his poems in the celebrated collection known as the Mu'allaqat.

Labīd was noted for his muruwwa, or virtue, exemplified by a vow he made: whenever the east wind began to blow, he would feed people until the wind stopped. To help him fulfill this promise, Al-Walid ‘Uqba, the leader of Kufa, sent him one hundred camels.

In an elegy composed for Nu’mh Mundhii, Labīd wrote verses that gained lasting fame, including the line, “Every thing, but Allah, is vain / And all happiness, unconditionally, will vanish.” The Prophet Muhammad himself praised this verse, stating that the most truthful words ever spoken by a poet were those of Labīd, and noted that Umaiya bin As-Salt was close to becoming a Muslim but did not. Labīd’s poetry also reflects on human vanity and divine judgment, as seen in lines where he writes that a man may think he has accomplished much, yet life is spent in hopes, and that on the day of reckoning, every person will be informed of their deeds before Allah. He died around 661.