Safwan I
| Safwan ibn Aidarus | |
|---|---|
| Emir of Zabral and Sheikh of the Banu Qays' | |
| Emir of Zabral | |
| Reign | 1355 CE - 1368 CE |
| Predecessor | Aidarus the Thunderbolt |
| Successor | 'Utbah ibn Abdullah |
| Sheikh of the Banu Qays' | |
| Reign | 1355 CE - 1368 CE |
| Predecessor | Aidarus the Thunderbolt |
| Successor | Yusuf I |
| Born | 1319 CE Tirmidh, as-Souhr |
| Died | 1368 CE Umm Ḥārthah, The Hasidhmawt |
| Burial | 1368 CE |
| Spouse | Ruqayya ibn As'ad |
| House | Aidarus |
| Father | Aidarus ibn Abd al-Ghaffir |
| Mother | Bilqis bint Sammaw'al |
| Religion | Irsad |
Safwan I (Gheiravic: صفوان بن عيدروس, Romanized: Safwan ibn Aidarus, 1319 CE - 1368 CE) was the second Emir of Zabral and a scion of the House of Aidarus. He led a coalition of tribes headed by the Banu Qays' from his election as sheikh in 1355 CE to his death in 1369 CE. His succession marked a notable transition to a more strictly hereditary style of rulership among the Sub'ay. Safwan's family, the Ash'ari, traced their descent from the Sub'ay, a sub-tribe of the Banu Qays', and to the Prophet Mubashir himself through the union of his daughter Arwa bint Mubashir and the Caliph Idris ibn Nawfal. While his father Aidarus the Thunderbolt had conquered vast swathes of territory in the southern Hasidhmawt, Safwan's authority was effectively limited by the unruliness of the Bedouin tribes and his influence was little felt beyond the oasis of Zabral and a few small settlements scattered across the northern extremities of the Zabalan Mountains.
Safwan's short thirteen-year reign saw a gradual decline in the military power of the Sub'ay relative to the Banu Hilal, who became ascendant due to the leadership of their prince Yuhanna ibn 'Utbah and managed to regain their status as the ruling clan of the southern branches of the Banu Harb. Despite these setbacks, the development of the Ash'ari School of Malufi Irsadic jurisprudence continued in earnest, both in Na'man and Zabral, as Bedouin clerics and mystics sought out the patronage of the well-recognized emir, one of the foremost primates of the Hasidhmawt in that time. This included the compilation of many religious texts, including several versions of the Alta'amulat, oral stories and folktales of religious significance, that remained well-preserved even to this day.
Beyond these theological and cultural feats, Safwan was a skillful poet and musician, known for his sweet singing voice and evocative lyrics. He composed as many as fifty poems, most intended to be performed with accompaniment from a triple chord, in styles ranging from vituperative to erotic to religious. Many of these have been lost, though sixteen have been recovered, including a long poem in praise of his father Aidarus and some of the finest romantic poetry from the fourteenth century. He is said to have sang regularly at the request of his kinsmen.
Safwan's reign ended abruptly when he was killed at the Battle of Umm Ḥārthah in August of 1368 CE after a series of seasonal military setbacks against the Banu Hilal stretching back half a decade. His death signaled the beginning of a more chaotic and violent period in the history of the Hasidhmawt as his father's conquests had proven that it was possible, with some difficulty, to unify large tribal confederations in the aftermath of the Haydarid Caliphate.