Banu Malik and Thaqeef

[UmmSarah]

Assalaamu alaikum,

What is the relationship between Banu Malik and (the rest of?) Thaqeef? From the stories I read, I've inferred that they are a high-class family of Thaqeef (maybe city people?).

My assumptions are based on:

1)Al-Mugheerah said that he was the only tough, rugged A'raabi amongst them when he traveled with Banu Malik to Egypt.

2)War was about ot break out amongst Thaqeef when Al-Mugheerah killed 13 of the Banu Malik.

I'd like to understand more about the families, tribal structure...etc.

Umm Sarah

[Muhammad Alshareef]

I'd like to understand more about the families, tribal structure...etc.Bismillah.
There were tribes and within the tribe there are families. Some of the tribes are more upper class in the tribe then others. So, for example, Abu Bakr and Umar - radi Allahu 'anhum - were not from the 'upper' class families in Quraish, but they were chosen still to be the Khalifah because of additional qualities (such as nearness to the Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and their pioneering history in Islam).

So a tribe consisted of many families. That's why in Saudi you'll see so many people with the last name 'AlQahtaanee' or 'AlHarbee', etc. They are all different families, but they go back to the same tribe.

I'm not sure about the connection between Banu Malik and Thaqeef, however.

And Allah knows best