Jandah bin Hajar bin Al-Harith Al-Kindi (500-540 AD), better known as Imru’ al-Qays, is an Arab poet of high stature. Sources differ in his name, Ford as Jandah, Handaj, Malika and Uday, and he is from the Kinda tribe. He is known in the Arabic heritage books by several titles, including: Al-Malik Al-Dhayl and Dhul-Qrouh, Kunni Abi Wahb, Abi Zaid, and Abu Al-Harith.
Foundation
He was born in Najd, in the Kinda tribe. He grew up affluent and inclined to luxury. His father was Hajar, the king of Banu Asad and Ghatfan, and his mother was Fatimah bint Rabia al-Taghlibih, sister of Kulaib and the poet al-Muhalhal al-Taghlibi. He learned poetry from a young age from his sloppy uncle, and he did not stop organizing pornographic poetry and mixing with tramps, despite his father's forbidding him to do so, so he expelled him to the homeland of his tribe; Damoun in Hadhramaut when he was twenty years old, and no sooner had he spent five years there than he walked in the Arab countries with his companions, seeking after amusement, absurdity, conquest and joy.
He was blasphemous in his flirting and obscene in recounting his romantic stories, and he is considered one of the first poets who introduced poetry to women’s deceptions. Umru’ al-Qays in poetry took a path in which he violated the traditions of the environment, so he took for himself a lame biography that was reviled by kings, as Ibn al-Kalbi mentions when he said: He was walking in The neighborhoods of the Arabs, and with him were mixtures of Arab deviants, such as Tai, Kalb, Bakr bin Wael, and if he encountered a stream, a kindergarten, or a place for hunting, he would stay, slaughter and drink wine, and give them a drink, and he would sing it as a means of devouring it. He adhered to a lifestyle that did not suit his father, so he expelled him and returned him to Hadramout among his uncles and his people, hoping to change him. But Handaj (Imru’ al-Qays) continued with his promiscuity and perpetuated the escort of Arab brats and adapted their lifestyle of loitering among Arab neighborhoods, hunting, attacking other tribes and plundering their goods.
A new stage began in his life after Banu Asad revolted against his father and killed him. The news came to him while he was sitting drinking wine, and he said: “May God have mercy on my father. Neither awake today nor drunkenness tomorrow, today is wine and tomorrow is command.” So he took upon himself the responsibility of avenging his father, and regaining the sway of the rule of Kinda. They ransomed him with a hundred of them, but he refused, so the Bakr tribes abandoned him and overpowered him, and he composed a great deal of poetry in these events.
He had to confront Al-Mundhir, the king of Al-Hira, who sought the help of Kisra, the king of the Persians, against him. Imru Al-Qais fled to the tribes for help. He was called the misguided king, until he decided to seek help from Samuel in Tayma. And to strengthen it with his allies from the Arab tribes.
He went to Taima and entrusted the shields that had been inherited by the kings of Kinda with Al-Samawal, and he went to Constantinople for the purpose of meeting Caesar Justinian I, with Amr ibn Qamiya, one of his father’s servants who complained about the hardship of the journey and said to Imru’ Al-Qais: “You deceived us.” He replied with a poem that encouraged him, and described the conditions of those When he arrived at Caesar, he honored him and brought him close to him, and sent an army with him to restore his father’s kingship, but he was deceived by Caesar, so he hated him and sent him a poisoned robe. He promised him, but did not poison him; Rather, his death was due to being infected with smallpox on his return, and his whole body ulcerated and died as a result, and that is why he was called with ulcers.
Ibn Qutayba said: He is from the people of Kinda from the first class. He was considered one of the lovers of the Arabs, and one of the most famous of his loved ones was Fatima bint Al-Ubaid, about which he said in his famous commentary, including:
his religion
Imru' al-Qays' religion was paganism and he was unfaithful to it. It was narrated that when he went out to avenge his father, he passed by an idol of Arabs whom he venerated, called Dhu Khalsa. So he divided it with his lighter, which were three: the commanding, the prohibiting, and the stalker, so he postponed it. And hit the fetish's face. He said: "If your father had been killed, you would not have punished me."