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asking him to bring his mother, Layla to visit his own mother, Hind.
So they came and the king entertainedeAmr and his friends in his tent.
Meanwhile, the king ordered his mother, as soon as he should call for
dessert, to dismiss the servants, and cause Layla to wait upon her. At
the pre-arranged signal, she desired to be left alone with her guest,
and said, 10 Layla, hand me that dish'. Layla answered 'Let those who
want anything to serve themselves. Oh shamell cried Layla, 'Help
TagUbp. , help. When'tAmr heard his mother cry. he seized a sword
hanging on the wall and killed the King.
Women were highly appreciated if they gave birth to brave
knights. Women who did so were given the description al-Munji bat
of outstanding men).
(the mothers One of these mothers was F; timah bint Khurshb
0
who had the perfect sons some of whom were leaders
in pre-Islamic
times.
gave birth to Kt7alid, kalik
2 There was also'Ummgfi7atikah and Khuba/ah who
by
ý.
and Rabi; /Jalafer bin Kulaib.
In the tribes, poets often boasted in their poems of having of
noble bitth mothers. The best example is Zuhay bin Abr Salama who
prided himself upon having a woman such as F7timah bint Khurshub who
had brave and courageous horsemen. The mother's status was naturally
related to their social status, i. e. being free or slaves. Indeed.
free women were more highly esteemed than slaves; children used to
pride themselves upon having free mothers. This fact had various effects
on children, since many children were subject to degradation and ridicule
because of their origin. Despite this fact, sometimes children tried
to defend their slave motherso For example, e Antartbin Shaddid the Poet
and the brave knight
, was a son of a black slave but he defended
himself and his black skin and he regarded himself as a Courageous
1. See Nicholson, op. cit.. P. 110
2. Ibid
3. See Pufi, P. 85
3
48