Umayyah IBN 'ABD SHAMS

The clan of Banu Umayyad as well as the dynasty that ruled the Umayyad Caliphate are named after Umayya ibn Abd Shams.

Umayya was the son of Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf, and the father of Harb ibn Umayya and Abu al-'As. According to the Shia view, Ummaya was the adopted son of Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf.[1]

Shia Version

Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf had no offspring. One day he saw some traders who were on their way to Yemen and had stopped in Mecca for rest. These traders had a young slave boy whom they intended to sell. This boy unlike most Arabs was very fair and had brown or blonde Hair. Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf was amazed to see the boy's features, so he bought the boy, adopted him as his son, and named him Umayya. The traders of Yemen usually went to Syria and the boy was possibly a European. This story is intended to explain why Abu Sufian, his grandson, had blue eyes and many who who were born later in the line had lighter hair and eyes, even before their migration to Spain.

His sons were

• Abu al-'As ibn Umayyah

• Harb ibn Umayya

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