First Battle of Kulab

The battle reignited old rivalries, most notably between the Banu Bakr and Banu Taghlib tribes (cousin tribes of the Rabi'ah branch), whose decades-long Basus War had only recently concluded. The two main factions of the war were that of Salama and Shurahbil. Salama was supported by Taghlib, including its Namir branch and elements of the Banu Tamim. Shurahbil was supported by Banu Bakir, other elements of the Banu Tamim, and the Ribab confederation. As the battle intensified, the accounts suggest that many of the Tamim contingents deserted both sides, leaving the Bakr (fighting for Shurahbil) and the Taghlib (fighting for Salama) as the primary combatants on the field.^[2][3]

The faction led by Salama and the Taghlib achieved a decisive victory. Shurahbil's forces were routed, and the prince himself was killed during the retreat. According to chroniclers, Shurahbil himself was wounded by a Taghlibite named Habib ibn Utba (though, Habib was killed) and ultimately killed by Habib's brother, Abu Hanash. The head of Shurahbil was brought back and presented to Salama, who, seeing it, expressed remorse over the fratricidal conflict.^[2][3]

• Lyall, Charles James (1918). The Mufaddaliyat: An Anthology of Arabian Odes (PDF). Oxford University Press.
• Olinder, Gunnar (1927). The Kings of Kinda of the Family of Akil Al-Murar (PDF).