Labid ibn Rabi'a

Labid ibn Rabi'a was born into the noble Banu Amir tribe in Najd and grew up as a celebrated tribal warrior, orator, and poet. His magnificent ode—beginning with the famous lament over the abandoned desert campsites at Minan—was awarded the highest honor of pre-Islamic Arabia, embroidered in gold letters and suspended upon the Kaaba as one of the Seven Mu'allaqat.

In 630, Labid led an Amir tribal delegation to Medina, where he embraced Islam. In awe of the sublime linguistic majesty of the Quran, he famously hung up his lyre, declaring that he would never compose poetry again after reading the divine revelation, settling in Kufa where he lived a pious life to an extraordinary age.