Hatim al-Tai

Hatim al-Tai was a pre-Islamic Arab poet and the chief of the Tayy tribe, who lived in the sixth century CE in the region of present-day Hail in northern Saudi Arabia. He is proverbial in Arabic culture for his extreme generosity and hospitality, and his name remains a byword for a generous host. His poetry, preserved in early anthologies such as the Hamasa, reflects the values of pre-Islamic Arabian society: courage, hospitality, honour and tribal solidarity. He is one of the most frequently cited figures of the pre-Islamic period and a symbol of the ethical ideals of the jahiliyya.