"he could not be called by any stretch of the
imagination. His mother was a black slave."[3] All authorities agree that
Shedad, his father, was a man of noble blood and that his mother was an
Abyssinian slave.

The manner in which they became attached to each other is interesting. As
a result of tyrannical action upon the part of King Zoheir, chief of the
Absians, several chieftains seceded to attack and rob other tribes and
establish their own kingdom. Among these chieftains was one Shedad. In
their wanderings they attacked and conquered a certain tribe, among the
prisoners of which was a black woman of great beauty named Zebiba. Shedad
fell in love with this woman and to obtain possession of her yielded all
rights to the spoils. She then had two sons. Shedad lived in the fields
with her for a time, during which she gave birth to a son. As a boy his
strength was prodigious and courage unparalleled.

In his early life Antar was assigned to the lowly task of a keeper of
camels. Here he followed the usual routine incident to such a task while
the clan of his father roved from place to place, clashing with rivals in
quest of the prizes of the chase or the spoils of war, or rested in some
vale of Arabia and devoted itself to the simpler pastoral life. Following
this sort of occupation, he so distinguished himself as to impress the
woman whom he later married. This was Ibla, the beautiful daughter of
Malek, another son of King Zoheir. She was, therefore, Antar's cousin.
Antar's growth in courage, in bodily strength, sense of justice, and
sympathy for the weak excited her admiration and high esteem. His love for
Ibla found expression in deeds of valor and poems dedicated to her virtues,
but the jealousy of chieftains and his lowly birth prevented their union.
The magnanimity of Antar in the face of bitter opposition, however, and his
undying love finally won him Ibla as his bride.

Favored by great strength and a leonine courage, Antar soon passed from
the duties of a keeper of camels to those of a first-class fighting man.
By these virtues, so highly prized by the warlike Arabs, he ingratiated
himself both with his father and his tribe. Much of the life of Antar
is lost to authentic history, but that part which remains shows that he
followed the career of a great chieftain endowed with military qualities,
poetic gifts, and a talent for leadership of extraordinary order.
According to Huart, he took part in the terrible wars