Amr ibn Kulthum was born in Diyar Rabi'a, in the north of the Arabian Peninsula, and moved to several places in this area and in the Levant, Iraq and Najd . 
He grew up in a house of sovereignty . 
His father was a chief of Taghlib . 
His mother is Laila, daughter of Al-Muhalhil and niece of Kulaib . 
Amr was honourable, brave, very proud and an exemplary man of action . 
His swift action as a fighter was proverbial, so it was said "as prompt as Amr ibn Kulthum . 
" This saying originally refers to the incident at the palace of the king of Heera, Amr ibn Hind . 
The king asked his retinue, "Is there an Arab whose mother would disdain to wait upon my mother?" “Yes," they replied . 
"Amr ibn Kulthum" because of his high honor on the side of both his father and mother . 
So, the king invited him and said to his mother: "Once the food is served, dismiss the servants and ask Amr’s mother to hand you some dishes . 
" When she did, Amr ibn Kulthum's mother recognized her host's bad intention and did not hand her anything . 
The king's mother repeated her request . 
So, her guest cried at the top of her voice "Oh shame!" Hearing his mother's call, Amr ibn Kulthum, instantly rose and slew the king . 
He became a chieftain at the age of fifteen . 
He was his tribe's knight, sage, public speaker, and poet . 
The people of Taghlib glorified his muallaqa, which was recited by the young and old of Taghlib because in this poem he sang their feats, immortalized their great days, and refuted their enemies . 
He became known as the one-poem poet because the muallaqa and a few other lines on the same theme constitute the whole of his poetry that was attributed to him . 
He lived over 100 years, and died in c . 
40 BH/584 AD .