It is said that the roots of the family go back to Al-Hweitat tribe who lived in the north of Arabia and the south of Palestine.
Shdeed is a great grandfather who lived in the village of Kafr Al-Deek and that one of his sons or grandsons settled in Deir Estia, in the late 17th century or early 18th century, while others went to Egypt. The linage of the family starts in Kafr Al-Deek (a village about 25 Km South of Nablus) with Shdeed then Yaqoub then Qasem who fathered Abu Hejleh, Taha, Mansoor and Nassar. Abu Hejleh lived in Deir Estia, Jaljulia, Nablus & Saneerya, Taha lived in Bidya, Shdeed in Tul Karem, Nassar and Mansoor in Deir Estia & Nablus. It is a known fact that Taha is the younger brother of ABU HEJLEH from the same mother. In celebration songs the women say Yaqoubiyat to include the Taha family.
Historical information from ancestors passed on to the children and then grandchildren is summarised in a story that the ancestral family since the first immigration during the Turkish period settled in Kafr Al-Deek village far from the eyes of governing authority. The feudal landowner, at that time, known as Al-Ajlaq was an oppressor and a tyrant thus forcing the elders of the family to try and lift the injustice against them and the people of the neighbouring villages that they had to kill Al-Ajlaq which resulted in the second immigration to the mountain villages nearby.
Mohammad ABU HEJLEH is the one the rest of the family refer to as the founder.
ABU HEJLEH married at least three times and had 8 sons over a period of at least 40 years:
Ismael (his mother from Nassar family), moved to Saneerya
Yousef, Husain, Hasan & Yaseen (their mother from the village of 3Awarta)
Mousa, Othman & Esa (their mother from the village of Rameen)
The number of the daughters is unknown to me.
ABU HEJLEH was born in the late 18th century and lived in Deir Estia, Palestine, and most of his descendants lived there and neighbouring villages/towns of Saneerya, Qalqilya and Nablus. Although in 1948 and in the 50s many have moved to live in Jordan and to the Gulf states of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE and some have immigrated to USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and other countries. As at the end of the 20th century, the ABU HEJLEHs span from few 3rd generation survivors to 7th generation who still live in Palestine.
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