This paper examines the construction of the concept of su'dud, the quality which makes one a sayyid, in texts of the ninth century. By examining this heretofore neglected virtue it contributes to the understanding of elite culture during that period. Furthermore, because the virtues of the sayyid were largely tied to Bedouin exemplars of the sixth and seventh centuries, it contributes to discussions of the role of memories of Arabian Bedouin in the formation of Arabo-Islamic culture. It concludes that while some texts show a pattern of defining su'dud based on sources close to Bedouin culture and in ways which harmonize with ethnographic studies of modern Bedouin, others show similar accounts in which the virtues of Bedouin leadership are shifted into urban gentlemanliness. The most important figure through whom the sayyid ideal was constructed was al-Ahnaf b. Qays al-Tamimi, who flourished in Basra during the late seventh century. The two key texts for this study are the “Kitab al-Su'dud” in Ibn Qutayba's Kit?b 'Uyun al-Akhbar and the biography of al-Ahnaf b. Qays in al-Baladhuri's Ansab al-Ashraf. The two texts have some values in common, such as an emphasis on forbearance and humility. However, the two texts also have differences, with Ibn Qutayba promoting fine dress and al-Baladhuri displaying much more ambivalence towards it. Another example is that a reference to honor ('ird) in al-Baladhuri equates to spirit (nafs) in Ibn Qutayba. The bulk of al-Baladhuri's accounts go back to obscure figures from the Tamim who appear to be primarily from eighth-century Basra, and can be placed in a context of newly settled Bedouin or their immediate descendants. Ibn Qutayba's sources, however, frequently claim to go back to Bedouin in a general sense, but even in the eighth century were connected to the Umayyad and early Abbasid courts. In al-Baladhuri's transmission we must reach al-Mada'ini, usually his immediate source, before there are clear connections to court life. In addition, whereas Ibn Qutayba is producing a manual for considering proper conduct in his present, al-Baladhuri more direct purpose is to lament a past age of heroic ancestors. The differences in the handling of al-Ahnaf b. Qays and su'dud fit the contexts of both the transmission of information and purpose of the extant texts.