A Christian like most of his tribesmen at the time, Bahdal secured a prominent role for his family and the Banu Kalb by marrying off his daughter Maysun to the future caliph Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680), while the latter was governor of Syria between 639 and 661.
[8][6] According to the historians Henri Lammens and Patricia Crone, Bahdal derived his prominence from this marriage, though he did not play a political role himself.
By dint of his marital links with Mu'awiya, Bahdal became "the founder of the great prosperity of the Kalbites" during Umayyad rule (661–750), according to Lammens.
[6][5] Meanwhile, Hassan, his brother Sa'id and another of Bahdal's grandsons, Humayd ibn Hurayth, went on to play major roles in the Umayyad administration and military, serving as governors of various Syrian provinces, commanders of military and police units and holders of high-ranking positions in the courts of caliphs Yazid I, Mu'awiya II (r. 683–684), Marwan I (684–685) and Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705).
[9] Afterward, the family largely disappeared from the historical record, though members occasionally appeared as military commanders or tribal leaders until the reign of Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809).