The killing of Ibn al-Anwa' and the sermon on Mecca's sanctity
مقتل ابن الأنوع وخطبة النبي في حرمة مكة
January 630 CE · Ramadan 8 AH
After the general safety was proclaimed, Khirash ibn Umayya ambushed and killed Ibn al-Anwa' al-Hudhali to settle an old blood dispute; the Prophet strongly condemned the murder, paid the full wergild from his own funds, and the next day delivered a decisive sermon proclaiming the perpetual inviolability of Mecca's blood, trees, and game.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Laws of war and peaceSacred space and pilgrimage
Summary
After the general proclamation of safety, Khirash ibn Umayya al-Khuza'i treacherously killed a man of Hudhayl called Ibn al-Anwa' over a Jahiliyya feud; the Prophet was angered, condemned the act, paid the slain man's blood-money from his own wealth — a hundred camels — and the next morning preached on the everlasting sanctity of Mecca 1.
What happened
Ibn al-Anwa' al-Hudhali was a ruthless man who in the Jahiliyya had killed a man of Khuza'a; when he entered Mecca after the conquest, Khirash ibn Umayya came to him, thrust him with a spear and killed him 2. When the news reached the Prophet he condemned it and said: "Khirash is indeed a killer! Company of Khuza'a, lift your hands from killing — killing has grown heavy enough to be harmful, and you have killed a man I will pay for"; he paid his blood-money from his own wealth, a hundred camels 3.
The sermon on Mecca's sanctity
The next morning the Prophet stood and addressed the people: "God made Mecca sacred the day He created the heavens and the earth; it is sacred by God's sanctity until the Day of Resurrection. It is not lawful for one who believes in God and the Last Day to shed blood in it or to cut a tree in it. If anyone takes licence for fighting for the Messenger of God's sake, say: God gave leave to His Messenger and has not given leave to you; it was made lawful to me only for an hour of a day, and its sanctity has returned today as it was yesterday. Let the present tell the absent" 4.
For young visitors
A Muslim man tried to take an old revenge and killed someone after peace had been declared. The Prophet was deeply angered, paid the slain man's blood-money to his family, and preached to the people that Mecca is a land of peace and safety where neither fighting nor tree-cutting may ever be lawful.
Connections
- Had participant
- Khirash ibn Umayya al-Ka'biMuhammad
- Occurred at
- Mecca
- Part of
- The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)
People and things also explored
The cleansing of the Kaaba and destruction of idolsThe proscribed persons on the day of the ConquestThe Prophet's sermon at the Kaaba and general amnestyThe Battle of HunaynAbu Sufyan ibn HarbBilal ibn RabahIkrima ibn Abi JahlKhalid ibn al-Walid
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/56-58
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/56-57
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/57-58
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/58
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The killing of Ibn al-Anwa' and the sermon on Mecca's sanctity”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/khirash-incident/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.