Khuza'a
خزاعة
The tribe of the Meccan lowland, long allied to the Prophet's house by marriage and oath; it entered his pact at Hudaybiyya, was attacked at al-Watir by Banu Bakr with Quraysh's secret aid, and its appeal to Medina set off the conquest of Mecca.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
BattlesLaws of war and peaceConverts and those who leave
Place in the story
- AllytowardMuhammad · 628 CE · 7 AH† – 632 CE · 11 AH†Tradition
- VictimtowardBanu Bakr ibn Abd ManatTradition
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
A Tihama tribe neighbouring Mecca, kin by marriage to the Prophet's house; it entered the Prophet's pact and covenant on the day of the al-Hudaybiyya peace 1. Banu Bakr attacked it at al-Watir with Quraysh's backing; it called Medina for aid — and its plea was among what stirred the conquest of Mecca 2.
The old pact
Khuza'a's pact with the Prophet's house is old: Abd Manaf's mother — Hashim's father — and Qusayy's mother Fatima bint Sa'd ibn Sayl were of Khuza'a, so lineage joins the two houses 3. In Amr ibn Salim's plea-verses: "the pact of our father and his father of old" 3.
The al-Watir attack
During the al-Hudaybiyya truce Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya ambushed them by night among Banu al-Dil at al-Watir; they struck a man of them and pursued them until they took refuge in the houses of Budayl ibn Warqa' and their client Rafi' 4. Quraysh supplied the attackers with weapons 1.
The plea
Amr ibn Salim went out to Medina and stood before the Prophet pleading with his verses; then Budayl came in a band telling him of the pact's breach 5. Ibn Ishaq said: "that was among what stirred the conquest of Mecca" 3.
For young visitors
A tribe living near Mecca with an old pact with the Muslims' prophet. Attacked by night while at peace, its men went to Medina seeking help — and its poet called out the most famous plea-verses.
Connections
- Has member
- Abu Ghubshan al-KhuzaʾiʿAmr ibn LuḥayyAmr ibn Salim al-Khuza'iBudayl ibn Warqa' al-Khuza'iHulayl ibn HubshiyyaKhirash ibn Umayya al-Ka'biKhunays ibn Khalid al-Khuza'iSulayman ibn SuradTamim ibn Asad al-Khuza'i
- Fought by
- Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat
- Allied with
- Muhammad
- Fought
- Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat
- Participated in
- The Bakr–Khuza'a clash at al-WatirKhuza'a's appeal to MedinaThe Expulsion of Jurhum from MeccaQusayy ibn Kilab Takes Mecca
People and things also explored
The Bakr–Khuza'a clash at al-WatirKhuza'a's appeal to MedinaMeccaAbu Sufyan's mission to MedinaThe Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)Budayl ibn Warqa' al-Khuza'iNawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-DiliThe killing of Ibn al-Anwa' and the sermon on Mecca's sanctity
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/32
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/31-37
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/36
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/32-33
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/36-37
- Ibn Ishaq / Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad (1955)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Khuza'a”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/group/khuzaa/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.