Khalid ibn Sufyan ibn Nubayh al-Hudhali

خالد بن سفيان بن نبيح الهذلي

A man of Hudhayl who was gathering men at Nakhla or Urana to attack the Prophet ﷺ; the Prophet sent Abdullah ibn Unays (may God be pleased with him), who killed him while he was seeking a camping place for his women.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Tribal leader
Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
Review
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Place in the story

  • Military opponenttowardMuhammadTradition

Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

Overview

A man of Hudhayl, of whom the Prophet told Abdallah ibn Unays that he had heard he was gathering people to attack him when he was at Nakhla or at 'Urana. 1 Abdallah ibn Unays went out to him alone, and found him in a litter of women seeking a camp for them. He told him that he was of Khuza'a and had heard of his gathering against Muhammad, and had come to join him. He walked with him until he had the chance, then killed him with the sword and went out. When he came to the Prophet, the Prophet gave him a staff. See the account. 1 2

Notes on the report

  • "At Nakhla or at 'Urana" is the transmitter's doubt about the place. 1
  • That he was gathering people against the Prophet is what "reached" the Prophet; Ibn Ishaq does not relay anything about him from his own side.

Connections

Explore the connections

Member of
Hudhayl
Participated in
Abdullah ibn Unays's mission to kill Khalid ibn Sufyan ibn Nubayh al-Hudhali
Mentioned in
Abdullah ibn Unays's verses on killing Ibn Nubayh al-Hudhali

People and things also explored

Abdullah ibn Unays's mission to kill Khalid ibn Sufyan ibn Nubayh al-Hudhali· Abdullah ibn Unays· Hudhayl· Abdullah ibn Unays's verses on killing Ibn Nubayh al-Hudhali· The staff of Abdullah ibn Unays· Suwāʿ· Muhammad· Utba ibn Mas'ud

Sources

  1. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/267
  2. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/268
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Khalid ibn Sufyan ibn Nubayh al-Hudhali”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/khalid-ibn-sufyan-al-hudhali/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.

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Wing

People

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Related

Abdullah ibn Unays's mission to kill Khalid ibn Sufyan ibn Nubayh al-Hudhali

News reached the Prophet that Ibn Sufyan ibn Nubayh al-Hudhali was gathering men at Nakhla or Urana to attack him; he summoned Abdullah ibn Unays and ordered him to go and kill him, giving as the sign that he would shiver on seeing him. Ibn Unays went girded with his sword, found him with women in litters seeking a camping place at the afternoon hour, prayed by nodding his head as he walked toward him, told him he was an Arab who had heard of his gathering and come for it, walked with him until he could and struck him dead with the sword, leaving the women bent over him. On his return the Prophet said 'the face has prospered' and gave him a staff as a sign between them on the Day of Resurrection. Ibn Ishaq has it from Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr from Ibn Unays.