Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-Dili
نوفل بن معاوية الديلي
Chief of Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr in the truce years; he led the night attack on Khuza'a at al-Watir seeking blood-revenge and refused to halt at the sanctuary's bounds — the breach that precipitated the conquest of Mecca.
At a glance
- Roles
- Tribal leader
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Place in the story
- Military opponenttowardKhuza'aTradition
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
Chief of Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr in the truce years; he led the night attack of al-Watir on Khuza'a seeking an old vengeance, and refused to let it go when his men appealed the bounds of the sanctuary 1.
His leadership of the night attack
Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-Dayli went out among Banu al-Dil — not all of Banu Bakr followed him — and surprised Khuza'a by night at al-Watir 1. When Banu al-Dil pursued Khuza'a into the sanctuary his companions said: Nawfal, you are in the sanctuary — he answered: "your God, your God, my people! Will you take your revenge from the polytheists while the polytheists bar you from taking it? Win your revenge!" 1
For young visitors
A chief who wanted revenge for his old kin; when the time of peace came he would not wait, and led a night assault on his neighbours until they entered the sanctuary — and his error began the end of the whole war.
Connections
- Member of
- Banu al-DilBanu Bakr ibn Abd Manat
- Participated in
- The Bakr–Khuza'a clash at al-WatirThe siege of Ta'if
People and things also explored
The Bakr–Khuza'a clash at al-WatirBanu Bakr ibn Abd ManatBanu al-DilKhuza'aal-Akhzar ibn Lut al-DiliEmancipation of enemy slaves upon fleeing to Muslim linesAbu Sufyan's mission to MedinaThe Battle of Hunayn
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/32
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-Dili”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/nawfal-ibn-muawiya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.