The Ghaṭafān ( ar, غطفان) were an Arab tribal confederation originally based northeast of

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the tribes of

Banu Abs ) , type = Ghatafan, Qays, Adnanite , image = Antarah ibn Shaddad & Abla.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = , nisba = Al-ʿAbsī , location = Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Eritrea, Kuwait, Jordan, Unite ...

, Banu Dhubyan and Ashja'. They were one of the Arab tribes that interacted with Muhammad. They are notable for allying themselves with the

Quraysh The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qu ...

in the

Battle of the Trench The Battle of the Trench ( ar, غزوة الخندق, Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq ( ar, معركة الخندق, Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates ( ar, غزوة الاحزاب, Ghazwat al- ...

Origins and branches

The Ghatafan were a

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arabs, Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert ...

tribal grouping that inhabited the Wadi al-Rumma area of

Najd Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, since the Emirate of Diriyah, acting as the base for all unification campaigns by the ...

between the

Hejaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Prov ...

mountains and

Jabal Shammar The Emirate of Jabal Shammar ( ar, إِمَارَة جَبَل شَمَّر), also known as the Emirate of Haʾil () or the Rashidi Emirate (), was a state in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, including Najd, existing from the mid-nin ...

.Fück, p. 1023. According to Arab genealogical tradition, the progenitor of the tribe was Ghaṭafān ibn Saʾd ibn Qays ʿAylān, making it a part of the larger

Qays Qays ʿAylān ( ar, قيس عيلان), often referred to simply as Qays (''Kais'' or ''Ḳays'') were an Arab tribal confederation that branched from the Mudar group. The tribe does not appear to have functioned as a unit in the pre-Islamic e ...

tribe. The etymology or meaning of Ghatafan is not known. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the following: *The

Banu Ashja Banu or BANU may refer to: * Banu (name) * Banu (Arabic), Arabic word for "the sons of" or "children of" * Banu (makeup artist), an Indian makeup artist * Banu Chichek, a character in the ''Book of Dede Korkut'' * Bulgarian Agrarian National Union ...

, who inhabited the westernmost area of the Ghatafan's tribal territory. *The

Banu Dhubyan Dhubyan or Banu Dhubyan ( ar, بنو ذبيان) are an Arabian tribe of Ghatafan branch, one of the Adnani branches. Banu Dhubyan inhabited the Hijaz region and were mostly Christian. Influential people of Dhubyan *Al-Nabigha References D ...

, who were descendants of Dhubyān ibn Baghīd ibn Rayth ibn Ghaṭafān. They inhabited the area east of the Banu Ashja and included the major subtribes of the

Banu Murra Banu Murra () was a tribe during the era of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. They participated in the Battle of the Trench.Rodinson, ''Muhammad: Prophet of Islam'', p. 208. They were members of the Ghatafan tribe See also *List of battles of Muham ...

, the

Banu Fazara The Banu Fazara or Fazzara or Fezara or Fezzara () were an Arab tribe whose original homeland was Najd. Origins of the tribe According to Arab genealogical tradition, the progenitor of the Banu Fazara was Fazāra ibn Dhubyān ibn Baghīd ibn Ra ...

and the Tha’laba. *The

, descendants of ʿAbs ibn Baghīd ibn Rayth ibn Ghaṭafān, inhabited the area east of the Banu Dhubyan. *The Anmar, who inhabited the Qassim region of Najd.

Conflict with Muhammad

They were involved in several military conflicts with Muhammad. The first was the

Invasion of Dhi Amr The raid on Amarr ( ar, غزوة ذي أمر), also known as the Raid on Ghatafan, occurred directly after the Invasion of Sawiq in the year A.H. 3 of the Islamic calendar, March 624. The expedition was ordered by Muhammad after he received intel ...

occurred directly after the Invasion of Sawiq in the year 3 A.H of the Islamic calendar, September 624. The expedition was ordered by

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

after he received intelligence that the Banu Muharib and Banu Talabah tribes, were planning to raid the outskirts of

. Therefore, Muhammad launched a preemptive strike with 450 men. Another conflict they were involved in was the

Expedition of Dhat al-Riqa The expedition of Dhat al-Riqa took place in July AD 625 (or April 626, Muharram AH 5 of the Islamic calendar according to al-Waqidi),. or after the Battle of Khaybar in AD 628, i.e. AH 7 of the Islamic calendar. Two Quran verses, 5:11 and 4:101 ...

where Muhammad ordered an attack on the tribe because he received news that they were assembling at Dhat al-Riqa with a suspicious purpose. This was followed by the

Invasion of Dumatul Jandal The Expedition of Dumat al-Jandal is an early Muslim expedition which took place in August or September of 626 AD. According to Indian biographer of Muhammad, Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Dumat al-Jandal is located at about a distance of fifteen ...

. Muhammad ordered his men to invade Duma, because Muhammad received intelligence that some tribes there were involved in highway robbery and preparing to attack Medina itselfMubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, pp. 193-194.
online
This happened in July 626. Then Expedition of Abu Qatadah ibn Rab'i al-Ansari (Khadirah) in November or Dec 629William Muir, The life of Mahomet and history of Islam to the era of the Hegira, Volume 4, p. 106. the Expedition of Abu Qatadah ibn Rab'i al-Ansari (Khadirah) took place. With the goal of attacking the Ghatafan tribe because he heard that they were amassing troops and were still outside the "domain of Islam"Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 247.
online

List

* Nuaym ibn Masud''Muhammad and the Course of Islam'' By H. M. Balyuzi. p.97. *

* Bani Rasheed *

Rashaida people The Rashaida () is an ethnic group inhabiting the coastal plain from Massawa in Eritrea to the border with eastern Sudan. They are descended from Arabs (descended from Banu Abs) who fled from the Hejaz in present-day Saudi Arabia after tribal warf ...

Mutayr Mutayr () is an Arab tribe that originated in the northern Hejaz near Medina. The tribe mainly inhabits Saudi Arabia (Najd), Kuwait, Iraq, Morocco, and Tunisia. Genealogy Ahmad al-Qalqashandi who died in 1418 stated that al-Mutayr tribe belongs ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghatafan Tribes of Arabia Tribes of Saudi Arabia Muhammad in Medina