The Ghaṭafān () were an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

tribal confederation originally based northeast of

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the tribes of

Banu Abs The Banu Abs (, "sons of ") are an ancient Bedouin tribe that originated in central Arabia. They form a branch of the powerful and numerous Ghatafan tribes. They still inhabit the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa but have spread to man ...

, 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 () are an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founding prophet Muhammad was born. By ...

in the Battle of the Trench.

Origins and branches

The Ghatafan were a

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

tribal grouping that inhabited the Wadi al-Rumma area of

Najd Najd is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in Al-Jawf Province, al-Jawf to the north, ...

between the

Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...

mountains and Jabal Shammar.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 (), often referred to simply as Qays (''Kais'' or ''Ḳays'') were an Arab tribal confederation that branched from the Mudar group. The tribe may not have functioned as a unit in pre-Islamic Arabia (before 630). However, by the ea ...

tribe. The etymology or meaning of Ghatafan is not known. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the following: *The Banu Ashja, who inhabited the westernmost area of the Ghatafan's tribal territory. *The Banu Dhubyan, 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, the Banu Fazara 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 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 (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

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 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. 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 (), also known as Bani Rasheed, are a Bedouin ethnic group inhabiting the coastal plain of the Red Sea stretching from the Sudanese city of Port Sudan to the Eritrean city of Massawa. They are the descendants of Arabs, Arab tribes peo ...

* Mutayr

References

Bibliography

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

Origins and branches

Conflict with Muhammad

List

See also

References

Bibliography