Qusai ibn Kilab ibn Murrah (, ''Qusayy ibn Kilāb ibn Murrah''; ca. 400–480), also spelled Qusayy, Kusayy, Kusai, or Cossai, born Zayd (), was an Ishmaelite descendant of

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

. Orphaned early on, he would rise to become chief of

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, and leader of 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 ...

tribe. He is best known for being an

ancestor An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from ...

of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, mos ...

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 ...

as well as the third and the fourth Rashidun caliphs,

Uthman Uthman ibn Affan (17 June 656) was the third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruling from 644 until his assassination in 656. Uthman, a second cousin, son-in-law, and notable companion of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, played a major role ...

and Ali, and the later

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

, and

Fatimid The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...

caliphs A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the enti ...

along with several of the most prominent

Hashemite The Hashemites (), also House of Hashim, are the Dynasty, royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Hejaz, Hejaz (1916–1925), Arab Kingdom of Syria, Syria (1920), and Kingd ...

dynasties in the orient.

Background

His father was

Kilab ibn Murrah Kilab ibn Murrah () (born CE) was an ancestor of the Prophets of Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. Specifically, he was his great-great-great-great-grandfather. Biography Kilab was the son of Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn M ...

who died when Qusai was an infant. According to Islamic tradition, he was a descendant of Ibrahim (

) through his son Ismail (

Ishmael In the Bible, biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael (; ; ; ) is the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah. He died at the age of 137. Traditionally, he is seen as the ancestor of the Arabs. Within Isla ...

). His elder brother Zuhrah ibn Kilab was the progenitor of the Banu Zuhrah clan. After his father's death his mother Fatimah bint Sa'd ibn Sayl married Rabi'ah ibn Haram from the Bani Azra tribe, who took her with him to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, where she gave birth to a son called Darraj. His uncle was Taym ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn An-Nadr ibn Kinanah, who was of the ''Quraysh al-Bitah'' (i.e. Qurayshis living near the

Ka'bah The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...

Life in Syria

Qusai grew up treating his step-father, Rabi'ah, as his father. When a quarrel broke out between Qusai and some members of the tribe of Rabi'ah, they reproached him and betrayed the fact that they never regarded him as one of their own. Qusai complained to his mother, who replied "O my son," she said, "your descent is nobler than theirs, you are the son of Kilab ibn Murrah, and your people live in the proximity of the Holy House in Mecca." Because of this, Qusai departed from Syria and returned to Mecca.

Life in Mecca

When Qusai came of age, Hulail ibn Hubshiyyah the chief of Banu Khuza'a tribe was the trustee and guardian of the Ka'bah. Soon Qusai asked for and married Hulail's daughter Hubbah. When his father-in-law died after a battle which ended in arbitration, he committed the keys of the Kaaba to Hubbah. Hulail preferred Qusai as his successor from his own sons and according to Hulail's will, Qusai got the trusteeship of the Kaaba after him. Qusai brought his nearest of kin of Quraysh, and settled them in the Meccan valley besides the

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

– his brother Zuhrah, his uncle Taym ibn Murrah, the son of another uncle Makhzum ibn Yaqaza, and his other cousins Jumah and Sahm, who were less close. These and their posterity were known as ''Quraysh al-Biṭāḥ'' ("Quraysh of the Hollow"), whereas his more remote kinsmen settled in the ravines of the surrounding hills and in the countryside beyond and were known as ''Quraysh aẓ-Ẓawāhir'' ("Quraysh of the Outskirts"). Qusai ruled as a King. He reconstructed the Kaaba from a state of decay, and made the

Arab people 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 ...

build their houses around it. He is known to have built the first "town hall" in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

, a spacious dwelling which was known as the House of Assembly. Leaders of different clans met in this hall to discuss their social, commercial, cultural and political problems. Qusai created laws so that pilgrims who went to Mecca were supplied with food and water, which was paid for by a tax that the people paid. He distributed the responsibilities of looking after the visitors during pilgrimage, taking care of the Kaaba, warfare, and pacifying amongst myriad tribes living in Mecca.

Sons

Qusai had many sons, some of them being Abd (matrilineal great-grandfather of Fatima bint Amr), Abd-al-Dar, Abd Manaf and Abd-al-Uzza. It was a marked characteristic of Qusai's line that in each generation there would be one man who was altogether pre-eminent. Among his four sons, Abd Manaf was already honoured in his lifetime. However Qusai preferred his first born, Abd-al-Dar, although he was the least capable of all so he singled out Abd Manaf his second son for his honor and prestige. Shortly before Qusai's death he invested all his rights, powers, and transferred the ownership of the House of Assembly to Abd Manaf.

Descendants

The following dynasties claim descent from Qusai: *

Hashemites The Hashemites (), also House of Hashim, are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz (1916–1925), Syria (1920), and Iraq (1921–1958). The family had ruled the city of Me ...

** Hummudid dynasty (through Idris ibn Abdullah) ** Hashemite dynasty (through Qatadah ibn Idris) **

Abbasid dynasty The Abbasid dynasty or Abbasids () were an Arab dynasty that ruled the Abbasid Caliphate between 750 and 1258. They were from the Qurayshi Hashimid clan of Banu Abbas, descended from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The Abbasid Caliphate is divid ...

of the Abbasid Empire (through Abbas ibn Muttalib) **

Fatimid dynasty The Fatimid dynasty () was an Arab dynasty that ruled the Fatimid Caliphate, between 909 and 1171 CE. Descended from Fatima and Ali, and adhering to Isma'ili Shi'ism, they held the Isma'ili imamate, and were regarded as the rightful leaders o ...

of the Fatimid dynasty including the later Agha Khans. (through Ismail ibn Jafar) ** Rassid dynasty of Yemen (through Ibrahim al Jamr bin Hassan al Muthanna) ** Mutawakkilite dynasty of Yemen (through Ibrahim al Jamr bin Hassan al Muthanna as cadets of the Rassid dynasty) ** Bani Shaiba key holders of the Kaaba. ''Africa'' ** Aluoite dynasty of Morocco (through Muhammad Nafs az zakiyah bin Abdullah al Kamal ) **

Idrisid dynasty The Idrisid dynasty or Idrisids ( ') were an Arabs, Arab Muslims, Muslim dynasty from 788 to 974, ruling most of present-day Morocco and parts of present-day western Algeria. Named after the founder, Idris I of Morocco, Idris I, the Idrisids were ...

of West Africa (through Idris ibn Abdullah) ** Senussi dynasty of Libya (through Idris ibn Abdullah as cadets of the Idrisid dynasty ** Ishaqids: *** Tolje'lo dynasty of the

Isaaq Sultanate The Isaaq Sultanate (, Wadaad's writing, Wadaad: , ) was a Muslims, Muslim sultanate that ruled parts of the Horn of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The kingdom spanned the territories of the Isaaq clan in modern-day Somaliland and Ethiopi ...

(through Sheikh Ishaaq bin Ahmed) *** Guled dynasty of the

(through Sheikh Ishaaq bin Ahmed) *** Ainanshe dynasty of the Habr Yunis Sultanate (through Sheikh Ishaaq bin Ahmed) ''Indo-Persia'': **

Safavid dynasty The Safavid dynasty (; , ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from Safavid Iran, 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of History of Iran, modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder em ...

of Persia (through Abul Qasim Humza bin Musa al Kadhim) ** Alid of Tabaristan (through Zayd bin Hassan al Muthana) ** Zaydi dynasty of Tabarstan (through

Zayd ibn Ali Zayd ibn ʿAlī (; 695–740), also spelled Zaid, was the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, and great-grandson of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He led an unsuccessful revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate, in which he died. The event gave rise to t ...

) ** Barha dynasty Including the later Nawabs of Samballhera (through

) ** Rohilla dynasty including the later Nawabs of Rampur (through

as cadets of the Barha dynasty) ** The Agha Khans (Through Ismail ibn Jafar as cadets of the Fatimid dynasty) ** Daudpota dynasty including the later Nawabs of Bhawalpur and Sindh ( Kalhora) (through Abbas ibn Muttalib) ** The sultans of Mysore (through Qatadah ibn Idris as cadets of the Hashemite dynasty) ** Sabzwari dynasty (through Ali al Reza) ** Najafi dynasty of Bengal. Including the later Nawabs of Murshidabad and the Tabatabai family of Iran (through Ibrahim Tabataba ibn Ismail al Dibaj) ** Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari descendant of Qusai Bin Kilab through the 10 Shia imam Ali Al Hadi. ''East Asia'' ** Sultans of Siak (through Ahmad al Muhajir as cadets of the Ba alawi) ** Bendahara dynasty of Pahang and Terengannu (through Ahmad al Muhajir as cadets of the Ba alawi) ** Bolkiah dynasty of Brunei (through Ahmad al Muhajir as cadets of the Ba alawi) ** Jamal al layl dynasty of Perak and Perlis (through Ahmad al Muhajir as cadets of the Ba alawi) ** Sultans of Pontianak (through Ahmad al Muhajir as cadets of the Ba alawi) * Umayyads Umayyad Caliphate (661–750) was the second of the three major Arab

Caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

s established after the end of

Rashidun Caliphate The Rashidun Caliphate () is a title given for the reigns of first caliphs (lit. "successors") — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali collectively — believed to Political aspects of Islam, represent the perfect Islam and governance who led the ...

(632–661) * Umayyad dynasty ** Umayyad dynasty of Cordoba

Family tree

* * indicates that the marriage order is disputed * Note that direct lineage is marked in bold.

References

External links

Banu Hashim — Before the Birth of Islam
— Restatement of History of Islam and Muslims
Hajj

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilab, Qusai ibn 400s births 480 deaths Ancestors of Muhammad Sahabah ancestors 5th-century Arab people Quraysh