The Yawm al-Buʿāth (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

: معرکة بُعاث) was a 7th-century battle in

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 second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...

that was fought between the two dominant tribes living there, the

Aws Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments, on a metered pay-as-you-go basis. These cloud computing web services provide di ...

and the

Khazraj The Banu Khazraj ( ar, بنو خزرج) is a large Arab tribe based in Medina. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era. The Banu Khazraj are a South Arabian tribe that were pressured out of South Arabia in the Karib'il Watar 7th century ...

. The battle marked the final armed conflict between both tribes before their conversion to Islam after the arrival of the Islamic prophet

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 monot ...

Time period

The events of this battle are dated to around the 610–620s within the 7th century CE. This would also be consistent with the narrative that the battle occurred during the arrival of prophethood of Muhammad, and ended not too long before Muhammad arrived to Medina during the

Hijrah The Hijrah or Hijra () was the journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina. The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the epoch of the Lunar Hijri and Solar Hijri calendars; its date e ...

Background

The Aws and Khazraj tribes were known for their many armed rivalries throughout history.Mubarakpuri, Saifur Rahman (2008). ''The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet''. Dar-us-Salam Publications. As the Aws were preparing for yet another war, they pleaded with the Jewish tribes of Qurayza and Nadir to assist them; the Jews were reluctant at first because the Khazraj had threatened to take their children hostage if they assisted the Aws.Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani (2010). ''Kitab al-Aghani''. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Sadr. . However, a tribal chief of Khazraj by the name of 'Amr ibn Nu'man al-Bayadi soon kidnapped hostages from the Jewish tribes and subsequently killed them when the Jews did not agree to give away a portion of their properties to the Khazraj. Angered, the Jewish tribes would bitterly support the Aws in this war.

Course of conflict

Preparations

The Aws put all of their efforts into gathering external support from other Arabian tribes, which was successful with the

Ghassanids The Ghassanids ( ar, الغساسنة, translit=al-Ġasāsina, also Banu Ghassān (, romanized as: ), also called the Jafnids, were an Arab tribe which founded a kingdom. They emigrated from southern Arabia in the early 3rd century to the Levan ...

. The Khazraj were unable to gain external support, so the whole group of Khazraj tribes, their branches included, were required to fight in the battle.

Day of Bu'ath

This day, known as the Day of Bu'ath, was when the actual battle itself occurred. Both armies met at a place known as Bu'ath, where they began the fighting. The Aws were losing at first; but then their chief, Hudayr al-Kata'ib ibn Simak al-Ashhali, shouted out to the Aws and reminded them of the evils and injustice done by the Khazraj towards their tribe. The Aws, motivated by this, persisted in their fight and then managed to kill a large number of Khazraji tribal warriors including 'Amr ibn Nu'man al-Bayadi. The Khazraj were ultimately defeated by the sudden reversal of power and then sounded the retreat.

Aftermath

Peace talks

Tired of fighting, the Aws and Khazraj elected '

Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ʿAbd Allāh ibn 'Ubayy ibn Salūl ( ar, عبد الله بن أبي بن سلول), died 631, was a chieftain of the Khazraj tribe of Medina. Upon the arrival of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Ibn Ubayy seemingly became a Muslim, but Muslim tradi ...

as a ruler over Medina that ensured peace between both tribes.Ibn Sa'd (1998). ''Kitab Tabaqat al-Kubra'' 'The Book of Major Classes'' Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Sader. However, the arrival of the Islamic prophet Muhammad would lead to 'Abd Allah losing prominence in Medina.

Arrival of Muhammad

Muhammad arrived in Medina in 622 accompanied by his followers, the early Muslims, which included

Abu Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honori ...

Umar ibn al-Khattab ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphat ...

, and

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

. Both the tribes of Aws and Khazraj would engage in conversations with Muhammad; resulting in their conversion to Islam. They were then united as the Muslim Ansar unit, which fought alongside the

Muhajirun The ''Muhajirun'' ( ar, المهاجرون, al-muhājirūn, singular , ) were the first converts to Islam and the Islamic prophet Muhammad's advisors and relatives, who emigrated with him from Mecca to Medina, the event known in Islam as the '' Hij ...

unit against 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 Q ...

polytheist warriors in the

Battle of Badr The Battle of Badr ( ar, غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ) in the Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan, 2 AH), near the present-day city of Badr, Al Madinah Provin ...

in 624.Ibn Hisham (2008). ''The Prophetic Biography: Sirah of Ibn Hisham''. Dar Al Kutub Al Ilmiyah.

Notes

References

{{reflist History of Medina