Tribes

An Arab tribe that controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. The tribe was composed of several prominent clans and was known for its commercial prowess and religious significance as protectors of the Kaaba.

A noble clan within the Quraysh tribe, named after Hashim ibn Abd Manaf. The most distinguished clan, from which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ descended.

A respected clan within the Quraysh tribe, named after Taim ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b. The clan of Abu Bakr As-Siddique, the first Caliph of Islam.

The maternal clan of the Prophet ﷺ, the clan of Aminah bint Wahb and her father Wahb ibn Abd Manaf, one of the tribes of Quraysh.

The clan responsible for carrying the banner of Quraysh in war.

A powerful and wealthy clan of Quraysh.

The clan of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, known for diplomacy.

A large tribal confederation in central Arabia.

The desert tribe renowned for the purity of its Arabic, to whom the noble Quraysh sent their children to be nursed. Ḥalīmah as-Saʿdiyyah, foster-mother of the Prophet ﷺ, was of this tribe.

One of the two main Arab tribes of Yathrib (Medina), who became the Anṣār (Helpers) of the Prophet ﷺ. They were the farming and laboring class of Yathrib, generally of lower socio-economic status than the Aws. Living alo…

One of the two main Arab tribes of Yathrib (Madinah), who became the Anṣār (Helpers) of the Prophet ﷺ. Qaḥṭānī in origin, descendants of the ancient kingdom of Sabaʾ (Saba/Sheba) in Yemen, whose capital was Maʾrib. The c…

A prominent clan of the Khazraj tribe in Medina.

The tribe that controlled Mecca after the Jurhum and before Quraysh reclaimed it under Qusayy. Its chief ʿAmr ibn Luḥayy introduced idol-worship to Arabia.

An Arab tribe of eastern Arabia. From it came Quss ibn Sāʿidah, the eloquent Hanif preacher whom the Prophet ﷺ heard at the fair of ʿUkāẓ.

A great branch of the Arabs, named after the ancestor Kinānah, to which Quraysh belongs. The Kinānah tribes were one party in the Wars of Fijār.

A great branch of the Arabs including such tribes as Hawāzin and Ghaṭafān; the opposing party to the Kinānah in the Wars of Fijār.

A Yemeni tribe. The wronging of one of its merchants in Mecca by al-ʿĀṣ ibn Wāʾil sparked the Pact of Ḥilf al-Fuḍūl.

A large Arab tribe of the Qays ʿAylān branch, alongside Hawāzin; among the tribes that opposed the Kinānah in the Wars of Fijār.

A noble and intelligent Arab tribe living on the border of the Sassanid Persian Empire. They had a neutrality treaty with Kisra (the Sassanid Emperor). The Prophet ﷺ approached them during his tribe-presentation campaign…

One of the most historically prestigious Arab tribes, once possessing something close to a kingdom, a rare political structure in Arabia, roughly 400–500 years before the Prophet's ﷺ time. By the 7th century they had los…

One of the three Jewish tribes of Yathrib, and the wealthiest of the three. Allied with the Aws tribe (the wealthier of the two main Arab tribes), they financed and supported the Aws in the civil wars against the Khazraj…

One of the three Jewish tribes of Yathrib. Allied with the Khazraj tribe (the less wealthy of the two main Arab tribes), they supported the Khazraj side during the civil wars of Yathrib that culminated in the Battle of B…

One of the three Jewish tribes of Yathrib, the most prominent of the three in terms of land holdings and political connections. Their detailed stories, including their treaty with the Prophet ﷺ and subsequent events, bel…

One of the most powerful clans of Quraysh, traditionally in charge of cavalry and military affairs. Home of Abu Jahl (Amr ibn Hisham), Khalid ibn Walid, and Umm Salama. The Banu Makhzum were among the fiercest opponents…

A clan of Quraysh. Home of Umayyah ibn Khalaf, the man who bought and tortured Bilal ibn Abi Rabah. Bilal was enslaved by Umayyah and is counted as a mawla (client) of Banu Jumah.

A clan of Quraysh. Home of Suhayl ibn Amr (the Qurayshi diplomat who negotiated the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah) and Hisham ibn Amr (one of the men who worked to end the Boycott of Banu Hashim).

A clan of Quraysh. Home of Amr ibn al-As, the brilliant strategist who later became the conqueror of Egypt and one of the most important Companions of the later period.

The dominant tribe of Ta'if, the wealthy highland city near Makkah famous for its grapes, gardens, and cooler climate. When the Prophet ﷺ came to Ta'if after the Year of Sorrow seeking asylum and support, the three chief…

A non-Qurayshi Arab tribe living near Makkah, part of the Ahābīsh confederation of tribes allied with Quraysh. Ibn al-Daghina was their chief and a former trade partner of Abu Bakr. He gave Abu Bakr tribal protection (ji…

One of the large central Arabian tribes of Najd. Known for their poetry and pride. Khabbab ibn al-Aratt was originally from this tribe, he was captured as a boy during a tribal raid and sold into slavery in Makkah, where…

One of the most prominent clans of the Aws tribe of Yathrib. Their leaders, Saʿd ibn Muʿādh and Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr, were among the most beloved of the Anṣār. Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr's calm invitation to 'simply listen' converted…

One of the leading clans of the Quraysh tribe of Makkah. Their most famous member is Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, the closest companion of the Prophet ﷺ and the first Caliph of Islam. The clan had a reputation for honesty and nob…

A Bedouin tribe from the Kinana branch, not directly part of the Quraysh city-dwellers. Known for their desert skills and tracking ability. Their most historically notable member is Surāqah ibn Mālik, who pursued the Pro…

A prominent clan of the Khazraj tribe of Madinah, known for their special connection to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet's great-grandmother Salmā bint ʿAmr was from this clan, meaning the Prophet ﷺ was a second cousin to the…

One of the three Jewish tribes of Yathrib, and arguably the most powerful of them militarily. Along with Banū Naḍīr, they were allied with the Aws tribe (the wealthier of the two Arab tribes of Yathrib), who had negotiat…

A clan of the Aws tribe of Madinah, historically settled in the southernmost settlement of Yathrib, the area known as Qubāʾ (قُبَاء). This was the first settlement reached by anyone approaching Madinah from the direction…

A clan of the Anṣār settled in the area between the Qubāʾ settlement and the central district of Madinah. Their territory is historically significant as the site of the Prophet ﷺ's first Ṣalāt al-Jumuʿah. On the Friday…

Banū Ḍamrah was an Arab tribe of the Kinānah confederation living in the region between Makkah and Madīnah. They were the first Arab tribe outside Madīnah to form a formal non-aggression pact with the early Muslim state.

A Bedouin tribe of Najd and a branch of the larger Ghaṭafān confederation, known for the crude manners (jafā') characteristic of desert Bedouins far removed from the settled etiquette of the cities. Fielded around 1,000…

A Bedouin tribe of Najd that fielded around 700 fighters as part of the Confederate (Aḥzāb) army against Madinah in 5 AH, led by their chieftain Ṭulayḥah. The tribe later followed Ṭulayḥah into his false claim of prophet…

A very large tribe of central Arabia, roughly comparable in size and standing to Quraysh, based around the region of al-Yamāmah. Its chieftain, Thumāmah ibn Uthāl, embraced Islam in 6 AH after being captured and treated…

A tribe of the Hijaz, close to Makkah, that fabricated a request for Islamic teachers in order to lure a delegation of Companions into an ambush at al-Rajīʿ, resulting in the massacre of most of the group and the martyrd…

An Arab Christian tribe that served as vassals of the Roman Empire, handling Rome's affairs among the Arab tribes in exchange for imperial favor and protection. Their chieftain Shurahbil ibn Amr's killing of the Prophet'…

One of the relatively large northern Arab tribes. Quḍāʿah had sided with the Ghassanids against the Muslims at the Battle of Muʾtah, and the Ghazwat Dhāt al-Salāsil, ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ's expedition of 300, later reinforced…

The last fully pagan tribe left in the vicinity of Mecca. After the Treaty of al-Ḥudaybiyyah, Banū Bakr allied with Quraysh while their century-old enemies Khuzāʿah sided with the Muslims. To settle old blood-feuds, Banū…

A large tribe of eastern Arabia, partly Christian and partly pagan, living on the coast bordering the Persian empire. They sent the earliest delegation to reach the Prophet ﷺ, a group of converts in 5 AH, before any Musl…

A powerful Bedouin tribe of Najd, responsible for the massacre of the seventy reciters at Biʾr Maʿūnah in 4 AH. Their chieftain ʿĀmir ibn al-Ṭufayl came to Madinah among the delegations with no intention of converting, a…

A Yemeni tribe whose chieftain Ṭufayl ibn ʿAmr al-Dawsī converted in the middle Makkan period after hearing the Prophet ﷺ recite despite the cotton he had stuffed in his ears, and who then brought some eighty families of…