The event of Yawm al-Nakhla (Arabic: يوم نخلة) was an armed conflict between the forces of the Himyarite Kingdom and the Tribes of Arabia which happened around the 3rd century CE in Pre-Islamic Mecca.
| Yawm al-Nakhla | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Himyarite Kingdom | Tribes of Arabia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Hassan ibn 'Abd-Kulal al-Himyari | Fihr ibn Malik | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Himyarites soldiers (unknown number) | Arabian tribes of Mudar, Banu Kinana, Banu Asad, Banu Hudhayl, Banu Tamim and the Quraysh | ||||||
Background edit
The Himyarite military general, Hassan ibn 'Abd-Kulal ibn Muthawwib Dhu Harith al-Himyari (son of 'Abd-Kulal and brother of the future ruler Marthad'ilan Yanuf) set out with a large army to take the stones of the Kaaba and transport them from Mecca to Yemen so that the Arabs would perform the Hajj there instead.[1][2][3][4]
Course of conflict edit
When Hassan ibn 'Abd-Kulal and his forces arrived, they settled at Wadi Nakhla before raiding nearby tents and blocking off roads leading to Mecca.[1][2][3][4] The news of Hassan's attempted siege reached the Arabian tribes living in Mecca, who went out in numbers to fight against him.[1][2][3] The ruler of Mecca at the time, Fihr ibn Malik, led the tribes in the battle against the Himyarites.[1][2][3][4] The battle ended with a victory for the tribal forces and the capture of Hassan ibn 'Abd-Kulal.[1][2][3]
Aftermath edit
Hassan ibn 'Abd-Kulal was imprisoned in Mecca for at least three years, before he was able to ransom himself out of prison. He died on his journey home to Yemen.[1][2][3]
Historicity edit
Some Muslim historians rejected the narrative of this battle; stating that the Banu Khuza'ah were the ones ruling Mecca during the time of Hassan ibn 'Abd-Kulal, and not the Quraysh.[5][2] Furthermore, the battle takes place in 280 CE but the father of Hassan would not be in existence until at least the 5th century CE.[6]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f Guillaume, Alfred (2002). The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Isḥāq's sīrat. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780196360331.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ibn Jarir at-Tabari. The History of the Prophets and Kings.
- ^ a b c d e f Ṭabarī; Watt, W. Montgomery; McDonald, M. V.; Ṭabarī (1988). Muḥammad at Mecca. SUNY series in Near Eastern studies. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-88706-706-8.
- ^ a b c "ابن عَبْد كُلَال". islamic-content.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-05-18.
- ^ "المفصل فى تاريخ العرب قبل الإسلام • الموقع الرسمي للمكتبة الشاملة". shamela.ws (in Arabic). Retrieved 2018-10-19.
- ^ "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-04-20.