Yawm al-Nakhla

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
Datec. 280 CE
Location
Mecca, present-day Saudi Arabia
Result Tribal Arabs' victory, Hassan ibn 'Abd-Kulal is captured
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

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

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

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

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

References
  1. Guillaume, Alfred (2002). The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Isḥāq's sīrat. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780196360331.
  2. Ibn Jarir at-Tabari. The History of the Prophets and Kings.
  3. 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.
  4. "ابن عَبْد كُلَال". islamic-content.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  5. "المفصل فى تاريخ العرب قبل الإسلام • الموقع الرسمي للمكتبة الشاملة". shamela.ws (in Arabic). Retrieved 2018-10-19.
  6. "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
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