Banu Khuza'ah

The Banū Khuzāʿa (Arabic: بنو خزاعة, singular خزاعيّ Khuzāʿī) is the name of an Azdite, Qaḥṭānite tribe, which is one of the main ancestral tribes of Arabia. They ruled Mecca for 400 years before the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and many members of the tribe now live in and around that city. Others are also present in significant numbers in other countries, mainly Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan, but also can be found across the Middle East.One significant historical event involving Banu Khuzāʿa was their conflict with the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. The Quraysh had formed an alliance with Banu Bakr, a rival tribe of Banu Khuzāʿa. In 5 AH (627 CE), the Quraysh and Banu Bakr violated the sanctity of the sacred month and attacked Banu Khuzāʿa, resulting in the killing of several members of Banu Khuzāʿa. This event, known as the Incident of Al-Hudaybiyah, contributed to the escalation of tensions between the Quraysh and the Muslims.

The Banū Khuzāʿa acted as the custodians of Mecca before the Quraysh. They were the ruling kings of the emirate of Lower Mesopotamia (now southern Iraq) until the invasion of the Ottoman Empire in the late 1800s, and were the rulers of the kingdom of the Middle Euphrates until the early 20th century.