The Banu al-Khazraj (Arabic: بنو الخزرج) was one of the tribes of Arabia during Muhammad's era.[1][2]
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Abu Muhammad Al-hasan Ibn Ahmad Al-hamdani mentioned that The Banu Khazraj along with Banu Aws settled the area of Yathrib around the 2nd century ad as part of the PreIslamic Exodus of Yemen due to the Great Dam damage.
However, all sources agree that the Banu Khazraj and Banu Aus became hostile to each other.
Jewish chronicles state that they went to war against each other in the Battle of Bu'ath a few years before the Islamic prophet Muhammad migrated to Medina.[2]
There were three Jewish tribes present in Medina: Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza.
During the battle, The Banu Nadir and the Banu Qurayza fought on the side of the Banu Aus, while the Banu Qaynuqa were allied with the Banu Khazraj. The latter were defeated after a long and desperate battle.[2].
Muhammad came to Medina as a mediator, invited to resolve the feud between the factions of Banu Aws and Banu Khazraj. He ultimately did so by absorbing both factions into his Muslim community, forbidding bloodshed among Muslims.
The Banu Aus were included in point 30-31 of the Constitution of Medina as allies to the Muslims, being as "one nation/community with the Believers".[3][4]
Abd-Allah ibn Ubaiy, their chief,[5] is said to have ploted against Muhammad.[6]
After this, Banu Khazraj and others became known as the Ansar.
on 624, when men of the Banu Aus tribe murdered Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, some Khazraj tribesman including Abdallah ibn Unays went to Muhammad and received his permission to kill Sallam ibn Abu al-Huqayq.[7][8][9]
In 1228 Ibn Alahmar gathered the remains of the Muslim population cornered in Granada and established Almamlika Alnasria derived from the Ansar of Mecca whom he claimed direct lineage to. the Nasrids. With the Reconquista in full swing after the conquest of Cordoba in 1236, the Nasrids aligned themselves with Ferdinand III of Castile, officially becoming a tributary state in 1238. The state officially becoming the Kingdom of Granada in 1238. The Nasrids had to turn their backs against the Muslims of Cordoba and Seville in order to survive the reconquest.
Initially the kingdom of Granada linked the commercial routes from Europe with those of the Maghreb. The territory constantly shrank, however, and by 1492, Granada controlled only a small territory on the Mediterranean coast. Arabic was the official language, and was the mother tongue of the majority of the population.
Granada was held as a vassal to Castille for many decades, and provided trade links with the Muslim world, particularly the gold trade with the sub-saharan areas south of Africa. The Nasrids also provided troops for Castille while the kingdom was also a source of mercenary fighters from North African Zenata tribes. However, Portugal discovered direct the African trade routes by sailing around the coast of West Africa. Thus Granada became less and less important for Castille and with the unification of Castille and Aragon in 1479, those kingdoms set their sights on conquering Granada and Navarre.
On January 2, 1492, the last Muslim leader, Muhammad XII, known as Boabdil to the Spanish, surrendered complete control of Granada, to Ferdinand and Isabella, Los Reyes Católicos ("The Catholic Monarchs"), after the city was besieged.
See Nasrid dynasty for a full list of the Nasrid rulers of Granada. The most prominent members of the dynasty were: