At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
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In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Sides
Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr, with secret Quraysh support
Commanders: Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-Dili
Khuza'a
Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr fell on Khuza'a by night at their water of al-Watir below Mecca; Quraysh backed Banu Bakr with arms, a breach of the Hudaybiyya pact and, in the account, the spark of Mecca's conquest.
Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr fell on Khuza'a by night at their water of al-Watir below Mecca, struck a man of them and pursued them till they took shelter in the Haram; Quraysh backed Banu Bakr with arms, some of its men fighting in the dark, a breach of the Hudaybiyya pact and, in the account, the spark of Mecca's conquest. The enmity was ancient Jahiliyya business, and at Hudaybiyya Banu Bakr had entered Quraysh's bond while Khuza'a entered the Prophet ﷺ's — so Banu al-Dil seized the truce for an old score, saying Muhammad would never enter the House nor reach them. Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-Dili went out — not all Banu Bakr followed him — fell on them at al-Watir and they struck one man, Munabbih; the two sides met and fought within Mecca until the attackers were pushed back to the houses of Budayl ibn Warqa' and Rafi' their client.
Storytellers (10–12) read the Explorers text, then cross to the Scholars text.
Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr fell on Khuza'a by night at their water of al-Watir below Mecca, struck a man of them and pursued them till they took shelter in the Haram; Quraysh backed Banu Bakr with arms, some of its men fighting in the dark, a breach of the Hudaybiyya pact and, in the account, the spark of Mecca's conquest. Between Banu Bakr and Khuza'a lay ancient Jahiliyya enmity: Khuza'a had killed Banu al-Aswad ibn Razn — Salma, Kulthum and Dhu'ayb, the chiefs of Banu al-Dil — at Arafa by the Haram's pillars, Banu al-Aswad men who ransomed two blood-prices for honor; then Malik ibn Abbad al-Hadrami went out trading and Khuza'a fell on him in its land, killed him and took his goods, his alliance being to Banu al-Aswad. At Hudaybiyya Banu Bakr entered Quraysh's bond and Khuza'a the Prophet ﷺ's, so Banu al-Dil seized the truce for an old score, saying Muhammad would never enter the House nor reach them. Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-Dili went out — not all Banu Bakr followed — fell on them at al-Watir and they struck a man, Munabbih, whose comrade Tamim ibn Asad called out 'go on, Tamim, by God I am left for dead' and reached Mecca. The two sides met and fought within Mecca; when Banu al-Dil caught Khuza'a in the Haram their men cried 'Nawfal, you are in the Haram' and he said 'your God, your God, O people — you take your revenge from the polytheists and the polytheists bar you? Take your revenge' — until they were pushed to the houses of Budayl ibn Warqa' and Rafi' their client.
Summary
Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr surprised Khuza'a at their watering-place of al-Watir in lower Mecca, struck down one man of them and chased them until they took refuge in the sanctuary 1. Quraysh supplied Banu Bakr with weapons and some of them fought alongside them by night in concealment — a breach of the Hudaybiyya treaty and, in the narrative, the spark of the conquest of Mecca 2.
Background
Between Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manaf and Khuza'a ran an old Jahiliyya feud: before Islam, Khuza'a had killed Banu al-Aswad ibn Razn — Salma, Kulthum and Dhu'ayb, the nobles of Banu al-Dil — at Arafa by the sanctuary's boundary stones; Banu al-Aswad had paid two blood-wits for their honour 3. Then Malik ibn Abbad al-Hadrami went out trading and Khuza'a set upon him in their land, killed him and took his goods; his pact had been with Banu al-Aswad ibn Razn 3.
Then came the Hudaybiyya truce: Banu Bakr entered Quraysh's pact and covenant, and Khuza'a entered the Messenger of God ﷺ's pact and covenant 2. Banu al-Dil seized on the truce to pursue an old revenge — in the account they said: Muhammad will never enter the House by force nor reach us 2.
What happened
Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-Dili went out with Banu al-Dil — not all Banu Bakr followed him — and surprised Khuza'a at al-Watir 2. They struck a man called Munabbih, whose companion Tamim ibn Asad cried: "go, Tamim — by God I am left a dead man", then fled until he entered Mecca 2.
The two parties closed and fought within Mecca; when Banu al-Dil caught Khuza'a inside the sanctuary some of their men said: Nawfal, you are in the sanctuary — and he said: "your God, your God, people! Will you take your revenge on the polytheists and be kept from it by polytheists? Take your revenge!" 2 Quraysh supplied Banu Bakr with weapons and some of them fought alongside them by night in concealment, until they drove them into the house of Budayl ibn Warqa' and the house of their client Rafi' 4.
The battle's poets
al-Akhzar ibn La't al-Dili recited verse boasting of driving Banu Ka'b from al-Watir, and Budayl ibn Umm Asram answered him with a long ode restoring the credit to Khuza'a; Ibn Hisham notes both compositions are not from Ibn Ishaq 5. A long ode of apology is also told, in which its speaker clears Banu Ka'b before Budayl, saying they were not present at al-Watir — attributed to Tamim ibn Asad, though Ibn Hisham notes it is also ascribed to Habib ibn Abdullah al-A'lam al-Hudhali 6.
Significance
The al-Watir attack was the practical breach of the Hudaybiyya truce: the Prophet's treaty party was attacked with Quraysh's backing, making the violation open 2. Directly after came Khuza'a's appeal to Medina, then Abu Sufyan's failed mission, then the march on Mecca 7.
For young visitors
Two tribes had an old feud. When a great peace treaty was made at Mecca, one attacked the other at night by a water well, and Quraysh helped it secretly. The defeated tribe's people went to their Prophet asking for help — and from that day the road to the conquest began.
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Connections
- Had participant
- al-Akhzar ibn Lut al-Dili· Budayl ibn Warqa' al-Khuza'i· Nawfal ibn Mu'awiya al-Dili· Tamim ibn Asad al-Khuza'i· Banu al-Dil· Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat· Khuza'a· Munabbih
- Led to
- Abu Sufyan's mission to Medina· The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)· Khuza'a's appeal to Medina
- Occurred at
- al-Watir· Mecca
- Part of
- The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)
- Caused by
- The Treaty of Hudaybiyya
People and things also explored
Muhammad· Khuza'a· Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat· Quraysh· The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)· Khuza'a's appeal to Medina· Banu al-Dil· Budayl ibn Warqa' al-Khuza'i
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/31-32
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/32
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/31
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/32-33
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/34-35
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/33-34
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/36-42
- Ibn Ishaq / Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad (1955)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Bakr–Khuza'a clash at al-Watir”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/khuzaa-bakr-clash-al-watir/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-26.