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Abu Ghubshan al-Khuzaʾi

أبو غبشان الخزاعي

The Khuzaʾi who held the guardianship of the Kaaba on behalf of Hubba bint Hulayl and sold it to Qusayy for a skin of wine — the purchase Khuzaʾa resented, sparking the war that ended their rule of Mecca.

Depth

At a glance

Era
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Region
Arabia
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

Family, marriage and kinship

Place in the story

    Arabian polytheism (transmitted)

    Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

    Brief

    Abu Ghubshan al-Khuza'i, the agent of Hubba, daughter of Hulayl, in the custody of the Kaaba. He appears in the third account that The Sealed Nectar gives for the cause of the war between Qusayy and Khuza'a 1 2.

    The account

    Hulayl gave his daughter Hubba the custody of the House and appointed Abu Ghubshan as her agent, so Abu Ghubshan carried out the custody of the Kaaba on her behalf. When Hulayl died, Qusayy bought the custody of the House from Abu Ghubshan for a skin of wine. Khuza'a did not accept this sale and tried to keep Qusayy away from the House. Qusayy then gathered men of Quraysh and the Banu Kinana to expel Khuza'a from Mecca, and they answered his call 1 2. See Qusayy's seizure of Mecca.

    Notes for researchers

    This is one of three accounts the author gives, after which he says "whatever the case may be." It is a report, not a verdict.

    For young visitors

    In one account, Abu Ghubshan sold the key of the Kaaba for a skin of wine. His tribe did not accept the sale, and a war broke out over it.

    Connections

    Explore the connections

    Member of
    Khuza'a
    Participated in
    Qusayy ibn Kilab Takes Mecca

    People and things also explored

    Qusayy ibn Kilab Takes Mecca· Khuza'a· Hulayl ibn Hubshiyya· Qusayy ibn Kilab· Yaʾmar ibn Awf (al-Shaddakh)· The Kaaba· The Expulsion of Jurhum from Mecca· Khuza'a's appeal to Medina

    Sources

    1. al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.30
    2. Rahma lil-Alamin — al-Mansur Furi , 2/55
    Cite this page

    islam.museum contributors. “Abu Ghubshan al-Khuzaʾi”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/abu-ghubshan/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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    Wing

    People

    Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story.     Related

    Qusayy ibn Kilab Takes Mecca

    Around 440 CE Qusayy wrests the custody of the Kaaba and the rule of Mecca from Khuzaʾa — by alliance and, in one account, purchase from Abu Ghubshan — the two sides fight, then accept the arbitration of Yaʾmar ibn Awf who rules for Qusayy; Qusayy then gathers Quraysh into Mecca’s quarters, founds Dar al-Nadwa, and assumes the five offices of Meccan leadership.