Qusayy ibn Kilab

Qusayy ibn Kilab, unifier of Quraysh in Mecca. In the mid-fifth century CE he took the custody of the House and the rule of Mecca from Khuza'a; in The Sealed Nectar's reckoning, the year is 440 CE. He gathered his people into Mecca, founded the Dar al-Nadwa, and gathered in his hand the five offices of leadership ^{1 2 3}.

His father died while he was in his mother's lap. His mother married a man of Banu Udhra, Rabi'a ibn Haram, who took her away to his lands on the edge of Syria. When Qusayy grew up he returned to Mecca. Its ruler at that time was Hulayl ibn Hubshiyya of Khuza'a. Qusayy asked Hulayl for his daughter Hubba in marriage; Hulayl was pleased with him and married her to him ^{4 5}.

When Hulayl died, a war broke out between Khuza'a and Quraysh, which ended with Qusayy prevailing over the affairs of Mecca and the House. The author gives three accounts of the cause of this war. Then came the arbitration of Ya'mar ibn Awf, who ruled that Qusayy had the greater right to the Ka'ba and to the affairs of Mecca ^{4 1 6}. Its details are in Qusayy's seizure of Mecca. With this, Qusayy and then Quraysh held full lordship and binding authority in Mecca. He became the religious head of that House, to which Arabs came from every part of the peninsula ¹.

He gathered his people from their dwellings into Mecca and divided it into quarters among his tribe, and he settled each clan of Quraysh in the places where they came to be. He confirmed the Nasa'a, the family of Safwan, Adwan and Murra ibn Awf in the offices they held, because he regarded these as a matter of religion that should not be changed ^{1 7}. He founded the Dar al-Nadwa on the north side of the mosque of the Ka'ba, with its door opening onto the mosque. It was the assembly of Quraysh, where its affairs were decided. He earned credit for it, because it secured the unity of their word and settled their problems peacefully ^{1 2 8 9}.

Qusayy held five marks of leadership and honour. The first was the presidency of the Dar al-Nadwa. The second was the banner: no war banner was tied except by his hand. The third was the hijaba: the door of the Ka'ba was opened only by him, and he was in charge of its service and custody. The fourth was the siqaya, the provision of water to the pilgrims. The fifth was the rifada, food prepared for the pilgrims, for which Qusayy imposed on Quraysh a levy that they paid each season ^{2 10 11}. See the offices of Quraysh.

His son Abd Manaf had gained honour and leadership during Qusayy's lifetime, while Abd al-Dar was his eldest. Qusayy said to him: "I will surely raise you to the level of the people, even if they surpass you." He bequeathed to him the offices he had held over Quraysh's affairs: the Dar al-Nadwa, the hijaba, the banner, the siqaya and the rifada ^{2 12}. Qusayy was never contradicted, and nothing he had done was rejected. His command, in his lifetime and after his death, was like a faith followed, and when he died his sons upheld his command without dispute ². What followed is in the division of the offices between Banu Abd Manaf and Banu Abd al-Dar.