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Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid

طليحة بن خويلد

c. 590 CE – c. 642 CE · c. 21 AH† †

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

War-chief of Banu Asad who claimed prophecy at the Prophet ﷺ's death, was broken by Khalid at Buzakha, fled to Syria — then returned, became a Muslim, and fought in the conquests he had once stood against.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
General
Era
The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate
Region
Arabia
Identifiers
Wikidata
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

Life in time

525550575600625650675700 c. c. c. c. c. c.
Pre-Islamic Arabia · The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate · The Umayyad Period Contemporaries: al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib · Abdullah ibn Salam · Abu Dharr al-Ghifari · Abu Sufyan ibn Harb · Amr ibn al-As

Civil wars and revoltsBattlesConverts and those who leave

Place in the story

  • Rival claimanttowardMuhammad · 632 CE · 11 AH† – 632 CE · 11 AH†Historical
  • RebeltowardRashidun Caliphate · 632 CE · 11 AH† – 632 CE · 11 AH†Historical
  • Convert to Islam · c. 633 CE · c. 12 AH†Tradition

Arabian polytheism (debated) · Sunni (transmitted)

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

Overview

Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid, war-chief of Banu Asad who claimed prophethood at the Prophet's death; Khalid broke him at Buzakha and he fled to Syria — then returned a Muslim and fought in the conquests.

Life

When the Prophet died Tulayha rose among Banu Asad claiming revelation; clans of Ghatafan and Tayy' gathered to him, and his was the Ridda trouble closest to Medina 1.

Khalid ibn al-Walid (may God be pleased with him) marched on him and broke him at Buzakha in 632 CE, and Tulayha fled to Syria beyond the caliphate's reach 1.

Then he returned a Muslim; the tradition says he witnessed the engagements in Iraq among the Muslims' soldiery and died in Umar's caliphate 2.

For young visitors

Tulayha claimed prophethood, was defeated and fled — then returned a Muslim and fought in the ranks of the side that had beaten him.

Opinions on the question

The question: How is Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid read in the Sunni tradition and by historians?

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

More opinions (1)

Academic viewSecondary opinion

Connections

Explore the connections

Member of
Banu Asad ibn Khuzayma
Fought
Khalid ibn al-Walid
Participated in
The Battle of Buzakha· ʿAli's dispatch of his own governors to the garrison towns (36 AH)· Conquest of Qazwin
Opposed
Rashidun Caliphate

People and things also explored

Khalid ibn al-Walid· The Ridda Wars· The Battle of Buzakha· The early Muslim community· Musaylima· Uyayna ibn Hisn al-Fazari· The Battle of Hunayn· The Battle of Mu'tah

Sources

  1. al-Tabari, History vol. X: The Conquest of Arabia (Donner translation, SUNY)
  2. Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (Bewley translation, Ta-Ha)
  • Watt, Muhammad at Medina (1956)
  • Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/tulayha-ibn-khuwaylid/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-19.

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Wing

People

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

Khalid ibn al-Walid

The great commander on both sides of the early wars: the cavalry leader who turned the day at Uhud for the Meccans, then converted in 629 and led the Muslim armies at Mu'ta, in the Ridda wars and at the Yarmuk.