Quraysh

Quraysh قُرَيْشٍ
Settled Adnanite Arab tribe
The purported flag of the Quraysh during the Battle of Siffin in 657
Ethnicity	Arab
Nisba	al-Qurashī (الْقُرَشِي)
Location	Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia (Western Arabia) Modern-day  Saudi Arabia
Descended from	Fihr ibn Malik
Parent tribe	Kinana
Branches	Banu al-Harith Banu Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib Banu 'Amir Banu Ka'b Banu Adi Banu Murra Banu Taym Banu Yaqaza Banu Makhzum Banu Kilab Banu Zuhra Banu Qusayy Banu 'Abd al-Dar Banu 'Abd Manaf Banu Abd Shams Banu Nawfal Banu Hashim Banu Mutallib Banu 'Abd al-Uzza Banu Asad Banu Husays Banu 'Amr Banu Sahm Banu Jumah
Language	Arabic
Religion	Polytheism (230–630) Islam (630 – present)

The Quraysh or Qureshi (Arabic: قُرَيْشٍ) is an Arab tribe that inhabited and used to control Mecca and the Kaaba. Comprising ten main clans, it includes the Hashim clan into which the Islamic prophet Muhammad was born. By 600 CE, the Quraysh had become wealthy merchants, dominating trade between the Indian Ocean, East Africa, and the Mediterranean.^[1] They ran caravans to Gaza and Damascus in summer, and Yemen in winter. They also mined and pursued other enterprises on these routes, placing business interests first. ^[2]

When Muhammad began spreading Islam in Mecca, the Quraysh initially showed little concern. However, opposition grew as he challenged the existence of gods other than Allah (an Arabic name for God or the god of Abraham).^[3][4][5] As relations deteriorated, Muhammad and his followers migrated to Medina (the Hijrah) after negotiating with Banu Aws and Khazraj to mediate their conflict.^[6][7] The Quraysh had prevented Muslims from performing the pilgrimage to Mecca. Unable to reach a peaceful resolution, Muhammad decided to confront the Quraysh through armed conflict, beginning with raids on Meccan caravans.^[8] This led to several major battles, including those at Badr, Uhud, and the Trench.^[9] After these conflicts and following changes in Medina's political landscape, including the expulsion of three major Jewish tribes, Muhammad reportedly shifted his focus from Quraysh caravans to northern tribes such as Banu Lahyan and Banu Mustaliq.^[10]

As Muhammad's position in Medina became more established, attitudes towards him in his hometown became more approving. The Treaty of al-Hudaybiya, establishing a ten-year truce with the Meccans, allowed Muhammad to perform Umrah in Mecca the following year. During this pilgrimage, Muhammad reconciled with his family, the Hashim clan, which was symbolized by his marriage to Maymuna bint al-Harith. Several prominent Meccans, such as Khalid ibn al-Walid and Amr ibn al-As, recognized Muhammad's increasing influence in Arabia and converted to Islam.^[11]

At the end of 629 CE, a belligerent party within the Quraysh, against the advice of their chief Abu Sufyan, supported one of their client clans in a conflict against the Khuza'a, allies of Muhammad. This act was seen as a violation of the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya. As Muhammad advanced with his army to besiege Mecca, Abu Sufyan, along with others, including Muhammad's ally Khuza'i Budayl ibn Warqa, met with Muhammad to request amnesty for all Quraysh who did not resist. Thus Muhammad entered Mecca unopposed, and almost all of its inhabitants converted to Islam.^[12] Afterwards, leadership of the Muslim community traditionally passed to a member of the Quraysh, as was the case with the Rashidun, Umayyad, and Abbasid Caliphates, and purportedly the Fatimids.