Hawazin

The Hawazin (Arabic: هوازن / ALA-LC: Hawāzin) were an Arab tribe originally based in the western Najd and around Ta'if in the Hejaz. They formed part of the larger Qays tribal group. The Hawazin consisted of the subtribes of Banu Sa'd, and Banu Jusham, as well as the powerful Banu Thaqif and Banu Amir, which were both often counted separately from the Hawazin. The tribe often clashed with their one-time patrons, the Ghatafan, and on occasion, sub-tribes of the Hawazin fought each other. The tribe had little contact with the Islamic prophet Muhammad until 630 when they were defeated by Muhammad's forces at the Battle of Hunayn. The Hawazin tribe were one of the first to rebel and fight against the early Muslim state based in Medina during the Ridda wars, which followed Muhammad's death in 632. According to oral tradition and genealogy studies, the modern-day tribe of Otaibah based in Saudi Arabia are descendants of the Hawazin.