Hazrat Sayyedah Khadijah — Page 4
4 4 If one traces back the family tree of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and that of Hazrat Khadijah ra , one will find that Qusayy was their common ancestor. Qusayy lived about a century and a half before the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad saw. Khuwailid, father of Hazrat Khadijah ra , was the great grand- son of Qusayy, while Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Holy Prophet saw , was also the great grandson of Qusayy. These two families had other links as well. The maternal grandmother of Aaminah, the mother of the Holy Prophet saw , was a sister of Khuwailid. Moreover Safiyah ra , an aunt of the Holy Prophet saw , was married to ‘Awwaam, brother of Hazrat Khadijah ra. Qusayy was a man of remarkable character and intelligence. He brought together the disunited clans of the Quraish. In his days, Makkah was a small town. There were no permanent houses. People used to live in tents. Qusayy persuaded the Quraish to build houses around the Ka‘bah leaving enough space for the pil- grims to walk around the ancient building of the Ka‘bah. Qusayy is thus regarded as the founder of the city of Makkah. He allotted specific duties to each clan of the Quraish tribe in connection with the service of the Ka‘bah, the regulations of the pilgrimage, and the administration of the city. He erected a building right opposite the Ka‘bah, called Daar-un-Nadwah, or House of Consultation, where leaders of the Quraish used to gather for consultation in matters of importance and where tribal policies were discussed in public. Qusayy thus founded a democratic form of Government in Makkah as well as in the surrounding areas. The House of Consultation was also used for social gatherings.