Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 26

Chapter Two 26 Kilāb acquired the custody of Ka‘bah, and united different branches of his tribe settling them in Makkah, the tribe received the name of Quraish as it has the connotation of “gathering. ” Qusayy bin Kilāb Qusayy bin Kilāb, who has been mentioned above, was a person of extraordinary capabilities. His era was 500 A. D. , about 150 years before Muḥammad sa. He not only restored the original administration of Ka‘bah, but also formally organized the people of his tribe and laid the foundation of a new democratic state. Dārun-Nadwah Qusayy bin Kilāb established Dārun-Nadwah close to the Ka‘bah which was used by the Quraish to perform all of their governmental activities. Prior to the migration, the infamous plan to murder Muḥammad sa was hatched by the leaders of the Quraish in Dārun- Nadwah. Qusayy had four sons; among them ‘Abdud-Dār and ‘Abdi Manāf are the most well-known. Qusayy nominated ‘Abdud-Dār to succeed him after his death. ‘Abdud-Dār admirably performed his responsibilities, but after his death, the custody of the Ka‘bah was taken over by the people of Banū ‘Abdi Manāf which included ‘Abdi Shams, Muṭṭalib, Hāshim, and Naufal as they were known for their capabilities and high ethics. This led to a dispute between the two sides and it came close to war, but finally a compromise was reached. Two offices, including the Rifādah (feeding poor pilgrims) and the Siqāyah (watering pilgrims) were given to Banū ‘Abdi Manāf, and the other three offices including the administration of Dārun-Nadwah (assembly or parliament), Liwā (issuances of the standard and the banners) and Ḥijābah (guardianship of Ka‘bah) stayed with Banū ‘Abdud-Dār. Banū ‘Abdi Manāf, with mutual consultation, appointed Hāshim the trustee of the Rifādah and the Siqāyah.