The Fijar Wars
Sacrilegious skirmishes; the Prophet ﷺ attended as a youth.
Hijri BH ~25 CE c. 585 CE
A series of skirmishes between Kinana (which includes Quraysh) and Qays Aylan (Ghatafan, Hawazin), called fijar (“sacrilegious”) because they violated the sanctity of the sacred months and the Haram. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a teenager (~15), attended.
What happened (EP 008)
- Sparked by a killing; the Hawazin pursued the Kinana even into the sanctuary.
- The Prophet’s ﷺ role was to gather stray arrows and hand them back to his uncles — he did not physically fight (a sign he was not yet of fighting age). A peace with blood money ended it.
Lesson
Later he said, “I do not regret participating.” Scholars derive that a Muslim may take part in a just, non-religious cause — a theme continued in the Hilf al-Fudul (Pact of Virtue).
Cross-references
Hilf al-Fudul (Pact of Virtue) · Muhammad ﷺ · Mecca · Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic Arabia)
Sources
- S003 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 008.