Expedition of Banu Lihyan
غزوة بني لحيان
غزوہ بنی لحیان
Historical overview
In Rabi' al-Awwal 6 AH (627 CE), Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) led an expedition of 200 companions towards the territory of Banu Lihyan at Batn Ghurran, located between Makkah and Madinah. The operation sought justice for the ten Muslim missionaries treacherously ambushed and martyred at Al-Raji' two years prior. To preserve secrecy, the Prophet initially feigned a march towards Syria before pivoting rapidly south toward Usfan. Upon receiving intelligence of the Muslim advance, the tribesmen of Banu Lihyan fled into fortified, inaccessible mountain peaks. The Muslim army encamped at Batn Ghurran, prayed for the martyrs of Al-Raji', and dispatched a 10-man cavalry detachment under Abu Bakr to Kura' al-Ghamim to demonstrate force near Quraysh territory. Having asserted control over the region without pitch combat, the force safely returned to Madinah.
Historical context and how to read this record
This record presents Expedition of Banu Lihyan, dated in the archive as 6 AH / 627 CE and associated with Batn Ghurran, near Usfan, Hijaz. The date, place, summary, named groups, terrain features, and references shown here come from the bundled or published event record. They provide a concise entry point for study, while the linked source notes remain the place to check what each historical or religious text actually reports. A label in the archive is not, by itself, proof that every chronology, number, or interpretation is agreed across historians.
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Record timeline and tactical markers
- Archive date: 2026-10-03 · 6 AH / 627 CE
- Recorded setting: Batn Ghurran, near Usfan, Hijaz
- Map feature 1: Narrow dry valley bed of Batn Ghurran
- Map feature 2: Steep rocky basalt mountain peaks
- Map feature 3: Pass leading south towards Usfan and Makkah
- Map feature 4: Arid desert terrain with sparse vegetation
- Schematic marker 1: Main Muslim Army · Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) · 200 warriors, 20 horses
- Schematic marker 2: Scout Detachment to Kura' al-Ghamim · Abu Bakr al-Siddiq · 10 horsemen
- Schematic marker 3: Banu Lihyan Tribesmen (Evacuated to Heights) · Local Tribal Leaders · Unknown (scattered on peaks)
Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.
Forces and commanders
- Main Muslim Army — Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) (200 warriors, 20 horses)
- Scout Detachment to Kura' al-Ghamim — Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (10 horsemen)
- Banu Lihyan Tribesmen (Evacuated to Heights) — Local Tribal Leaders (Unknown (scattered on peaks))
Geography: water and landscape
- Well of Al-Raji' (well)
- Wadi Ghurran Channel (river)
- Narrow dry valley bed of Batn Ghurran
- Steep rocky basalt mountain peaks
- Pass leading south towards Usfan and Makkah
- Arid desert terrain with sparse vegetation
Sources
- Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, Vol. 2, pp. 279-281
- Al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Maghazi, Vol. 2, pp. 535-538
- Al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, Vol. 3, pp. 60-62