Draft:Battle of Bu'ath

The Battle of Bu'ath (Arabic: معرکة بُعاث) was a battle fought between the Banu Aws and the Banu Khazraj specifically the Banu Najjar tribe, which were two Arab tribes in Yathrib (now known as Medina) in the year 617 AD. The battle occurred in the southeast portion of Medina.

Background
The Aws and Khazraj migrated from the Yemen region to the city of Yathrib at an unknown date. It is theorized that this was due to a multitude of reasons including; the ancient Ma'arib dam being destroyed and making the lands surrounding inhospitable, the decline of Yemen as an economic hub for trade into the Arabian Peninsula or Karib'il Watar II's wars against the Kingdom of Awsan. The two tribes of the Aws and Khazraj were locked in previous conflict since the migration from Yemen for unknown reasons. Jewish tribes had recorded the conflict between the two tribes from before the beginning of the battle.

The Battle
As tensions flared between the two tribes, the Jewish tribes of Qurazya and Nadir were approached by the Aws to ask for support in a upcoming battle. As a reaction to this, the Khazraj demanded the tribes send 40 hostages to prove their neutrality in the upcoming conflict. They sent the hostages but once the members of the two other tribes were in the hands of the Khazraj, they demanded lands from the Quarzya and Nadir or they would execute the hostages. The Jewish tribes failed meet the Khazraji's demands and so most of the hostages were executed. This caused the two aforementioned Jewish tribes to ally themselves with the Aws. The battle was fought over the water resources and palm orchards of the Nadir and Qurayza and the rising tensions caused by disruptions in the balance of power in the region of Bu'ath. The battle began between the three tribes of Aws, Nadir and Qurayza and the two tribe of the Khazraj and Qaynuqa, who was allied with the Khazraji previously. As the battle raged on, the Aws and their allies were originally routed in part due to the overwhelming numbers of the Banu Khazraj and Banu Qaynuqa, but made a comeback to defeat the Khazraji and their allies.

Results
The peace imposed on the Khazraj restored the Nabit, a branch of the Aws, to their homeland. The conflict also resulted in the death of both the leaders of the Aws and Khazraj tribes. The consistent warring between the tribes of Yathrib, and the loss of the leaders of the two clans, paved the way for the prophet Muhammad's uniting of the tribes of Medina and the immigration of his early followers to the city. The skill of Muhammad as a diplomat lead to the tribes of the region declaring their support for him. In the end, the tribes were united by the Constitution of Medina and the bloodshed stopped once Muhammad forbade violence between them as one Ummah (one community).