[1] The Ghatafan were a Bedouin tribal grouping that inhabited the Wadi al-Rumma area of Najd between the Hejaz mountains and Jabal Shammar.
[2] According to Arab genealogical tradition, the progenitor of the tribe was Ghaṭafān ibn Saʾd ibn Qays ʿAylān, making it a part of the larger Qays tribe.
[3] The main branches of the Ghatafan were the following: They were involved in several military conflicts with Muhammad.
[10] Then Expedition of Abu Qatadah ibn Rab'i al-Ansari (Khadirah) in November[11] or Dec 629[12] the Expedition of Abu Qatadah ibn Rab'i al-Ansari (Khadirah) took place.
With the goal of attacking the Ghatafan tribe because he heard that they were amassing troops and were still outside the "domain of Islam"[13]