[6] Most traditionalists trace the origins of the tribe to Amr ibn Luhay, and agree that, with the other branches of the Azd, they at some point, left Yemen and moved north.

We will present both opinions here: Al-Mubarrid held the opinion that Khuza'a are descendants of Amr bin Rabiah, and he was known as Luhay and belonged to the Azd;[9] Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī agrees with him, saying: “They were called Khuza'a because they broke away from the Azd when they all left Yemen at the time of the flood of ˁIram” (the breach of the Marib dam).

[13] Al-Zabīdī mentions what ‘Awn ibn Ayūb al-Ansārī stated:[14] فَلَمَّا هَبَطْنَا بَطْنَ مُرٍّ تَخَزَعَتْ خُزَاعَةٌ عَنّا فِيْ حُلُوْلِ كَرَاكِرَ (Fa-lammā habaṭnā baṭna murrin takhazza'at khuzā’atun ‘annā fī ḥulūli Karākira : "And when we dismounted at Baṭn Murr Khuza'a had already stayed behind in the camp at Karākir.")

[26] Al-Suhaylī said that the hadith of Salamah was a strong proof for those who considered Khuza'a to be one of the sons of Qum’ah ibn Ilyās.

[26] And among the some more modern scholars who prefer to regard Khuza'a as one of the descendants of ‘Adnān is 'Allāmah ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Yaḥyā al-Mu’allamī al-Yamānī.

Geographical and historical works mention the locations that Khuza'a used to inhabit before and after the coming of Islam, since they were either Mecca, or adjoining it or in the mountains, watering holes and wadis around it.

A number of other Arab tribes used to share these places with them, such as the Quraysh in Mecca, and Kinanah in Jabal al-Abwā’ and Murr al-Ẓahrān and Qudayd.

[33] Jurhum's custodianship of the Sanctuary lasted for some time, but they then started to become weaker in faith, putting the continuing sanctity of the Sacred House in peril.

It came to the point where a man and a woman, called Asaf and Na'ilah, performed coitus in the Sacred House, and according to the Muslim sources Allah turned them into two stones to punish them for this sacrilegious act.

[35] After the Jurhumites had fled, Khuza'a became custodians of the Sacred House, passing the duty on from father to son for a long time, five hundred years it is said.

[26] The first one of Khuza'a to govern the Sacred House was Amr bin Rabiah (Luhay) who travelled to Syria-Palestine (al-Shām) to seek a cure for a disease he was suffering from; he found the people there worshiping idols, and he liked this religion, so he brought back an idol called Hubal back to Mecca and called on the people to worship it.

Muslims historians consider that the people of Mecca were following the monotheistic religion of Ibrāhīm and Ismā'īl up to this point (see Hanif), when polytheism was introduced.

Amr ibn Luhay became very famous among the other Arab tribes, because he fed all the pilgrims to the Sacred House, and distributed Yemeni cloaks to them.

[36] It is narrated that Banu Qays Aylan bin MuDar coveted the Sacred House and they came one day in a great mass, accompanied by some other tribes, intending to seize it.

When Ḥalīl was dying he considered the fact that Quṣay had so many offspring and that they were well established, and he bequeathed him control of the Sanctuary, giving him the key.

Now Quṣay quickly went to his people the Quraysh and Banu Kinanah and sought their help against Khuza'a, and he also sent for his brother to come from the territory of Quḑa’ah to assist.

Abu Hilāl al-‘Askerī relates that when Ḥalīl became old, he passed control of the Sacred House to Abū Ghabshān Salīm bin Amr al-Khuza'i, and one day he and Quṣay were drinking together; now when he became drunk Quṣay bought the control of the Sacred House from him for a skinful of wine and a young camel.

Since the Khuza'a had recently formed an alliance with Muhammad (referred to in the Quran),[42] this attack constituted a breach of the Treaty of Ḥudaybīyah of 628, that had brought about a truce between the Muslims and the Quraish and forbade hostilities between the two groups and their respective allies.

They were helped in this attack by Quraysh who supplied men and weapons; and Khuza'a were driven into the Sacred Territory (Ḥaram), where they were unable to continue fighting.

[47] Amr bin Salim al-Khuza'i set out with forty mounted men of Khuza'a to inform Muhammad about what had happened to them.