QURAYSH

also spelled Kuraish, or Koreish, the ruling tribe of Mecca at the time of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. There were 10 main clans, the names of some of which gained great lustre through their members' status in early Islam. These included Hashim, the clan of the Prophet himself (see Hashimite); Zuhra, that of his mother; and Taim and 'Adi, the clans of the first and second caliphs, Abu Bakr and 'Umar I, respectively; and Umayya, the clan of the third caliph, 'Uthman, and his relatives, the dynasty of the Umayyad caliphs.