Harith ibn Abi Shamir

Governor of Syria under the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century

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Harith ibn Abi Shamir

الحارث بن أبي شمر

An imaginary depiction of Harith ibn Abi Shamir from a Arabic miniature that is in the collections of the Austrian National Library, Vienna

Died| c. 630s CE

Syria (possibly)

Known for| Governor of Syria under Byzantine rule (according to the Arab historians)

Harith ibn Abi Shamir (Arabic: الحارث بن أبي شمر) or Arethas (Greek: Ἀρέθας) is the name of an Arab Christian who reportedly governed Syria in the 7th century CE, according to Arabic narratives. Islamic traditions also relate that the Muslim prophet Muhammad sent a letter to Harith around 629 CE to invite him to Islam; which Harith reportedly rejected out of anger.

## Biography

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### Traditional narrative

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The traditional view of Harith states that he was the ruler of Syria from the Ghassanid dynasty of Arab Christians.[1] Harith was more than likely to have been a mere governor of Syria under the Byzantine Empire; the Byzantines may have given him a good amount of autonomy and independence in his rule as was the case with the other Ghassanid rulers who were allies of Byzantium.[2] Ibn Hazm states that Harith's grandmother was a woman named Dhat al-Qarta'in; whose full lineage is Mariya bint Arqam ibn Tha'laba ibn 'Amr ibn Jafnah; hence Harith has maternal descent from the first Ghassanid king, Jafnah ibn Amr.[3]

### Ghassanid Sack of Khaybar

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The Ghassanid campaign is recorded by Ibn Qutayba. The Ghassanids had disputes with the jews in Hejaz. They helped their relatives the Aws and Khazaraj of Yahrib.[4][5][6] Al-Harith defeated the fortress and took the inhabitants as captives, only releasing them upon reaching Syria.[7][8][9]

## Diplomatic activities

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### Peace offerings

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Harith reportedly donated two swords as a peace offering to a temple of the Arabian goddess Manat which was venerated by the Khazraj tribe.[10] These swords were taken as war booty after the destruction of the temple during the Raid of Sa'd ibn Zaid al-Ashhali in 630 CE.[10][11]

### Supposed interaction with Muhammad

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In the 7th century CE, the Islamic prophet Muhammad sent a letter inviting Harith to Islam, which read:[1][11][12]

> Peace be upon him who follows true guidance and believes in it and regards it as true. I invite you to believe in One God with no associates, and your kingdom shall remain yours.

The letter was likely sent around 629, but after 628.[13] One of the Sahaba, by the name of Shuja ibn Wahb, carried the letter to the court of Harith in Syria, where it was read out to him. Upon hearing the letter, Harith became infuriated and threatened to attack Medina.[1][11][12]

Islamic narratives report that Harith had started to prepare to invade Medina, but a message reached him from the Byzantine emperor Heraclius which ordered him not to attack Muhammad.[11][12][14] Harith, obedient to the Byzantine overlords, abandoned all his plans to invade Medina.[11][12][14] Other Islamic narratives also state that Harith's servant, Myra, converted to Islam after a conversation with Shuja ibn Wahb.

## Identification

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Harith ibn Abi Shamir may have been the Ghassanid phylarch Jabalah V ibn al-Harith, who reigned from 628–632 and was succeeded by Jabala ibn al-Ayham.[15][16] This identification is supported by the fact that the Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd states that Harith was succeeded by Jabala ibn al-Ayham upon his death.[11]

A narration from Tabari identifies Harith as Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Harith.[17] However, this is contradicted by two factors. Firstly, the letter was sent between 628–630 CE, but Al-Mundhir III was no longer in power by 581 CE, having been accused of treason and then subsequently held in Byzantine imprisonment.[18] He would eventually be released in 602 CE, but there is no evidence of him returning to power afterwards.[19]

## Sayings

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Some quotes have been attributed to him, for example;

* “The meeting of two swords nullifies a choice.”
* “The one deceived by the words of his rival is his own worst enemy.”
* “Opportunity is fleeting, slowly returning.”

These three quotes were attributed to him in the book, al-I'jaz wa al-I'jaz by the author Al-Tha'alibi.[20]

## See also

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* Non-Muslim interactants with Muslims during Muhammad's era
* Muqawqis

## References

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1. ^ a b c Mubarakpuri, Saifur Rahman (2008). The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet. Dar-us-Salam Publications. ISBN 978-9960899558
2. ^ Bury, John (January 1958). History of the Later Roman Empire from the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian, Part 2. Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486203997. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
3. ^ Ibn Hazm (2018). Jamharat Ansab al-Arab. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al Kutub Al Ilmiyah. ISBN 2745100432.
4. ^ Shahîd, Irfan (1995). Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century. Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 978-0-88402-214-5.
5. ^ Syvänne, Ilkka (2022-09-21). Military History of Late Rome 565–602. Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-4738-7220-2.
6. ^ Nicholson, Reynold Alleyne (1907). A Literary History of the Arabs. T. Fisher Unwin.
7. ^ Reilly, Benjamin (2015-10-29). Slavery, Agriculture, and Malaria in the Arabian Peninsula. Ohio University Press. ISBN 978-0-8214-4540-2.
8. ^ Healey, John F.; Porter, Venetia (2002). Studies on Arabia in Honour of Professor G. Rex Smith. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-851064-2.
9. ^ Demichelis, Marco (2021-03-25). Violence in Early Islam: Religious Narratives, the Arab Conquests and the Canonization of Jihad. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7556-3800-0.
10. ^ a b N.A. Faris (1952). "The Book Of Idols: Being A Translation From The Arabic Of The Kitāb al-Asnām By Hishām Ibn Al-Kalbi". Princeton Oriental Studies. 14. New Jersey: Princeton University Press: 23.
11. ^ a b c d e f Ibn Sa'd (1998). Kitab Tabaqat al-Kubra [The Book of Major Classes]. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Sader.
12. ^ a b c d Ibn Sayyid al-Nas. Ibrahim Osi Efa (ed.). Light Of The Eyes: An Abridgement of the Biography of the Trusted, the Trustworthy. Furthest Boundary Press. ISBN 9780993525.
13. ^ Donner, Fred M. (1979). "Muḥammad's Political Consolidation in Arabia up to the Conquest of Mecca: A Reassessment". The Muslim World. 69 (4): 229–247\. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.1979.tb03388.x.
14. ^ a b "ص11 - كتاب السيرة النبوية راغب السرجاني - موقف الحارث بن أبي شمر الغساني أمير دمشق من رسالة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم له - المكتبة الشاملة". shamela.ws. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
15. ^ Fisher, Greg (2018). "Jafnids". In Oliver Nicholson (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Vol. 2: J–Z. Oxford University Press. p. 804\. ISBN 978-0-19-866277-8.
16. ^ "Royal Family Tree". Sovereign Imperial & Royal House of Ghassan. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
17. ^ The History of al-Tabari Vol. 8: The Victory of Islam: Muhammad at Medina. Translated by Fishbein, Michael. SUNY Press. 15 June 2015. p. 108\. ISBN 978-1-4384-0290-1.
18. ^ Shahîd, Irfan (1991). "Ghassānids". In Kazhdan, Alexander (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
* Shahîd, Irfan (1995). Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century. Vol. 1\. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 978-0-88402-214-5.
19. ^ Martindale, John Robert; Jones, Arnold H. M.; Morris, J. (2011). The prosopography of the later Roman empire. Vol. 3 B: A. D. 527 - 641 / J. R. Martindale (Kâlâdji - Zudius). Vol. 3 (3. print ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-521-20160-5.
20. ^ Al-Tha'alibi (1999). al-I'jaz wa al-I'jaz. Cairo, Egypt: Maktaba Al Qur'an Al Karim Lil Tiba'a Wa Al Nashr.

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