Abu l-Hutuf b. al-Harth al-Ansari

Abu l-Hutuf b. al-Harth al-Ansari
Native name	أبوالحتوف بن حَرث (الحارث) الأنصاری
Full Name	Abu l-Hutuf b. al-Harth al-Ansari al-Ajlani
Companion of	Imam al-Hussain
Lineage	Khazraj
Wellknown Relatives	Sa'd b. al-Harth al-Ansari (brother)
Place(s) of Residence	Kufa
Death/Martyrdom	61/680
Cause of Death/Martyrdom	Martyred in the Battle of Karbala
Burial Place	Karbala
Activities	Being one of Khawarij and participating in the Battle of Nahrawan

Abu l-Hutuf b. al-Harth al-Ansari (Arabic: أبوالحتوف بن حَرث (الحارث) الأنصاری) was martyred in the Battle of Karbala. He initially fought in 'Umar b. Sa'd's army but later he joined Imam al-Hussain 's side and was martyred.

Name and Lineage

He was also known as Abu l-Hutuf Salama b. Harth al-Ansari al-'Ajlani. According to later sources, his name was Abu l-Hutuf, and his father's name was Harth b. Salama al-Ansari al-'Ajlani. He was from Kufa, from the Banu 'Ajlan clan, one of the Khawarij in Kufa, and from the Khazraj tribe in Medina who were from Ansar.

Joining Imam al-Hussain and Martyrdom

Abu l-Hutuf and his brother, Sa'd b. al-Harith (Harth) were part of 'Umar b. Sa'd's army that was fighting Imam al-Hussain. On the Day of 'Ashura when all of the Imam's companions were martyred except Suwayd b. 'Amr b. Abi Muta' and Bashir b. 'Amr al-Hadrami, the Imam asked for help, and women and children in his camp began to cry. When Abu l-Hutuf and his brother, Sa'd, heard the Imam's call and the cry of women and children from the Prophet Muhammad's household, they said,

There is no verdict except by God and we do not obey the one who committed sins; this is Hussain, the son of the daughter of our Prophet Muhammad. How can we fight him while he has no soldiers, while we hope for his grandfather's intercession on the Day of Judgment?

At this point, the drew their swords and switched sides to Imam al-Hussain's army. After killing three people and injuring a number of others, they were both martyred in one place.

al-Samawi relates a slightly different narrative in his Ibsar al-'ayn, stating that Abu l-Hutuf and his brother, Sa'd, were martyred after Imam al-Hussain's martyrdom.

References

• An online encyclopedia of the school of Ahl al-Bayt