The Battle of Harra: Difference between revisions

'''The Battle of Harra''' (Arabic: وقعة الحرّة) took place in the sixty-third year of the Islamic calendar during the reign of [[Yazid]] ibn Mu‘awiya between the powerful armies of Sham under the commandership of Muslim b. 'Uqba and the people of Medina. In this event, many people were killed, including 80 of the [[Prophet Muhammad]]'s companions and 700 of memorizers (hafiz) of the Qur'an, and people's property were plundered.

Harrah literally means a rocky and uneven terrain full of black stones passage through which is quite difficult. This well-known event acquired its name because the assault, which the government armies of Sham made on the ordinary people of Medina, began in a rocky eastern region of Medina.<ref>Ibn Qutaybah, ‘Uyun al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 238.</ref>

The event of Harrah is in all truth one of the most savage and horrible crimes of human history and the most appalling incident which occurred during the reign of Bani Umayyah. Ibn Mushkuwiyyah narrates, “The incident of Harrah is one of the most dreadful and formidable events of history.”<ref>Tajarub al-Umam, vol. 2, p. 79.</ref>

The uprising by the people of Medina occurred in 63 AH. Besides being an uprising against Yazid’s authoritative reign and Bani Umayyah’s tyrannical sultanate, it was more a peoples’ uprising against government policies. The uprising of the people of Medina was a popular and self-perpetuating social movement rooted in the people’s unanimous rejection of the rule of Yazid and Bani Umayyah.

This uprising was caused by various factors:

Medina has always been an exceptionally important city because it is the city of Allah’s Prophet and the land where the divine message grew, developed and flourished. It is the land where divine knowledge and wisdom where introduced. It was in Medina where the Prophet’s way of life was explained and people were instructed regarding it.

Suyuti writes, “The reason for the uprising of the people of Medina was that Yazid had exceeded all bounds and every limit in committing sins.”<ref>Tarikh al-Khulafa’, p. 209</ref>

Ibn Khaldun recounts, “When Yazid’s tyranny and the oppression by his deputies became widespread, and after he killed the Prophet’s son, the people of Medina started a rebellion and uprising.”<ref>Ibn Khaldun, Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 37</ref>

Imam [[ʿAli b. al-Hussain|al-Sajjad]] made a sermon and his words had a strong effect on the people of Medina. In addition to that, [[Zaynab]] and other women, all mothers who had lost children in the battle of [[Karbala]], gave public speeches and detailed what had occurred at [[Karbala]]. Each of the survivors was explaining the event of [[Ashura]] and what had transpired at Karbala. They also gave comprehensive accounts of what had taken place for the captives on the way from [[Kufa]] to Sham and their meeting with Yazid. All this news had a deep impact on the community of Medina.

One of the main causes for the uprising by the people of Medina against the Umayyad government was the immoral behavior and corruption that characterized political decisions. ‘Abd Allah ibn Zubayr wrote a letter to Yazid ibn Mu‘awiya in which he criticized Walid ibn ‘Aqaba, Yazid’s governor and representative in Medina.<ref>Nihayah al-Arab, vol. 6, p. 216</ref>

Yazid became very angry when he heard this news. He said, “I swear by Allah! I will send a large army towards them, and in this way I will crush them under the feet of horses.”<ref>Wafa’ al-Wafa’, vol. 1, p. 127</ref>

‘Abd Allah ibn Hanzala invited the people for the ultimate confrontation with Yazid ibn Mu‘awiya and the whole of Bani Umayyah. His good public standing was the reason the people trusted him and organized around him. They even elected him to be the governor of Medina and paid their allegiance to him and deposed Yazid ibn Mu‘awiya from the caliphate.<ref>Ibn Sa‘d, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 5, p. 47</ref>

This letter reached Yazid at night. Yazid went to the mosque immediately, got on the pulpit and called out, “O people of Sham. ‘Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Sufiyan, the governor of Medina, has written to me saying that the people of Medina have expelled the family members of Bani Umayyah and all our partisans out of the city. I swear upon Allah, swallowing this news is harder for me than living without the beauties and pleasures of the world.”<ref>Al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah, vol. 2, p. 9; Al-Mahasin wa al-Masawi, vol. 1, p. 46.</ref>

At first, Yazid chose Dahhak ibn Qays Fihri to be the army commander responsible for carrying out the attack on Medina, but he declined to accept this responsibility. Then Yazid chose ‘Amru ibn Sa‘id Ashdaq. He also declined to accept the responsibility. After him, Yazid chose ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad. However, all three men, in one way or another, refused to carry out this responsibility.<ref>Al-Futuh, vol. 3, p. 179; Ibn Sa‘d, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 5, p. 176; Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, vol. 4, p. 11.</ref>

‘Abd Allah went on the pulpit. After praising Allah and mentioning a few other issues, he said, “O people of Medina! We have rebelled for no other reason save that Yazid is a fornicating and adulterous man. He is a drunkard who does not pray. Tolerating his reign will bring Allah’s punishment and tribulation upon us...”<ref>Ibn Sa‘d, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 5, p. 47</ref>

To protect Medina, the Islamic resistance forces of Medina used a trench which had remained since the Prophet’s time. They neglected the eastern part of the city because they believed that there was a remote possibility that the Sham army would begin their attack from the rugged rocky area.

The Sham army attacked and killed innocent civilians from every direction. When ‘Abd Allah ibn Hanzala was finally killed, the Sham army gained the upper hand against the resistance movement of Medina. Finally, they gained complete control of the whole city.<ref>Wafa’ al-Wafa’, vol. 1, p. 130</ref>

Ibn Qutaybah recounts that, “‘The Sham army entered Medina on the twenty seventh day of Dhu al-Hijjah in 63 AH. For three days Medina was plundered by the Sham army up to the appearance of the new moon of the month of Muharram.”<ref>Al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah, vol. 1, pp. 220-221</ref>

Mada’ini quotes from Ibn Qarrah who quotes Hisham ibn Hisan, “After the event of Harrah, a thousand unmarried women gave birth to children whose fathers were not known.” Apart from Mada’ini, other historians too have narrated that a thousand women without husbands gave birth after this event.<ref>Tadhkirah al-Khawass, pp. 259-260; Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 8, p. 242; Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 2, p. 316.</ref>

After gaining victory over the people of Medina, Muslim ibn ‘Aqaba called for an assembly of some of the well-known personalities of the uprising. After a special and summary trial, he condemned all of them to death. The significance of these trials was to force these prominent people to promise publicly to be Yazid’s loyal slaves and servants.<ref>Al-Futuh, vol. 2, p. 182</ref>

7. ‘Abd Allah ibn Muti‘.<ref>Nasab al-Quraysh, p. 384</ref>

Ibn Qutaybah writes, “Jabir was a blind man when the event of Harrah took place. He used to walk in the streets of Medina and say, ‘May the person who tormented Allah and the Holy Prophet perish!’ A man asked him, ‘Who terrorized Allah and his Prophet?’

It has to be mentioned, however, that one of the houses which was attacked and looted by the Sham army was that of Jabir. All of his household property was plundered.

*[https://alhassanain.org/The%20Uprising%20of%20Ashura%20and%20Responses%20to%20Doubts/The_Uprising_of_Ashura_and_Responses_to_Doubts_html/the_uprising_of_ashura_edited.htm ‘Ali Asghar Ridwani, The Uprising of Ashura and Responses to Doubts]

[[Category:History]]

[[Category:Post-Karbala Uprisings]]

[[Category:Events of the Umayyad Dynasty]]