| Abu Sufyan ibn Harb صخر بن حرب |
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| Born | Sakhr ibn Harb 1 September 560 Mecca, Arabia |
| Died | 1 August 650 (aged 89) Mecca, Arabia |
| Known for | Chieftain of the Quraish of Mecca. |
| Religion | Islam |
Sakhr ibn Harb (Arabic: صخر بن حرب), more commonly known as Abu Sufyan (1 September 560 - 1 August 650) was a leading man of the Quraish of Mecca. He was a staunch opponent of the Islamic prophet Muhammad before accepting Islam later in his life.
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Abu Sufyan was the chieftain of the Banu Abd-Shams clan of the Quraish tribe, which made him one of the most powerful in Mecca. Abu Sufyan viewed Muhammad as a threat to Mecca's social order, a man aiming for political power and a blasphemer of the Quraish gods.
Abu Sufyan's daughter Ramlah was among several Muslims emigrating to Abyssinia to escape harassment in Mecca.
After Muhammad had migrated to Medina in 622, the Quraish confiscated the belongings they had left behind. During that period of time, caravans were accompanied by military escorts of varying strength.
Due to the hospitality Muhammad received in Medina, the Meccans feared the growing influence of the Muslims and thus were contriving plans to safeguard their trade routes by eliminating the religion of Islam. The Muslims of Medina were aware of such activities and began to make preparations for self-defense.[1]
In 624, Abu Sufyan was the appointed leader of a caravan that was escorted by a force of around 400 or 500 soldiers. Muhammad's Muslim force of 300 poorly armed men moved to intercept them. It is related that God revealed to Muhammad that his people were now given permission to defend themselves, rather than continuing to undertake persecution from the Meccans. The Muslims ended up engaging a Meccan army, a force sized 1000 men. This conflict, the Battle of Badr, ultimately ended in a Muslim victory. The death of most Quraish leaders in the battle not only left Abu Sufyan the leader of Mecca but also marked the fulfillment of a prophecy.[1]
Abu Sufyan served as the military leader in the later Meccan campaigns against Medina, including the Battle of Uhud in 625 and the Battle of the Trench in 627, but he could not attain final victory.
Eventually the two parties would agree to an armistice, the Treaty of Hudaybiyya in 628, which allowed Muslims to make the pilgrimage to the Kaaba.
When the armistice was violated in 630 by allies of the Quraish, Muhammad moved towards liberating Mecca from non-Muslim authority. Abu Sufyan, sensing that the balances were now tilted in Muhammad's favour and that the Quraish were not strong enough to hinder the Muslims from conquering the city, travelled to Madina, trying to restore the treaty. No agreement was reached between the two parties and Abu Sufyan returned to Mecca empty handed. These efforts ultimately ensured that the conquest occurred without battle or bloodshed. His wife, Hind, had barbarically chewed the liver of the famous, holy warrior Hamza.
Abu Sufyan travelled back and forth between Mecca and Madinah, still trying to reach a settlement. According to the sources, he found assistance in Muhammad's uncle al-Abbas, though some scholars consider that historians writing under the rule of Abbas's descendants, the Abbasid dynasty, had exaggerated Abbas's role and downplayed the role of Sufyan, who was the ancestor of the Abbasids' enemies.[2]
After the conquest of Mecca, Abu Sufyan fought as one of Muhammad's lieutenants in the subsequent wars. During the Siege of Taif, he lost an eye.
When Muhammed died in 632, Abu Sufyan was in charge of Najran.[3]
Abu Sufyan also fought in the Battle of Yarmouk in 636, in which he lost his second eye. He played a very important role in war. He was naqeeb of war from Muslim army. He fought under command of his son Yazid bin Abi Sufyan.[4][5]
Abu Sufyan died at the age of ninety in 650 at Medina. His kinsman Uthman Ibn Affan, who had become the third Caliph in 644, led the prayer over his grave.
Abu Sufyan's son Muawiyah became the founder of the Umayyad dynasty, the first Muslim dynasty which ruled the Islamic world for a century, from 661 to 750. Mu'awiyah's son, Yazid, succeeded him as caliph.
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Hind (female) |
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Utbah ibn Rabi'ah (male) |
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Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan (daughter) |
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Muhammad(husband) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mu'awiyah I (male) |
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Yazid (male) |
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Unknown (wife) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mu'awiyah II (male) |
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Khalid (male) |
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Atikah (female) |
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Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (Atikah's husband) |
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2. From Ṣāfiyah d. Abu al-As:
3. From the daughter of Abu 'Amr ibn 'Umaiyah:
4. From Ṣāfiyah d. 'Abd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim: 1 son Other children: Ḥanzalah (Killed in the Battle of Badr),Yazīd,Ḥārith,Umm Ḥakam,'Utbah (son: Walīd)