Banu Harith

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The Banu Harith (Arabic: بنو حارث‎ Banu Harith or Arabic: بنو حورث‎ Banu Horith; Hebrew: בנים חוּרת Banim Chorith or Banim Chorath) is one of the Jewish[1][2][3][4][5] tribes of Arabia. They descend from the Qahtanite people who converted to Judaism during pre-Islamic times. They were once a powerful house which governed the city of Najran until the Christian invasion and lived peacefully beside Banu Hamdan.[6] A sub-clan of the tribe emigrated to the Hejaz while another emigrated south to Sana'a after the Christian acquisition of Najran.

A letter was written to the clan urging them to convert to Islam. However, if they wish to abide by their Jewish faith they should not turn away from it but would be required to pay jizya.[1] They were included in Point 31 of the Constitution of Medina and honored as allies to the Muslims, being as "one nation", but retaining their Jewish religion.[7][8] They were given the same rights as Banu Awf and entered in to mutual protection pacts with the Muslim tribes.[4]

The small remnants of Banu Harith continued to live semi-autonomously in the border city of Najran until the 1930's. As a result of the Saudi–Yemeni War the Saudis had conquered Najran in 1934. Persecution increased and the governor, Amir Turki bin Mahdi, allowed the Najrani Jews a single day to either evacuate or to convert to Islam. The Banu Harith fled south to Sana'a and Aden.[9][10][11] Their descendents currently make up a component of the Yemenite Jewish population which now mostly reside in Israel.[12][13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, Kitab al-Amwal (The Book of Revenue), p. 203
  2. ↑ Islamproject.org
  3. ↑ Islamicstudy.org
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Charles Kurzman, Liberal Islam, p. 172
  5. ↑ Norman Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book, p. 117
  6. ↑ Umarah ibn Ali al-Ḥakami, Ibn Khaldun, Muḥammad ibn Yaʻqub Janadi, Yaman: Its Early Mediaeval History, p. 183
  7. ↑ Constitution_of_Medina s:Constitution of Medina
  8. ↑ www.balagh.net
  9. ↑ Gilbert, Martin, "In Ishmael's House", 2000, (p. 5)
  10. ↑ Ahroni, Reuben "Jewish emigration from the Yemen, 1951-98", 2001 (p. 27)
  11. ↑ Shulewitz, Malka Hillel "The Forgotten Millions", 2000 (p.86)
  12. ↑ Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab lands: A history and source book, p. 117
  13. ↑ Moshe Gil, "The Origins of the Jews of Yathrib," J.S.A.I. 4 (1984)


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