Everything about Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb totally explained
» For the son of Harith, see Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith.
Sakhr ibn Harb, (
Arabic: صخر بن حرب ) more commonly known as
Abu Sufyan, was a leading man of the
Quraish of
Mecca and a staunch opponent of
Muhammad who later converted to
Islam.
Family
Ancestry
Abu Sufyan was born 560 CE as a son of
Harb ibn Umayya. Abu Sufiyan's grandfather was
Umayya, after whom the
Umayyad dynasty was named, and his great-grand father was
Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf, brother to Muhammad's great-grandfather
Hashim.
Women and children
Abu Sufyan was married to
Hind bint Utbah, who in 602 gave birth to
Muawiyah I, who would later establish the
Umayyad dynasty of
caliphs.
Abu Sufyan also had relations with his kinswoman
Saffya bint abi al-A'as, who bore him a daughter called
Ramlah. Ramlah was married to Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh and both husband and wife converted to Islam against the wishes of Abu Sufyan
(External Link
). When the first Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, Ramlah and Ubayd-Allah, were among them. Later, after Ubayd-Allah had converted to Christianity and their marriage was annulled, Muhammad sent a proposal for Ramlah which she accepted and became one of Muhammad's wives, better known as "Umm Habiba." When Abu Sufyan heard about the marriage he commented, “This stallion won't be hit on the nose...” a phrase meaning that the husband is suitable for the bride (an unsuitable stallion trying to mate with a mare would be hit on the nose, hence the phrase). She later played an important role in her father's diplomatic attempts at reaching a settlement with Muhammad.
Biography
Opposition to Islam
Abu Sufyan was the chieftain of the
Banu Abd-Shams clan of the
Quraish tribe, which made him one of the most powerful and well respected men 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.
When the Quraish issued several acts of persecution to dissuade conversion to Islam, Abu Sufyan's daughter Ramlah was among those
emigrating to Abyssinia for refuge.
Military conflict with Muhammad
After Muhammad had migrated to Medina in
622, Quraish confiscated the belongings of the Muslims. Muslims were seen as a threat to the caravans coming from Syria to Mecca. In
624, Abu Sufyan was the leader of such a caravan and as a Muslim force moved to intercept him, he called for help from the Quraish. This resulted in the
Battle of Badr, which ended in a Muslim victory. Abu Sufyan however managed to bring his caravan home to Mecca. The death of most Quraish leaders in the battle left him the leader of Mecca.
Subsequently he was the military leader in the Meccan campaigns against Medina, such as the
Battle of Uhud in
625 and the
Battle of the Trench in
627, but couldn't 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.
Muslim Conquest of Mecca
When the armistice was violated in
630 by allies of the Quraish, Muhammad moved towards conquering Mecca. 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 Medina, trying to restore the treaty. During his stay, he was repulsed by Ali and by his own daughter Ramlah, who now was one of Muhammad's wives. Though Muhammad refused to reach an agreement and Abu Sufyan returned to Mecca empty handed, these efforts ultimately ensured that the conquest occurred without battle or bloodshed.
Muhammad assembled an army of approximately 10,000 men and marched towards Mecca.
Again Abu Sufyan travelled back and forth between Mecca and Muhammad, 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.
On the eve of the conquest, Abu Sufyan adopted Islam. When asked by Muhammad, he conceded that the Meccan gods had proved powerless and that there were indeed "no god but Allah."
Later life
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. According to Muslim tradition, he asked Muhammed to put his eye ball back in, to which Muhammad replied: "Which would you prefer: An eye (the word for eye and water spring in Arabic are the same) in heaven or shall I pray to Allah that he brings it back?", at which point Abu Sufyan preferred an eye in heaven and threw it away.
When Muhammed died in
632, Abu Sufyan was in charge of
Najran. He offered his help to Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law
Ali to make him
Caliph.
Abu Sufyan also fought in the
Battle of Yarmouk in
636, in which he lost his second eye.
Abu Sufyan died at the age of ninety in
650 at
Medina. His kinsman
Uthman, who had become the third
Caliph in
644 led the prayer on him.
Legacy
Abu Sufyan's son Muawiyah became the founder of the
Umayyad dynasty, the first Muslim dynasty which ruled the Islamic realm for a century from 661 to 750.
Sunni view him as an upright Sahabi, since
they view all Sahaba as upright. The fact that Abu Sufyan fought for the Muslims and sacrificed his eyes in battle is held as further evidence for his uprightness. Sunnis hold that since Uthman, who was closely related to Abu Sufyan, led his funeral prayer, he couldn't have been a hypocrite. (See Sahih Bukhari 2:23:359)
Shi'a Muslims have a very dim view of both his personality and life. Shi'a view him as a
hypocrite, who converted only after Muslims had conquered Mecca and who managed to infiltrate Islamic ranks and be included among the Muslims.
Further Information
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