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Abu Bakr's Commission to al-Muthanna ibn Haritha

عهد أبي بكر للمثنى بن حارثة

c. 633 CE · c. 12 AH† †

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

Medina

In al-Baladhuri: al-Muthanna ibn Haritha ibn Salama ibn Damdam al-Shaybani raided the Sawad with men of his people; news reached Abu Bakr who asked about him, and Qays ibn Asim (may God be pleased with him) ibn Sinan al-Minqari said 'a man neither of hidden fame nor unknown lineage nor weak support — this is al-Muthanna ibn Haritha al-Shaybani.' Then al-Muthanna came to Abu Bakr saying 'O caliph of God's messenger, employ me over those of my people who have Islamized to fight these Persians'; Abu Bakr wrote him a patent for it, and he went to Khaffan, called his people to Islam and they Islamized. Then Abu Bakr wrote Khalid ibn al-Walid (may God be pleased with him) al-Makhzumi ordering him to march to Iraq — it is said he dispatched him from Medina — and wrote al-Muthanna ordering his hearing, obeying and supporting him.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Rashidun Caliphate
Region
Levant & Iraq · Arabia
Review
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In time

620630640650 c.
The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

In space

Medina

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Overview

Al-Baladhuri relates that al-Muthanna ibn Haritha al-Shaybani used to raid the Sawad with men of his tribe, and his news reached Abu Bakr, who asked about him. 1

Introducing al-Muthanna

Qays ibn Asim al-Minqari told Abu Bakr that he was a man of no obscure fame and no unknown lineage. 1

The commission

Al-Muthanna came to Abu Bakr and asked to be put in charge of those among his people who had accepted Islam, to fight the Persians. Abu Bakr wrote him a commission to that effect, and he marched until he camped at Khafan and called his people to Islam, and they accepted it. 1

Afterwards Abu Bakr wrote to Khalid ibn al-Walid ordering him to march to Iraq, and wrote to al-Muthanna ordering him to hear and obey Khalid. Al-Baladhuri says that Abu Bakr sent Khalid from Medina, and that the other account on this differs. 1

The date is approximate, before Khalid's march to Iraq in 12 AH according to al-Baladhuri (p. 337), and the conversion to the Gregorian calendar is derived.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
al-Muthanna ibn Haritha· Abu Bakr al-Siddiq· Qays ibn Asim
Occurred at
Medina

People and things also explored

Abu Bakr leads the prayers during the final illness· Abu Sufyan's mission to Medina· Ali's pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr· The affair of the Badr prisoners· The burial of the Prophet· The Death of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq· The death and burial of Fatima bint Muhammad· The death of the Prophet

Sources

  1. Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Abu Bakr's Commission to al-Muthanna ibn Haritha”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/muthanna-commission/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Abu Bakr leads the prayers during the final illness

When the illness grew too heavy for the Prophet to come out, he sent word that Abu Bakr should lead the people; Abu Bakr led seventeen prayers, the Prophet once joined him sitting at his left, and Sunni tradition reads the appointment as a sign of Abu Bakr's standing.