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The Battle of al-Harra

وقعة الحرة

c. 683 CE · 63 AH

In year 63 the Medinese deposed Yazid and rose against him for his excesses — Abdullah ibn Hanzala, son of the Ghassil, said 'we did not march out until we feared stones raining from heaven'. Yazid sent a dense army with orders to fight them then march on Mecca against Ibn al-Zubayr; the battle of the Harra fell on Medina's very gate — 'by God, scarcely one escaped', said al-Hasan; many Companions and others were killed, the city was pillaged, a thousand maidens violated, and the slain of Quraysh and the Ansar numbered three hundred and six 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Umayyad Period
Region
Arabia
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

In time

670680690700 c.
The Umayyad Period

Overview

In 63 AH the people of Medina deposed Yazid ibn Mu'awiya and rose against him; he sent a large army against them, and the Battle of al-Harra took place at the gate of Taba. 2

The cause of the deposition

Al-Suyuti relates from Abd Allah ibn Hanzala that they did not rise against Yazid until they feared stones would fall on them from heaven, because of what they saw of his excess in sins. This is the description of the people of Medina as al-Suyuti relates it. 2

The battle

Yazid ordered his army to fight them, then to march on Mecca to fight Ibn al-Zubayr. Al-Suyuti relates from al-Hasan that hardly anyone escaped from them. 2

Al-Suyuti says that a great many of the Companions and others were killed, Medina was plundered, and the number of those killed from Quraysh and the Ansar was three hundred and six men. 2

Al-Mas'udi's account

According to al-Mas'udi, a number of the Banu Hashim and the rest of Quraysh and the Ansar were killed. He names among them Abd Allah ibn Ja'far, al-Fadl ibn al-Abbas (may God be pleased with him) ibn Rabi'a and Hamza ibn Abd Allah ibn Nawfal. He mentions some ninety of Quraysh and as many of the Ansar, and four thousand of those whom the count reached. 3

He says that the people swore allegiance that they were slaves of Yazid, except Ali ibn al-Husayn and Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas. 3

The two numbers differ between the sources, and the museum does not favour between them. The Shi'i report and other views are not added here and need an additional source.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
Abdallah ibn Hanzala, known as Ibn al-Ghasil· Yazid ibn Mu'awiya

People and things also explored

The pledge to Yazid as heir apparent· The pledge to Yazid as heir apparent· The Conquest of Rhodes and the Demolition of Its Fort· Death of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya· The Second Raid on Cyprus· Banu Umayya ibn Abd Shams· ميسون بنت بجدل الكلبية· Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan

Sources

  1. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p. 344-346
  2. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.344-346
  3. Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi , p.67-68
  • The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Battle of al-Harra”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/waqat-al-harra/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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The pledge to Yazid as heir apparent

Mu'awiya summoned the Syrians to pledge the succession to his son Yazid — the first to bequeath the caliphate to a son and the first to do so in his own lifetime — and wrote to Marwan at Medina to take the pledge. Marwan preached that the caliph wished to appoint Yazid 'after the manner of Abu Bakr and Umar'; Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr rose: 'rather after the manner of Chosroes and Caesar — neither of them gave it to a son or any of their house'. When Muawiya made the hajj in 51 he took the pledge in person: Ibn Umar answered that earlier caliphs had sons no worse than Yazid yet chose for the Muslims, while disclaiming any wish to break the community's staff; Ibn Abi Bakr leapt up vowing to return the matter to shura; Ibn al-Zubayr retorted 'if you are weary of rule, retire and bring your son — whom would we obey if we pledged you both?'. Muawiya then announced from the minbar that the three had 'heard, obeyed and pledged' — which the crowd affirmed and they denied.