At a glance
- Roles
- Politician · Merchant
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Identifiers
- Wikidata
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Contested: This record includes matters on which scholars differ. The speaker's views are labelled as his, and other views are marked where no cited source yet exists.
Life in time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
BattlesPeace-making and coexistenceTrade and finance
Place in the story
- Military opponenttowardThe early Muslim community · 624 CE · 2 AH† – 630 CE · 9 AH†Historical
- Convert to Islam · 630 CE · 9 AH†Tradition
- Companion · 630 CE · 9 AH† – 632 CE · 11 AH†Tradition
- Ruler · c. 634 CE · c. 13 AH† – c. 653 CE · c. 32 AH†Tradition
Arabian polytheism (documented) · Sunni (transmitted)
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Abu Sufyan Sakhr ibn Harb was a chief of Quraysh who led its caravans and armies against the Muslims at Badr and the Trench. He accepted Islam at the conquest of Mecca, witnessed Hunayn and Ta'if with the Muslims, lost his eye at the Yarmuk, and died an old man in Medina.
Abu Sufyan Sakhr ibn Harb al-Umawi was a chief and trader of Quraysh who led Quraysh's great caravan — the cause of Badr — and carried the polytheists' banner at Uhud and the Trench. He stood at the head of the first feud against the call, then accepted Islam in 8 AH just before the conquest of Mecca — some say willingly, some by circumstance — and the Prophet ﷺ received him and told the Meccans that whoever entered Abu Sufyan's house was safe. He witnessed Hunayn with the Muslims and was given from the share of 'those whose hearts are to be reconciled'; at the Yarmuk he lost his second eye, having lost the first earlier. He was Mu'awiya's father and grandfather of Yazid and Mu'awiya II, and died an old man in Medina around 32 AH.
Storytellers (10–12) read the Explorers text, then cross to the Scholars text.
Abu Sufyan Sakhr ibn Harb ibn Umayya al-Umawi was a chief and merchant of Quraysh and the most visible leader of the feud against the call in its two decades. The sira books record him as commander of Quraysh's great caravan — whose escape caused the march to Badr — and as banner-bearer of the polytheists at Uhud and the Trench and leader of the Confederates; his stand against the call is the frame history records before his Islam. He accepted Islam in 8 AH at the stage before the conquest of Mecca — the reports differ on how willing he was — and the Prophet ﷺ received him and told the Meccans that whoever entered Abu Sufyan's house was safe, appointing him over some affairs in some accounts. He witnessed Hunayn and received shares of the reconciled hearts' money, and at the Yarmuk lost his second eye after losing the first earlier. Father of Mu'awiya, founder of the Umayyad state, and grandfather of Yazid and Mu'awiya II, he died an old man in Medina around 32 AH. Historians read him as a model of Qurashi statesmen who moved from leading the feud into building Islamic rule.
Summary
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb led Mecca in its open war against the Muslims, as commander at Uhud and at the Trench. He then embraced Islam on the eve of the conquest and died an elder Muslim. His son founded the Umayyad state.
Life
A merchant prince of Banu Umayya, he led the caravan whose escape brought about Badr. He then commanded Mecca's army at Uhud (625 CE) and the confederate coalition at the Trench (627 CE) 1 2.
When Mecca could no longer hold out, he went out to the Muslims' camp and was granted safe conduct. The tradition preserves the Prophet ﷺ's saying that whoever enters Abu Sufyan's house is safe. A few weeks later he fought alongside the Muslims at Hunayn, and the tradition says he lost his second eye at al-Ta'if 3.
In the Rashidun period he was given a post, and he saw his sons placed in the new order: Mu'awiya in Syria, and Umm Habiba, wife of the Prophet himself. He died about 653 CE, a very old man 4.
For young visitors
Abu Sufyan fought the Muslims for six years. Then he made peace, joined them, and lived to see his son become a caliph.
The Rabigh detachment (The Sealed Nectar, p.198)
Ubayda ibn al-Harith met him at Batn Rabigh with two hundred men, and no fighting took place (the Rabigh detachment) 5.
From Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's lecture series Al Dinu Al Qayem
Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy mentions Abu Sufyan ibn Harb in several places in the series. He recounts Abu Sufyan's remark that he never saw anyone loved by others as the Companions loved Muhammad 6, and that a word from Abu Sufyan steadied the people at Hunayn 7.
He tells that Hind bint Utba complained to the Prophet that Abu Sufyan was somewhat stingy, and the Prophet told her to take from his wealth in a fair manner 8.
In his account of Badr, he says Abu Sufyan secured the caravan by taking another route and succeeded, while Abu Jahl pressed on toward Badr 9.
In another account of the enemy camp, Abu Sufyan called out to the men, asking each for his name and tribe, and suspicion spread among them 10. He recounts that Hudhayfa was within a spear's reach of Abu Sufyan and held back, because the Prophet had charged him to create no disturbance among them 11.
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Opinions on the question
The question: How do the traditions describe Abu Sufyan's career and his conversion?
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
More opinions (2)
Academic viewSecondary opinion
Shia (Twelver) viewOther opinion
Connections
- Participated in
- The dispatch of Amr ibn Umayya al-Damri to kill Abu Sufyan, and what he did on the way· The Battle of Uhud· The Battle of the Trench (al-Ahzab)· The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)· The Battle of Hunayn· The conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb· Abu Sufyan's mission to Medina· The build-up to Badr: Abu Sufyan's caravan, Mecca's muster and the Prophet's march· The delegation of Thaqif· The demolition of al-Lat· The distribution of Hunayn spoils at al-Ji'rana· Expedition of al-Sawiq· The Expedition of Badr al-Maw'ida· Expedition of Rabigh· The Prophet's sermon at the Kaaba and general amnesty· Expedition to Hamra al-Asad· Last Quraysh delegation to Abu Talib· The plot at Dar al-Nadwa· Umar's Special Stipends and Equity· The pursuit of Quraysh to Hamra al-Asad
- Born in
- Mecca
- Child of
- Harb ibn Umayya
- Member of
- Banu Umayya ibn Abd Shams· Quraysh
- Spouse of
- Hind bint Utba
- Opposed
- Muhammad
- Fought
- The early Muslim community
- Converted under
- Muhammad
- Parent of
- Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan· Umm Habiba Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan
- Sibling of
- Umm Jamil
People and things also explored
Muhammad· Mecca· Quraysh· The Prophetic Era· The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)· Khalid ibn al-Walid· Umar ibn al-Khattab· Medina
Sources
- Ibn Ishaq / Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad (1955)
- Watt, Muhammad at Medina (1956)
- Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (Bewley translation, Ta-Ha)
- al-Tabari, History vol. X: The Conquest of Arabia (Donner translation, SUNY)
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.198
- Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 2, at 00:43:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
- Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 3, at 00:46:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
- Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 9, at 01:07:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
- Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 10, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
- Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 10, at 00:16:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
- Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 10, at 00:17:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936)
- al-Nuwayri, Nihayat al-Arab fi Funun al-Adab, vol. 3 (scan)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Abu Sufyan ibn Harb”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/abu-sufyan-ibn-harb/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-26.