At a glance
- Roles
- Poet
- Counted among
- Sunni
- Era
- The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate · The Umayyad Period
- Region
- Arabia · Levant & Iraq
Life in time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
WomenLiteraturePolitics, governance and authority
Place in the story
- PoetTradition
Sunni (transmitted)
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
Arwa bint al-Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's aunt, described as "the boldest of those who came to Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan in address" 1.
In Mu'awiya's assembly
She entered upon Mu'awiya after Ali's death, an old woman, and answered his words about Ali and his house, saying the family of Muhammad held "the station of the people of Moses among the house of Pharaoh" 1. She rebuked Amr ibn al-As, calling him "son of the adulteress," 2 and suggested Marwan ibn al-Hakam resembled "Sufyan ibn al-Harith ibn Kalda" in the blue of his eyes and redness of his hair 2.
She then asked Mu'awiya for six thousand dinars, justifying it by saying Ali "fulfilled the trust and acted on God's command" while he "squandered your trust and betrayed God in His wealth" 3. In another account Mu'awiya told her "God forgive what has passed, auntie; state your need," and she answered "I have no need of you" and left 3.
Poetry and praise of Ali
She recited verses in Ali's praise opening "O eye, woe to you, gladden us," then elegized her father Abd al-Muttalib with her famous ode "I forgot Abu Arwa and remembered him" 4. Mu'awiya told his companions: "By God, had everyone in this assembly spoken to her, each would have answered differently from the other — the women of Banu Hashim are more eloquent than the men of others" 5.
Connections
- Traveled to
- Medina
- Child of
- al-Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib
- Related to
- Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim
- Opposed
- Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan· Amr ibn al-As· Marwan ibn al-Hakam
People and things also explored
Mecca· Umm Sinan bint Khaythama al-Madhhijiyya· Death of al-Hasan ibn Ali· Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib· Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim· Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan· Medina· Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib
Sources
- A'lam al-Nisa' fi Alamay al-Arab wa-al-Islam — Umar Rida Kahhala, vol. 1 (Mu'assasat al-Risala, Beirut, 5th ed. 1984) , p. 32
- A'lam al-Nisa' fi Alamay al-Arab wa-al-Islam — Umar Rida Kahhala, vol. 1 (Mu'assasat al-Risala, Beirut, 5th ed. 1984) , p. 33
- A'lam al-Nisa' fi Alamay al-Arab wa-al-Islam — Umar Rida Kahhala, vol. 1 (Mu'assasat al-Risala, Beirut, 5th ed. 1984) , p. 34
- A'lam al-Nisa' fi Alamay al-Arab wa-al-Islam — Umar Rida Kahhala, vol. 1 (Mu'assasat al-Risala, Beirut, 5th ed. 1984) , p. 34-35
- A'lam al-Nisa' fi Alamay al-Arab wa-al-Islam — Umar Rida Kahhala, vol. 1 (Mu'assasat al-Risala, Beirut, 5th ed. 1984) , p. 35
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Arwa bint al-Harith”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/arwa-bint-al-harith/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-09.
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