At a glance
- Roles
- Commander · Tribal leader
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Place in the story
- Commander · c. 586 CETradition
Arabian polytheism (transmitted)
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
Harb ibn Umayya ibn Abd Shams, father of Abu Sufyan. He led Quraysh and all of Kinana in the War of Fijar, because of his standing among them in age and honour 1 2.
In the War of Fijar
Al-Raheeq al-Makhtum states that the War of Fijar took place in the fifteenth year of the Prophet ﷺ's life, between Quraysh and those allied with them from Kinana on one side and Qays Aylan on the other. It states that the commander of Quraysh and all of Kinana was Harb ibn Umayya, because of his standing among them in age and honour 1 2 3.
From another source
Al-Mas'udi relates that the jinn killed him and recited two verses about him, and that his grave lies in a barren place. He mentions the reasoning by which people concluded that the two verses were spoken by the jinn 4.
What is not mentioned here
Al-Raheeq al-Makhtum does not mention his birth, his death, or the rest of his pre-Islamic history. These are found in the genealogical and historical books.
For young visitors
Harb ibn Umayya was one of the great men of Quraysh, and they chose him as their commander in the War of Fijar. He was the father of Abu Sufyan.
Connections
- Parent of
- Abu Sufyan ibn Harb
- Member of
- Quraysh
- Child of
- أمية بن عبد شمس
- Participated in
- The Fijar war
People and things also explored
Mecca· The Battle of Uhud· The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)· Expedition of al-Sawiq· Expedition of Rabigh· The early Muslim community· The Expedition of Badr al-Maw'ida· Last Quraysh delegation to Abu Talib
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.59
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham , 1/184-187
- Muhadarat Tarikh al-Umam al-Islamiyya — Muhammad al-Khudari , 1/63
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi , p.474
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Harb ibn Umayya”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/harb-ibn-umayya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.