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- The Early Abbasid Caliphate
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Harun al-Rashid was the fifth Abbasid caliph, acclaimed in 170 AH at twenty-one. He is remembered for the frontier wars with Byzantium, for pilgrimage and campaigning, and people called his days 'the days of the bride' for their splendor; he died at Tus in 193 AH after twenty-three years and six months.
Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Rashid, fifth Abbasid caliph. Al-Baladhuri records him raiding the Romans as commander of the summer expedition on his father's behalf in 163 AH, besieging Samalu until its people settled for safe conduct; in 171 AH he forestalled the Romans by building up Tarsus under Harthama ibn A'yan and Faraj ibn Sulaym, and in 180 AH ordered 'Ayn Zarba built, naming the border cities 'the Guards'. He was acclaimed caliph in 170 AH at twenty-one years and two months on al-Mas'udi's account; he died at Tus in the village of Sanabadh in 193 AH, his rule lasting twenty-three years and six months, his last Hajj in 188 AH. Al-Suyuti says he prayed a hundred rak'as and gave a thousand dirhams daily; people named his days 'the days of the bride' in al-Mas'udi; and al-Khurasani makes him the first Abbasid caliph to play polo and chess.
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Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Rashid, fifth Abbasid caliph. Al-Baladhuri records him raiding the Romans as commander of the sa'ifa on his father's behalf in 163 AH — besieging Samalu until its people settled for safe conduct and were settled at Baghdad in the place called Samalu — in 171 AH forestalling the Romans' fortifying of Tarsus by building it under Harthama ibn A'yan and Faraj ibn Sulaym, and in 180 AH ordering 'Ayn Zarba built and naming the border cities 'al-Awasim'. He was acclaimed on the very night al-Hadi died in 170 AH, twenty-one years and two months old per al-Mas'udi; he died at Tus in the village of Sanabadh in 193 AH, his rule twenty-three years and six months, his last Hajj in 188 AH. Al-Suyuti says he prayed a hundred rak'as daily and gave a thousand dirhams in alms each day; the people named his days 'the days of the bride' for their splendor per al-Mas'udi; and al-Khurasani calls him the first Abbasid caliph to play polo and chess. These sayings are attributed to their speakers and need additional sourcing.
Overview
As commander and caliph of the frontiers
Al-Baladhuri reports that he raided the Byzantines as commander of the summer campaign on behalf of his father in 163 AH, besieged Dhamalu, and reached a settlement with its people on terms of safe conduct; they were settled in Baghdad at the place called Samalu. 2 In 171 AH he learned that the Byzantines had planned to fortify Tarsus, so he got ahead of them by rebuilding it through Harthama ibn A'yan and Faraj ibn Sulaym. 2 In 180 AH he ordered the building and fortifying of the spring of Zarba, and named the frontier cities "the Strongholds". 2 See the captives of Samalu and the founding of Tarsus.
Caliphate and death
Al-Mas'udi reports that he was given the oath of allegiance on the morning of the night al-Hadi died, in 170 AH, when he was twenty-one years and two months old, and that he died at Tus, in the village of Sanabad, in 193 AH, after a reign of twenty-three years and six months. 4 His last pilgrimage was in 188 AH. 5
In the books of biography
Al-Suyuti reports that he prayed one hundred cycles of prayer every day and gave away a thousand dirhams from his wealth every day. 3 Al-Mas'udi mentions that people called his days "the days of the bride" for their brightness and abundant good. 6 Al-Suyuti, citing Muhammad ibn Ali al-Khurasani, says that he was the first Abbasid caliph to play polo and chess. 7
The statements on this page are attributed to their authors, and they have not been compared with one another in the museum's data; they need an additional source.
From Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's Tafsir lectures (episode 8)
The Sheikh says that Harun al-Rashid, when dying, called on the One whose kingdom never ends to have mercy on one whose kingdom had ended, and that he pronounced the testimony of faith 8.
He then tells an exchange in this context in which a man is asked what he would pay for a cup of water if it were withheld from him and says he would buy it with half his kingdom; asked again about water that went in and did not come out, he says he would buy its release with the other half of his kingdom 9.
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Connections
- Parent of
- al-Mu'tasim Abu Ishaq ibn al-Rashid
- Related to
- الفضل بن الربيع· Bayt al-Hikma — the House of Wisdom
- Child of
- Muhammad al-Mahdi
- Participated in
- The Aman of Samalu and its People's Transfer to Baghdad· The Building of Tarsus· Death of Harun al-Rashid at Tus· Umar's Expulsion of the Christians of Najran· The Building of Madinat al-Hadath· The Building of al-Rafiqa· The Garrisoning of Sur man Ra'a (Samarra)· The Building of Sisar· The Accession of Harun al-Rashid· The General Ransom and the Conquests of 190 AH· The Division of the Caliphate among al-Rashid's Sons· Harun's Appointment of Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab over the Maghreb· Nikephoros's Letter and the Expedition to Heraclea· Al-Rashid lays the nucleus of the House of Wisdom· The conquest of the fortress of al-Safsaf· The Mutual Imprecation of Yahya al-Alawi and Abdallah ibn Mus'ab· Harun al-Rashid's Exchange with a Zindiq on Hadith
People and things also explored
Muhammad al-Mahdi· Abd Allah al-Ma'mun ibn Harun al-Rashid· Abu Ja'far al-Mansur· Ali ibn Sulayman ibn Ali· هرثمة بن أعين· محمد الأمين بن هارون الرشيد· Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh· Baghdad
Sources
- Tarikh Baghdad — al-Khatib al-Baghdadi , j.11 p.5-15
- Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.456-461
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi , p.322-325
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi , p.330-331
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi , p.670
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.470-471
- Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Tafsir Al Quran Al Qareem, episode 8, at 00:47:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
- Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Tafsir Al Quran Al Qareem, episode 8, at 00:48:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Harun al-Rashid”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/harun-al-rashid/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-26.