Battle of Harra: Difference between revisions

==The meaning of harra and the date of the event==

The word "harra" refers to black rocky terrains. Since the uprising took place in rocky terrains East of Medina, called "Harra Waqim" or "Harra Zuhra" (attributed to Banu Zuhra, a Jewish tribe), it was called the event of Harra. Most historical sources take the event to have occurred on the second day of [[Dhu l-Hijja]] or two or three days to the end of Dhu l-Hijja 63 (August 2, or August 27-28, 683), thus the accounts according to which it took place in 62/683 are wrong.

==Causes of the event==

* People's pledge of allegiance to [['Abd Allah b. Zubayr]] and their dismissal of Yazid from [[caliphate]],

==The event==

===The dismissal of the ruler of Medina===

Upon the command of 'Abd Allah b. Zubayr, people of Medina dismissed [['Uthman b. Muhammad]] from the rule of Medina, rebelled against the [[Umayyads]], and sieged about 1000 Umayyad people who had gathered in Marwan b. Hakam's house.

'Abd Allah b. Zubayr appointed [['Abd Allah b. Hanzala]] as the ruler of Medina. This account as well as the ones mentioned before show how influential 'Abd Allah b. Zubayr was on this uprising and its leaders.

===The equipment of the Syria Army===

The agent of the [[Syria]] government made attempts to make people obey [[Yazid]], but to no avail. Yazid's threatening letter, as well as [[Nu'man b. Bashir]]'s intercession to conciliate people, did not work. Thus Yazid decided to equip an army to quench people of Medina. When [['Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad]] refused to undertake the commandership of the army, Yazid gave the commandership to [[Muslim b. 'Uqba al-Murri]]. His army, on some accounts, consisted of 5000 to 27000 soldiers. The attack was accompanied by [[Husayn b. Numayr]]. Husayn undertook the commandership of people of [[Hums]].

===Digging a trench around Medina===

===The army's treatment with people of Medina===

Upon the order of Yazid, [[Muslim b. 'Uqba]] announced that his army is at liberty to do anything to people's lives and property for three days. According to Ibn Kathir and al-Suyuti, the plunders and crimes of the army in these three days led to a horrific catastrophe. And according to al-Mas'udi, it was the most hideous event after the [[martyrdom]] of [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]]. In these three days, the army of Muslim b. 'Uqba committed abhorrent crimes such as rapes, taking fetuses out of pregnant women's wombs, killing infants, offending the outstanding [[sahaba|companions]] of [[the Prophet (s)]], such as [[Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari]] who was blind and [[Abu Sa'id al-Khudri]].

According to some sources, over 4000 or 11,700 or 10,700 people were killed in the event of Harra. Of these, 700 people were memorizers of the [[Quran]] and 80 people were the [[Sahaba]] (companions) of [[the Prophet (s)]] such that none of the Sahaba who fought in the [[Battle of Badr]]—who were called "People of Badr" (Ahl al-Badr)—stayed alive. [['Abd Allah b. Hanzala]] and his sons were also killed.

Only 'Ali b. 'Abd Allah b. Abbas (with the intercession of some of his relatives who were in Yazid's army) and [[Imam al-Sajjad (a)]] were exempted from pledging their allegiance.

==Imam al-Sajjad (a)'s position==

Imam al-Sajjad (a)'s neutrality with respect to the uprising: Imam al-Sajjad (a) did not accompany the people of [[Medina]] in the uprising. The reasons for his neutrality included the facts that the uprising began by the permission and support of [['Abd Allah b. Zubayr]], and the number of people in Medina was very small in comparison with the number of Syria's violent, cruel army. Moreover, Imam al-Sajjad (a) wanted to stay away from the accusations of the [[Umayyad]] government, which was, on one account, [[Muslim b. 'Uqba]]'s main motivation for his attack on Medina, and he wanted his few followers to survive (in order for Shiism to survive) and he wanted to preserve the dignity of [[the Prophet (s)]]'s progeny and household.

[[Imam al-Sajjad (a)]]'s house as a safe refuge: since Imam al-Sajjad (a) did not accompany the rebels, his household remained safe, and his house came to be a safe place for many women and children and even the family of [[Marwan b. Hakam]]. Imam al-Sajjad (a) sent Marwan's family, together with his own family, to [[Yanabu']].

The neutrality of some [[Sahaba]] with respect to rebels: some Sahaba, such as [['Abd Allah b. 'Umar]], [[Abu Sa'id al-Khudri]] and [[Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari]] stayed neutral and did not accompany the people of [[Medina]].

Ibn Qutayba has compared the early and unexpected defeat of people in the event of Harra with the resistance of [['Abd Allah b. Zubayr]] and his few companions to the same army, tracing the cause of people's defeat in Harra to be their having two commanders. But there are no reports in the sources about any disagreements among the heads of Medina's uprising.

Muslim b. 'Uqba is reported as having said that, after his confession to [[tawhid]] ([[monotheism]]), his best deed was the massacre of people in Harra. Some Muslim historiographers maintain that the violent oppression of people in the event of Harra was motivated by the revenge of the [[Umayyad]] bloods who were killed in the [[Battle of Badr]] by Muslims and the revenge of the murder of [['Uthman]] by people of Medina, especially [[Ansar]].

== External Links ==

* The material for this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/واقعه_حره واقعه_حره] in Farsi Wikishia.