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Sakhr ibn Harb in Arabic calligraphy –

10 Facts about Abu Sufyan ibn Harb

Abu Sufyan started off as a harsh critic but later turned out to be a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was the father of Mu’awiya I and thus the forefather of all the Ummayid Caliphs. Abu Sufyan’s given name was Sakhr and he was born in c. 565 to father Harb ibn Umayya, a leader of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca, and mother Safiyya bint Hazn ibn Bujayr.

Abu Sufyan was a leader and merchant from the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. During his early career, he often led trade caravans to Syria. His family belonged to the Banu Abd Shams clan of the Quraysh, the brother clan of the Banu Hashim, to which the Islamic prophet Muhammad belonged.  A prominent financier and merchant, Abu Sufyan engaged in trade in Syria, often heading Meccan caravans to the region. He owned land in the vicinity of Damascus.

Here are 10 facts about Abu Sufyan ibn Harb.

1.  Abu Sufyan was an opponent turned companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad

Prophet Muhammad was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of the world religion of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. 

Abu Sufyan had been among the main leaders of Meccan opposition to Muhammad, and a member of the Quraysh, commanding the Meccans at the battles of Uhud and the Trench in 625 and 627 CE. However, when Muhammad entered Mecca in 630, he was among the first to submit and was given a stake in the nascent Muslim state.

2. Abu Sufyan’s daughter was married to Muhammad without her father’s consent

The Image of Muhammad –

One of Abu Sufyan’s daughters, Ramlah, was married to Muhammad. All this happened before Abu Sufyan’s conversion and without his consent.

Ramlah was one of the thirteen women who were married to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. They were referred to as Mother of the Believers. This was as a sign of respect, a term derived from Quran.

3. Abu Sufyan played  a role at the Battle of Hunayn 

The Battle of Hunayn was between the Muslims of Muhammad and the Bedouins of the Qays, including its clans of Hawazin and the Thaqif. 

The battle took place at the Hunayn valley, on the route from Mecca to Taif. The battle ultimately ended in a decisive victory for the Muslims, who captured enormous spoils.

4. Abu Sufyan was a Sahabah

The one of prophet’s Muhammad Companions by Ahmed Adam Dorman –

Sahabah meant Companions of the Prophet. These were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or met the prophet during his lifetime while being a Muslim and were physically in his presence.

The list of the prominent companions usually runs to 50 or 60 names, the people most closely associated with Muhammad.

5. After Muhammad’s death, Abu Sufyan was appointed as the governor of Najran

At the time of his appointment, it was not clearly stated who between Muhammad and the first caliph, Abu Bakr had given him the appointment.

Najran is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated as a new town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom.

6. Abu Sufyan played a supporting role in the Muslim army at the Battle of Yarmouk

Illustration of the Battle of Yarmouk –

The Battle of Yarmouk was a major battle between the army of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate. The battle consisted of a series of engagements that lasted for six days in August 636, near the Yarmouk River, along what are now the borders of Syria–Jordan and Syria-Israel, southeast of the Sea of Galilee. 

The result of the battle was a complete Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in Syria. The Battle of the Yarmuk is regarded as one of the most decisive battles in military history, and it marked the first great wave of early Muslim conquests after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, heralding the rapid advance of Islam into the then-Christian Levant.

7. Abu Sufyan ordered the Muslim conquest of the Levant

The Muslim conquest of the Levant, occurred in the first half of the 7th century, shortly after the rise of Islam. As part of the larger military campaign known as the early Muslim conquests, the Levant was brought under the rule of the Rashidun Caliphate and developed into the provincial region of Bilad al-Sham. 

The conquest did not begin until 634, two years after Muhammad’s death. It was led by the first two Rashidun caliphs who succeeded Muhammad: Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab. 

8. Abu Sufyan’s son, Yazid held a command role at the Battle of Yarmouk

Abu Sufyan’s son Yazid was ultimately appointed to a leading command role in the conquest. Abu Sufyan was present at the Battle of Yarmouk, which resulted in a decisive Muslim victory against the Byzantines in Syria. His advanced age at the time makes it unlikely that he actively participated in the battle.

According to an account cited by Sayf ibn Umar, Abu Sufyan observed the battle alongside unspecified Arab sheiks, and accounts cited by al-Tabari further note that he exhorted the Muslim troops.

9.  Another of Abu Sufyan’s sons, Mu’awiya, was appointed the governor of Syria

Mu’awiya and his father Abu Sufyan had opposed Muhammad until he was captured in Mecca in 630.  Afterward, Mu’awiya became one of Muhammad’s scribes. He was appointed by Caliph Abu Bakr as a deputy commander in the conquest of Syria. 

He moved up the ranks through Umar’s caliphate until becoming governor of Syria during the reign of his Umayyad kinsman, Caliph Uthman.

10. Abu Sufyan’s son is credited for establishing the Umayyad Caliphate in 661

The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, and was also a member of the clan. 

The family established dynastic, hereditary rule with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, long-time governor of Greater Syria, who became the sixth caliph after the end of the First Fitna in 661.