Haras (unit)
The haras (Arabic: الحرس; "the Guard") was a personal bodyguard unit of the caliphs during the Umayyads and the Abbasids.[1] The haras was also instituted in the Emirate of Córdoba in present-day Spain.[2]
| Haras الحرس | |
|---|---|
| Active | 660s – 1250s |
| Allegiance | Caliphate |
| Branch | Caliphal Army |
| Type | Personal bodyguards |
| Role | The personal bodyguards of the caliphs. Haras members were known to guard the caliph even during private meetings, at night and during prayers at the mosque |
| Size | Size of the haras varied |
| Equipment | Lances or short spears (hirab), Iron clubs or maces (Umud), Whips, Swords, Chains |
Origin
Muhammad era
The Haras were depicted first time during the time of Muhammad, prophet of Islam, where several early Muslim strong man such as Abu Bakr, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, Dzakwan ibn al-Qays, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Bilal ibn Rabah, Abbad ibn Bishr, and Abu Ayyub al-Ansari served as the prophet's personal Haras.[3][4][5]
Rashidun Caliphate era
During ascension of Abu Bakar as first caliph and the outbreak of Ridda wars, the Haras wa al-Shurta units under Ali ibn Abi Talib, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, and Zubayr ibn al-Awwam saw combat scenarios in the battle of Zhu Qissa against the rebels who attacked Medina, and later in pursuing the rebels towards Dumat al-Jandal.[6][7][8][9][10] The caliph has resorted to use this unit as the entire main army of caliphate were brought by Usama ibn Zayd to Expedition of Balqa.[8][10][9][6]
Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus
The haras also appeared during the rule of Muawiyah I (r. 661–680), the first Umayyad caliph.[11] Most classical accounts reported that he established the haras after an assassination attempt on him.[12] He appointed a mawla, Muslim Abu Abdullah as its chief,[13] and built a guarded room for him inside the mosque that was surrounded by haras members during prayer time.[12] He also had members of the haras walk in front of him with lances in formal processions.[13]
Emirate of Córdoba
In the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba, Al-Haras was established by Al-Hakam I, the Umayyad Emir of Córdoba (796-822) in 805.[2] The haras were led by the Visigothic leader of the secular Christians in Cordoba, the Comes (Count) Rabi, son of Theodulf, who also served as the Emir's tax collector.[2] Rabi was later removed and executed by crucifixion for alleged misappropriations.[14]
Professor Christopher I. Beckwith has compared the haras to other royal bodyguard units of Indo-European societies, generally referred to as Comitatus.[15]
Service
Organization
The haras was led by a chief, who frequently also held security-related and administrative positions such as responsibility for the official seal, the office of chamberlain, and office of correspondence.[16] The qualification for the chief position likely include military skills, physical strength, loyalty to the caliph and administrative skills.[17] Most of the known haras chiefs were mawali, freedman of non-Arab background.[18] It was likely that many members were mawlas as well.[18] The reason for choosing non-Arabs was the lack of tribal loyalties that might compromise an Arab's loyalty to the caliph.[16][19] It is not uncommon for a person related to the Haras chief to succeed him.[17]
The size of the haras varied, ranging from 300 during the reign of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz and 500 during the reign of al-Mahdi.[1]
Weapon
Accounts concerning the haras mentioned that its members were armed with lances or short spears called hirab (plural of harba) and iron clubs or maces called 'umud.[20] Other accounts also said that the members used whips.[21] The chiefs commonly used swords, and their appointment occasionally were accompanied by ceremonially receiving a sword. [20] The chiefs were also reported to use chains as instrument for torture.[22]
Function
The main role of the haras was to act as the personal bodyguards of the caliphs. Haras members were known to guard the caliph even during private meetings, at night and during prayers at the mosque.[23]
Occasionally, they were also used by the reigning caliph to intimidate political opposition. For example, when Muawiyah demanded that individuals accept his son Yazid as his successor and pledge allegiance to him, haras members were sent to intimidate reluctant individuals.[24] Yazid was also reported to have sent some haras members to Abdullah ibn Zubair to ensure Abdullah's allegiance.[25]
See also
References
- ^ a b Perlman 2015, p. 327.
- ^ a b c Wolf 2014, p. 13.
- ^ Juriyanto, Moh (2020). "Sahabat yang Menjadi Pengawal dan Penjaga Rasulullah dalam Peperangan". Bincang Syariah. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Joll, Muhadir Haji · (2018). Kenal Untuk Cinta: Biografi Lengkap Rasulullah (Ebook) (in Malay). Galeri ilmu sdn bhd. ISBN 9789830977430. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "The Guards of the Prophet - I". ISLAMWEB.NET. Doha - Qatar: Qatar Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ a b Fahmi, Hadi (2018). "Saad bin Abi Waqas". Mawdoo3. Mawdoo3. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, Muhammad (2015). The History of Al-Tabari Vol. 10 The Conquest of Arabia: The Riddah Wars A.D. 632-633/A.H. 11 (Fred Donner Translation ed.). State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-0140-9. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ a b Griffel, Frank (2000). Apostasie und Toleranz im Islam: die Entwicklung zu al-Ġazālīs Urteil gegen die Philosophie und die Reaktionen der Philosophen (in German). BRILL. p. 61. ISBN 978-90-04-11566-8.
- ^ a b al-Hanbali, Ibn al-Mubarrad (2014). Muhammad Al-Azhari Abu Al-Mundhir, Saleh bin (ed.). Mahd Al-Maram fi Fadil Al-Zubayr bin Al-Awwam [Pure Mercy in the Virtues of Al-Zubayr bin Al-Awwam]. p. 86. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ a b Fahmi, Hadi (2018). "Saad bin Abi Waqas". Mawdoo3. Mawdoo3. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Perlman 2015, p. 317.
- ^ a b Perlman 2015, p. 318.
- ^ a b Perlman 2015, p. 319.
- ^ Wolf 2014, pp. 13–14.
- ^ Beckwith 2009, p. 25.
- ^ a b Perlman 2015, p. 323.
- ^ a b Perlman 2015, p. 324.
- ^ a b Perlman 2015, p. 322.
- ^ Wolf 2014, p. 14.
- ^ a b Perlman 2015, p. 325.
- ^ Perlman 2015, p. 326.
- ^ Perlman 2015, pp. 325–326.
- ^ Perlman 2015, pp. 328–329.
- ^ Perlman 2015, p. 329.
- ^ Perlman 2015, p. 330.
Sources
- Wolf, Kenneth Baxter (8 May 2014). Christian Martyrs in Muslim Spain. Cambridge University Press. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-1107634817. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- Beckwith, Christopher I. (2009). Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. Princeton University Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-1400829941. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- Perlman, Yaara (2015). "The Bodyguard of the Caliphs During the Umayyad and the Early Abbasid Periods". Al-Qanṭara. 36 (2): 315–340. doi:10.3989/alqantara.2015.009. ISSN 1988-2955.