Harith ibn Abi Shamir al-Ghassani was the governor of Syria, who worked under the Byzantine Empire. Harith was a Christian, he was also of Arab descent. Not much is known about his life, which is not well documented either in historical records.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ wrote a letter to him, inviting him to Islam. This letter read;
From Muhammad the Messenger of God to Al-Harith bin Abi Shamir,
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance and believes in it and regards it as true. I invite you to believe in One God with no associates, and if you do so, your kingdom shall remain yours.
The companion of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Shuja'h ibn Wahhab, took the letter and travelled to Syria, where he sent it to the Byzantine court there.
When Harith read this letter, he got extremely angry. So he threw the letter on the floor and ordered Shuja'h to leave the court. Harith then set up his army and headed off to attack Madinah. But Harith received a letter from Heraclius, who ordered that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ be given a lot of gold as a reward. As Shuja'h was leaving the city, he met Harith's servant. The servant asked Shuja'h to tell the Prophet ﷺ that he was officially a Muslim in secret.
When Shuja'h arrived in Madinah, he went to the Prophet ﷺ and told him what he had seen and heard. When the Prophet ﷺ learned of the negative attitude of Harith against his envoy and letter, he cursed Harith by saying, “May his sovereignty be destroyed!” Harith died a year later and his royalty was transferred to Jabala ibn al-Ayham, the last Ghassanid ruler.
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Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Contemporary Rulers
Non-FictionA short book, written to document the interactions of the Prophet ﷺ with the various rulers (i.e. Kings and Princes) who lived at the same time as Him. Included within this book are the stories of some kings who converted to Islam or accepted the fa...
