The Banu al-Harith (
Arabic: بَنُو الْحَارِثBanū al-Ḥārith or
Arabic: بَنُو الْحُرَيْثBanū al-Ḥurayth) is an Arabian tribe which once governed the cities of
Najran,
Taif, and
Bisha, now located in southern
Saudi Arabia.
History
Origins and early history
The Banu Harith descend from the
Qahtanite people, one of the most prominent
Arab tribes originating from
Yemen.[1] The earliest recorded ancestor of the Qahtanites is
Joktan, one of the two sons of
Eber. The Qahtanite people are divided into the two factions, the
Himyarite and
Kahlani tribes.[1] The Kahlani tribe can be further broken into smaller sub-groups which include the Banu Harith which was established by Harith bin Ka'b.[1][2] The Banu Harith converted to
Judaism during pre-Islamic times.[3][4][5][6][7] They wore a
jambiya on their belt and worked primarily in goldsmithing and repairing arms.[8]
The Banu Harith allied with
Banu Madh'hij in order to launch an attack on Najran and they were able to successfully conquer the city.[9] Banu Harith lived peacefully beside
Banu Hamdan and they were the most powerful house which ruled Najran for many centuries. This was brought to an end during the Christian invasion.[9] After the Christian conquest of Najran, a sub-clan of the tribe emigrated to the Dhank region of
Oman while another emigrated south and founded the district of
Bani Al Harith in
Sana'a.[10][11]
In 523, the Himyarite king
Dhu Nuwas (Dunaan), who had converted to Judaism, massacred the Christians there[where?].[12]
After the rise of Islam
They were included in Point 31 of the
Constitution of Medina and honored as allies to the
Muslims, being as "one nation", but retaining their
Jewish religion.[13][14] They were given the same rights as
Banu Awf and entered into mutual protection pacts with the Muslim tribes.[5]
The small remnants of Banu Harith continued to live semi-autonomously in the border city of Najran until the 1930s. As a result of the
Saudi–Yemeni War the Saudis had conquered Najran in 1934. Persecution increased and the governor, Amir Turki bin Mahdi, allowed the Najrani Jews a single day to either evacuate or to convert to Islam. The Banu Harith fled south to
Sana'a and
Aden.[15][16][17] Their descendants currently make up a very small component of the
Yemenite Jewish population which now mostly reside in
Israel today.[18][19]
Harith bin Ka'b, a
warrior and the founder of the Banu Harith.
Dus ibn Milhan, a man who appealed to
Dhu Nuwas after two of his sons were brutally murdered by the Christians who had captured Najran. After hearing of his plight, Dhu Nuwas swore to avenge the deaths and to liberate Jews of Najran.[20]
^ʻUmāra Ibn-ʻAlī al-Yamanī; Ibn Khaldun; Muhammad Ibn Yaqub Janadi; Henry Cassels Kay (2005). Yaman, its early mediæval history. Mansfield Centre, Conn.: Martino Publ. p. 217.
ISBN9781578985340. Originally published: London : Edward Arnold, 1892
^Norman Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book, p. 117
^Lecker, Michael (1995). Judaism among Kinda and the Ridda of Kinda.
^"Najrān". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
^
abʻUmāra Ibn-ʻAlī al-Yamanī; Ibn Khaldun; Muhammad Ibn Yaqub Janadi; Henry Cassels Kay (2005). Yaman, its early mediæval history. Mansfield Centre, Conn.: Martino Publ. p. 183.
ISBN9781578985340. Originally published: London : Edward Arnold, 1892