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Fatwa CenterBrief biography of the Caliph Haaroon Ar-Rasheed
Question
Asallamu allekum. I am Muhammed Bashir from Nigeria , please I would like to know more about Haruna Rasheed and his contributions in islam propergation. Thanks
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
The books of history and biographies mention the conduct of Haaroon Ar-Rasheed and his adherence upon Jihaad and spreading Islam. Here, we will relate some of what Imaam Ath-Thahabi 
mentioned about him in Siyar A‘laam An-Nubalaa’, viz.:
"He was Abu Ja‘far, Haaroon ibn Al-Mahdi, Ar-Rasheed, the Caliph...One of the noblest of caliphs and humblest of kings. He was characterized by Hajj, Jihaad, raiding enemy lands, bravery, and deep thought. He was white, tall, handsome, pleasant to see, and not too fat. He was eloquent, knowledgeable, and perceptive of the burdens of the caliphate, and he took a good look into the subjects of literature and Fiqh. His head went completely gray... His father sent him to invade Roman lands when he was still a youth. It is said that during his caliphate he would pray one-hundred Rak‘ahs and give one thousand (dirhams) in charity every day until he died. He loved the scholars, exalted matters of the religion, and hated debate and polemic speech. He would cry in grief over his soul, his enjoyment, and his sins, especially when being admonished. Al-Fudhayl (ibn ‘Iyaadh) admonished him once until he whimpered. When he learned the news that Ibn Al-Mubaarak died he grieved for him... Abu Mu‘aawiyah Adh-Dhareer said: “Whenever I mentioned the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in his presence, he would say: sallallaahu ‘ala sayyidi [may Allaah send blessings upon my master]. I narrated to him the Hadeeth: “I would love to fight in the cause of Allaah and be killed, then be resurrected and killed again.” He cried until he sobbed.”... ‘Abd Ar-Razzaaq said: I was with Al-Fudhayl in Makkah when Haaroon passed. Al-Fudhayl said: “People dislike him, but there is none in the earth more precious to me than him. If he died, disaster would follow.” He also said: “No death is more difficult for me to bear than that of Ameer Al-Mu’mineen (Leader of the Believers) Haaroon. I wish that Allaah would increase his life by taking from mine.”... He performed the Hajj more than once and was successful in multiple conquests and his feats are well-known. He conquered the city of Hiraqlah [in present-day Ar-Raqqah, Syria]... After having lived forty-five years, he died on the third day of Jumaada Al-Aakhirah in the year 193 A.H. while on a raid into Khuraasaan and his grave in Toos (Tus, a city in Khuraasaan). His son Saalih prayed over him... In the year 179, Ar-Rasheed performed an ‘Umrah during Ramadan and remained assuming the state of Ihraam until he made Hajj on foot from Makkah itself... He raided and penetrated deep into Roman land, conquering as far as As-Safsaaf [near present-day Aleppo, Syria] and reaching with his army as far as Ankara." [End Quote; Summarized]
This shows that Haaroon Ar-Rasheed was attributed with the praiseworthy traits of nobility, bravery and eloquence, and he was close to the scholars and he listened to their advice. In fact, he would cry out of fear of Allaah The Exalted and he was devoted to Hajj, ‘Umrah and Jihaad.
In modern times, some people have written about him without verifying their sources, relating lies and falsehoods about him. In his book Histoire des Arabes, the French orientalist Amélie Sédillot did justice when he described Ar-Rasheed with religiosity and beneficence.
It is enough that an Imaam like Al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyaadh said about him, as was mentioned above: “People dislike him, but there is none in the earth more precious to me than him. If he died, disaster would follow.” One must thus be certain of historical accounts and must not take the history of the Ummah except from those who are trustworthy.
Allaah Knows best.
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