Al-Harith ibn Sima al-Sharabi

Al-Harith ibn Sima al-Sharabi (Arabic: الحارث بن سيما الشرابي‎‎) (died 870) was the governor of Fars for the Abbasid dynasty from 869 until his death.

Career

Al-Harith's appointment to Fars came in the aftermath of the Saffarid amir Ya'qub ibn al-Layth's recent forced entry into Shiraz, the provincial capital.^[1] Ya'qub's subsequent departure from Fars allowed the caliphal government to briefly reestablish their authority over the province, and al-Harith and other officials arrived to take control of local affairs.^[2]

Al-Harith's governorship was brief. He was soon challenged by a local Kharijite, Muhammad ibn Wasil. The two sides engaged each other in battle and al-Harith was killed; Muhammad then seized control of Fars.^[3]

References

1. Bosworth, pp. 145-7; Tor, pp. 126-31; al-Tabari, v. 35: 158-61
2. Bosworth, p. 147
3. Bosworth, p. 147; Tor, p. 132; al-Tabari, v. 36: p. 116

Bibliography

• Bosworth, C. E. The History of the Saffarids of Sistan and the Maliks of Nimruz (247/861 to 949/1542-3). Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers, 1994. ISBN 1-56859-015-6.
• Al-Tabari, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir. The History of al-Tabari. Ed. Ehsan Yar-Shater. 40 vols. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1985-2007.
• Tor, D. G. Violent Order: Religious War, Chivalry, and the 'Ayyar Phenomenon in the Medieval Islamic World. Würzburg: Ergon, 2007. ISBN 3-89913-553-9.