Abu Haritha ibn Alqama
أبو حارثة بن علقمة
Bishop of Najran and its religious leader, one of the three chiefs who headed the sixty-man Christian delegation to Medina in 9 AH that debated Jesus and received the Prophet's offer of mubahala.
At a glance
- Roles
- theologian
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Place in the story
- Interlocutor · c. 631 CE · c. 10 AH†Tradition
Christian (documented)
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
His account
Abu Haritha ibn Alqama was Najran's bishop, holding the religious leadership and spiritual guidance within its people's sixty-man delegation to the Prophet in year 9 AH 1. The delegation was led by three: al-Aqib Abd al-Masih for command and government, al-Sayyid al-Ayham for cultural and political affairs, and Abu Haritha for religion 1. The delegation asked the Prophet what he said of Jesus and held back from Islam; he called them to mutual imprecation, they asked instead for peace, and he made peace with them on jizya and dhimma 2.
For young visitors
Abu Haritha was the greatest of Najran's Christian scholars; he came in their delegation asking the Prophet and debating him, and they made peace with him.
Connections
- Lived in
- Najran
- Participated in
- The delegation of Najran
People and things also explored
The Massacre of Najran (Ashab al-Ukhdud)Faymiyun the monkThe delegation of NajranThe Year of DelegationsAbu Ubayda ibn al-JarrahAli ibn Abi TalibFatima bint MuhammadHasan ibn Ali
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 450
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 451
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham
- Zad al-Ma'ad — Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Abu Haritha ibn Alqama”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/abu-haritha-ibn-alqama/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.