Shurahbil ibn Amr was a chieftain of the Ghassanids, the largest Arab Christian tribe and the Romans' vassals among the Arabs. When the Prophet ﷺ sent al-Harith ibn Umayr al-Azdi RA north with a letter to Heraclius, the Ghassanids captured the envoy and brought him before Shurahbil. Asked, "Who are you?", al-Harith said he was the envoy of Muhammad ﷺ carrying a letter to Heraclius, and must be released. Shurahbil mocked him, had him tortured, and then killed him with his own hands. Envoys were held inviolable by every people, and that the chieftain did it himself made the insult to Islam worse. Believing himself beyond reach in the north, he acted with arrogance. According to al-Waqidi, this killing was the reason the Prophet ﷺ sent the army to Mu'tah in 8 AH.
All 1 events