Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha was a general of the Rashidun Caliphate who was the victor at the 636 AD Battle of al-Qadisiyyah against the Sassanids of Persia.
Biography[]
Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha was born to the Banu Bakr tribe of Arabs, and he was an early general of Islam under the Rashidun Caliphate. Caliph Umar sent him to campaign against the Sassanids of Persia, who had persecuted Muslims, and in 636 al-Muthanna ibn Haritha fought the Sassanids at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, a great victory for the Islamic cause. He was relegated to command of the Muslim Arab territories in Iraq after the battle, relying on the Banu Bakr, Banu Taghlib, and Banu Tamim tribes to maintain order in Iraq under his rule. He is celebrated as an Iraqi hero by nationalists, with the fascist al-Muthanna Club of the late 1930s, Muthanna Governorate, and the Islamic Muthanna Movement of Syria being named for him.