The Bodyguard of the Caliphs During the Umayyad and the Early Abbasid Periods

During early Islam, the ḥaras was a government unit that was responsible for the personal security of the caliph. Since the reign of the first Umayyad Caliph, Mu‘āwiya b. Abī Sufyān, the ḥaras, headed by a ḥaras chief, protected all caliphs. This paper will attempt to describe the functions of the ḥaras during the Umayyad and the early Abbasid caliphates by delineating the characteristics of the ḥaras chiefs under the different caliphs. As with other institutions during early Islam, accounts that refer to the ḥaras offer information about the men who headed it rather than about the institution itself, making it necessary to employ the method of prosopography in order to arrive at an adequate description of the institution. The majority of the ḥaras chiefs appear to have been mawālī, often entrusted with administrative offices in addition to heading the ḥaras. It seems that the ḥaras chiefs were responsible not only for protecting the caliphs, but also for carrying out executions. The establishment of the ḥaras, the qualifications of the ḥaras chiefs and the Durante los principios del Islam el ḥaras fue una unidad del gobierno, responsable de la seguridad personal de los califas. Desde el reinado del primer califa omeya Mu‘āwiya b. Abī Sufyān, el ḥaras que estaba bajo las ordenes de su jefe, custodió a todos los califas. El propósito de este artículo es describir el papel del ḥaras durante el periodo del Califato Omeya y el principio del Califato Abbasí y describir las características de los jefes del ḥaras bajo los diferentes califas. Al igual que con otras instituciones durante el comienzo del Islam, la información relacionada con el ḥaras se basa en la vida y obra de los hombres que los encabezaban y no tanto en los datos específicos de la institución. Esto hace necesario el uso del método prosopográfico para conseguir una descripción adecuada de la institución. La mayoría de los dirigentes del ḥaras fueron mawālī y muchas veces eran responsables de las funciones administrativas, además de comandar el ḥaras. Sus dirigentes no solo eran responsables de la protección de los califas, sino tambien de ejecutar sus órdenes. Este AL-QANTARA XXXVI 2, julio-diciembre 2015 pp. 315-340 ISSN 0211-3589 doi: 10.3989/alqantara.2015.009

During early Islam, the ḥaras was a government unit that was responsible for the personal security of the caliph.Since the reign of the first Umayyad Caliph, Mu'āwiya b.Abī Sufyān, the ḥaras, headed by a ḥaras chief, protected all caliphs.This paper will attempt to describe the functions of the ḥaras during the Umayyad and the early Abbasid caliphates by delineating the characteristics of the ḥaras chiefs under the different caliphs.As with other institutions during early Islam, accounts that refer to the ḥaras offer information about the men who headed it rather than about the institution itself, making it necessary to employ the method of prosopography in order to arrive at an adequate description of the institution.The majority of the ḥaras chiefs appear to have been mawālī, often entrusted with administrative offices in addition to heading the ḥaras.It seems that the ḥaras chiefs were responsible not only for protecting the caliphs, but also for carrying out executions.The establishment of the ḥaras, the qualifications of the ḥaras chiefs and the Durante los principios del Islam el ḥaras fue una unidad del gobierno, responsable de la seguridad personal de los califas.Desde el reinado del primer califa omeya Mu'āwiya b.Abī Sufyān, el ḥaras que estaba bajo las ordenes de su jefe, custodió a todos los califas.El propósito de este artículo es describir el papel del ḥaras durante el periodo del Califato Omeya y el principio del Califato Abbasí y describir las características de los jefes del ḥaras bajo los diferentes califas.Al igual que con otras instituciones durante el comienzo del Islam, la información relacionada con el ḥaras se basa en la vida y obra de los hombres que los encabezaban y no tanto en los datos específicos de la institución.Esto hace necesario el uso del método prosopográfico para conseguir una descripción adecuada de la institución.La mayoría de los dirigentes del ḥaras fueron mawālī y muchas veces eran responsables de las funciones administrativas, además de comandar el ḥaras.Sus dirigentes no solo eran responsables de la protección de los califas, sino tambien de ejecutar sus órdenes.Este The ḥaras was a unit of bodyguards used by all the caliphs, beginning with Mu'āwiya b.Abī Sufyān (r.41-60/661-680).This paper aims to describe the ḥaras institution on the basis of an analysis of the data concerning the men at the head of this unit during the Umayyad and early Abbasid periods.The method of prosopography, showing that the ḥaras chiefs had much in common, will prove to be necessary in obtaining an adequate description of this early Islamic institution.
Classical Arabic literature abounds in accounts regarding the ḥaras; however this body has not received a thorough discussion.It is not mentioned in the Encyclopaedia of Islam except for brief references in some entries. 1 Darādkeh's article about the shurṭa and ḥaras during early Islam deals with both bodies, but does not discuss the ḥaras on its own. 2 Some studies make some mention of the ḥaras.Hugh Kennedy devotes two pages in his The Armies of the Caliphs to the shurṭa and ḥaras, yet most of his discussion refers to the shurṭa. 3Studies on the shurṭa speak of the ḥaras, but typically give it only a few lines. 4Patricia Crone mentions the ḥaras in a footnote at the end of her Slaves on Horses. 5ore to the point, the book contains a prosopographical index with bi-ographies of ḥaras chiefs during the early Abbasid period.Ḥaras chiefs of the Umayyad period, however, are rarely mentioned in available studies.Wadād al-Qāḍī discusses the ḥaras at several points in her article about security positions under the Umayyads, and she notes: "There is no independent, thorough study on the ḥaras in Umayyad times, but several studies on the shurṭa (usually translated as police) deal with them." 6he Establishment of the Ḥaras

The use of the term ḥaras in primary sources
The ḥaras was institutionalized during the time of Mu'āwiya b.Abī Sufyān, but the term appears in the sources with reference to earlier periods as well.For instance, several men are said to have been in the ḥaras of the prophet Muḥammad in his expeditions. 7It is not certain that the term ḥaras was in fact used at the time of the prophet; even if it was used, it probably did not denote an organized body but rather groups of people who had volunteered to protect the prophet.It may be noted that some reports do create the impression that the ḥaras at the time of the prophet was indeed an organized institution. 8In contradistinction, the ḥaras at the time of Mu'āwiya was undoubtedly a governmental body under the command of the caliph, which escorted and guarded him wherever he went.
The term ḥaras is also used with reference to the time of the rightly-guided caliphs (al-khulafā' al-rāshidūn).Abū Bakr (r.11-13/632-634) is said to have used his ḥaras to protect Medina from at-tack. 9Regarding ' Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb (r.13-23/634-644), we are told that he did not have a ḥaras.When the captured Persian general al-Hurmuzān was brought to 'Umar, the former asked where the caliph's guards were.Realizing that 'Umar had no guards, al-Hurmuzān concluded that 'Umar must be a prophet. 10The purpose of this tradition, however, seems to have been the portrayal of 'Umar in a positive manner, as a caliph who did not separate himself from the people.Due to the questionable historicity of reports of this kind, it is difficult to be certain that 'Umar indeed did not have bodyguards.

The establishment of the ḥaras by Mu'āwiya
Most accounts concerning the establishment of the ḥaras have it that Mu'āwiya b.Abī Sufyān founded the body following an attempted assassination. 11After this event, Mu'āwiya built a maqṣūra (a guarded room for the caliph inside the mosque) that was surrounded by ḥaras members at the time of prayer. 12Other accounts concerning this assassination attempt give more details about the behavior of the ḥaras inside the mosque.Al-Dīnawarī remarks that only the ḥaras members and the most trusted men were allowed to enter the maqṣūra.When Mu'āwiya was praying, ten members of his ḥaras stood behind him armed with swords and clubs ('umud). 13everal other accounts agree that the ḥaras was institutionalized during the time of Mu'āwiya.According to al-Ya'qūbī, Mu'āwiya was the first to establish the ḥaras, the shuraṭ (pl. of shurṭa), and the bawwābūn (pl. of bawwāb -door keeper), and the first to have people walk in front of him with lances in formal processions. 14Further, Mu'āwiya's ḥaras chief -Muslim Abū 'Abd Allāh, a mawlā of Khuzā'a -is said to have been the first person to be put in charge of this body. 15Al-Ṭabarī gives the name of Mu'āwiya's ḥaras chief: al-Mukhtār or Abū l-Mukhāriq according to another version (both of whom were mawālī), and afterwards remarks that Mu'āwiya was the founder of the ḥaras. 16eports concerning the establishment of the ḥaras belong to the genre of awā'il, and are therefore problematic, since they aim to place the origins of this body in a historical event. 17It is therefore noteworthy that some reports indicate that Mu'āwiya used bodyguards even before the attempt on his life.Thus, in one report he is said to have been with a guard (ḥarasī) before he was attacked. 18There are also reports according to which the ḥaras chief, Nuṣayr Abū Mūsā, refused to go with Mu'āwiya to the battle of Ṣiffīn. 19These reports, where the ḥaras is present in the background, should be considered reliable with regard to this body; in all likelihood Mu'āwiya already had bodyguards before the assassination attempt.It seems plausible, nevertheless, that the ḥaras was indeed institutionalized at the time of Mu'āwiya, though not necessarily as a direct result of the attack on him.

The ḥaras of Ziyād b. Abīhi
Some traditions ascribed the founding of the ḥaras to Ziyād b.Abīhi, the governor of Iraq and the eastern provinces of the Umayyad caliphate under Mu'āwiya.According to al-Ṭabarī, Ziyād was the first to have people walk in front of him in formal processions carrying lances 20 Al-Ṭabarī, Ta'rīkh, second series I, p. 79 (English translation: XVIII, p. 85).For more on the rābiṭa as a cavalry unit see: Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, s.v."r.b.ṭ."One of the functions of the rābiṭa was to fight groups of the Khawārij, and the founder of this unit was Ziyād b.Abīhi: Athamina, "Non-Arab Regiments and Private Militias during the Umayyad Period," p. 373.In some reports Ziyād is said to have been the founder of both the ḥaras and the 'asas (a night patrol unit): al-' Askarī, al-Awā'il, p. 204; al-Qalqashandī, Ṣubḥ ala'shā fī ṣinā'at al-inshā', I, p. 473.According to other reports, Abū Bakr or 'Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb established this unit.For more on the 'asas see: Bearman et al., "'Asas," in EI 2 ; Darādkeh, "al-Ḥaras wa-l-shurṭa," pp.71-72; Ebstein, "Shurṭa Chiefs in Baṣra," p. 114.
(ḥirāb) and clubs ('umud).He also established the ḥaras as a cavalry unit (rābiṭa) of 500 men.Ziyād appointed Shaybān of the Banū Sa'd as head of the rābiṭa, which was stationed beside the mosque. 20Al-Ṭabarī's report implies that the rābiṭa was a part of the ḥaras.However, a report in another source describes the rābiṭa as a unit separate from the ḥaras, which consisted of 500 men and was under the command of Shaybān. 21Shaybān b. 'Abd al-Shams belonged to the Banū Sa'd b.Zayd Manāt b.Tamīm.He was killed by the Khawārij with seven of his sons while guarding the mosque (jāmi') of Baṣra. 22In the aforementioned accounts, he is said to have headed either the ḥaras or the rābiṭa, and in other accounts he is referred to as a shurṭa chief, which seems mistaken. 23Balj b.Nushba, who belonged to the same group of Tamīm, is said to have been the deputy (khalīfa) of Ziyād's chief of the ḥaras. 24ne would expect Balj to have replaced Shaybān and the two of them to have commanded the same body, but whether this was the ḥaras or the rābiṭa remains unclear. 25On the method of prosopography, see: Stone, "Prosopography," pp.107-40. 26 See also: Kennedy, The Armies of the Caliphs, xi: "The Islamic historians are more interested in individuals and groups of individuals rather than institutions… This in turn makes the writing of history heavily prosopographical."On the necessity of prosopography in studying Islamic history see also: Crone, Slaves on Horses, pp.16-17. 27The Jerusalem Prosopography Project: The Prosopography of Early Islamic Administration, at: www.micro5.mscc.huji.ac.il:81/JPP/v3.See also: Lecker, "The Prosopography of Early Islamic Administration," pp.529-33.

Characteristics of the Ḥaras and the Ḥaras Chiefs
The following sections attempt a review of the characteristics of the ḥaras, based on information gathered regarding the ḥaras chiefs.The method employed is that of prosopography, 25 i.e. a study of a group of individuals with common background characteristics.Questions of interest about this group include their genealogy, social origins, economic position, offices held by them, the position of their descendants, political connections, etc.The group discussed here is that of the ḥaras chiefs of the caliphs during the first two centuries of Islam.Accounts regarding the ḥaras typically do not elaborate on the functions of the institution itself, but rather relate to the ḥaras chiefs.Hence, a review of the characteristics of the ḥaras institution would be inadequate without a discussion of the men who headed it. 26here are naturally some deficiencies in the data, which should be considered.The sources offer abundant data regarding some ḥaras chiefs, whereas information about others is lacking.Several ḥaras chiefs appear only a few times in the sources, sometimes even without a name.There is a risk that the ḥaras chiefs about whom the reports provide sufficient information do not represent the entire group.Nevertheless, an examination of the various ḥaras chiefs may shed light on the characteristics of the ḥaras institution.

Mawālī
Most of the ḥaras chiefs who served during the Umayyad period were mawālī (pl. of mawlā). 28The bodyguards who were mawālī were most likely mawālī in the sense of non-Arab clients, freedmen. 29One report explicitly states that 'Amr b.Muhājir, who was the ḥaras chief of 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Azīz (r.99-101/717-720), was a mawlā 'atāqa (freed slave) of Asmā' bint Yazīd al-Anṣariyya. 30There are accounts according to which Yazīd b.Abī Muslim, who was appointed governor of North Africa by Yazīd b. 'Abd al-Malik (r.101-105/720-724), returned the mawālī of Mūsā b.Nuṣayr to slavery and used them as his ḥaras, which indicates that they had been freed slaves. 31The fact that the ḥaras was headed by mawālī suggests that the members of this body were mawālī as well. 32Amr b.Muhājir was the only ḥaras chief who was a mawlā of the Anṣār.Since 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Azīz was the governor of Medina before his appointment as caliph and had close relations with some of the Anṣār, 33 it seems reasonable that a mawlā of theirs should have been selected as his ḥaras chief. 34'Alayka bi-l-mawālī fa-innahum anṣar wa-aghfar wa-ashkar: al-Balādhurī, Ansāb, IVa, p. 23; Athamina, "Non-Arab Regiments," p. 374; Kister, "The Battle of the Ḥarra: Some Socio-Economic Aspects," p. 44.As for the loyalty of the ḥaras chief, Ziyād b.Abīhi is also reported to have claimed that the ḥaras chief should be an aged man, who is chaste, reliable, and free from blame: wa-yanbaghī an yakūna ṣāḥibu l-ḥaras musinnan 'afīfan ma'mūnan lā yuṭ'anu 'alayhi: al-Ya'qūbī, Ta'rīkh, II, p. 235.
35 See also: Ḥusayn, "The Participation of non-Arab Elements in the Umayyad Army and Administration," p. 274.
The reason for choosing mawālī to head the ḥaras was their unconditional loyalty to the caliph.The caliph wanted the most trustworthy men, and naturally it was his mawālī who were closest to him, as against Arab tribesmen whose loyalty was principally to their tribes.A reference to the mawālī's loyalty and obedience can be found in a report stating that Mu'āwiya wrote to Ziyād b.Abīhi complaining about his relatives.In response, Ziyād advised him to rely more on his mawālī since they were more helpful, more willing to forgive, and more grateful. 34he mawālī held several offices during the Umayyad period. 35According to Ziyād b.Abīhi, it is better that the men in charge of the kharāj (tax, especially land tax) should be non-Arabs who are more proficient in these matters. 36The chamberlains (ḥujjāb) of the prophet and of the caliphs were reported to have been mostly mawālī as well. 37However, the chamberlains were largely mawālī of the caliph, whereas the ḥaras chiefs were occasionally the caliph's mawālī, but not necessarily. 38

Qualifications of the ḥaras chiefs
Several ḥaras chiefs held additional offices, such as responsibility for the khātam (seal), ḥijāba, and dīwān al-rasā'il (office of correspondence). 39Some held administrative positions before their appointment as ḥaras chiefs. 40Some positions were security related, like the ḥijāba, while others seem strictly administrative and unconnected to any security job.It may be inferred that the qualifications required of a ḥaras chief were not merely military skills, physical strength, and loyalty to the caliph, but also administrative capabilities. 41he loyalty of the ḥaras chiefs to the caliph and their intimate relationship with him enabled them to secure various administrative positions for themselves, which likewise demanded loyalty and a close relation with the caliph.Perhaps their non-Arab background and the administrative traditions to which they were accustomed enabled them to occupy these positions.
Unlike the ḥaras chiefs who served the Umayyads, several ḥaras chiefs were promoted to the rank of governors during the early Abbasid period. 42Moreover, the ḥaras chiefs during the early Abbasid period were occasionally in charge of the army and sometimes of the khazā'in (state treasury). 43The appointment of ḥaras chiefs during the early Abbasid period as governors also suggests that the ḥaras chiefs may have had skills that were not necessarily related to matters of security.
Several times a relative of the ḥaras chief succeeded him as head of the ḥaras. 44It would seem that a person related to the ḥaras chief had quite a good chance of succeeding him.According to some reports, certain ḥaras chiefs were ḥadīth transmitters, 45 but their knowledge of ḥadīth was not ostensibly related to their security job.basid Revolution," p. 177; Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon,s.v. "'.m.d";Ebstein,"Shurṭa Chiefs in Baṣra," p. 109. 47 Ibn 'Asākir, Ta'rīkh, IV, pp.218-19; Darādkeh, "al-Ḥaras wa-l-shurṭa," pp.70-71; for more on the ḥarba as a symbol of authority and the custom of walking in front of the caliph with the ḥarba see: Sourdel, "Khalīfa," in EI 2 ; Kennedy, The Armies of the Caliphs, p. 176; Ebstein, "Shurṭa Chiefs in Baṣra," p. 109. 48Kennedy, The Armies of the Caliphs, pp. 13, 176; Ebstein, "Shurṭa Chiefs in Baṣra," p. 109; Crone, "The Significance of Wooden Weapons," p. 177.Darādkeh and Morony remark that the ḥaras members walked in front of the caliph with 'umud and ḥirāb: Darādkeh, "al-Ḥaras wa-l-shurṭa," p. 89; Morony, Iraq, p. 93.In some accounts the ḥaras members used the ḥarba as a standard weapon, and in others the ḥaras members in the mosque held 'umud: Ibn 'Asākir, Ta 'rīkh,XI,p. 431;p. 199. 49 Swords are explicitly mentioned in the reports concerning Abū l-Zu'ayzi'a ( 2), Khālid b. al-Rayyān (3), and 'Uthmān b.Nahīk (8).The sword was a significant and symbolic weapon in Islam. Th name sayf (sword) was used as an honorific title already at the time of the prophet.Sometimes the sword itself was given a name, like Dhū l-Faqār -'Alī's sword, which was allegedly given to him by the prophet: Elgood, "Arms and armour," in EI 3 .There are several words in Arabic indicating different types of swords, as well as terms signifying the different parts of the sword, which also emphasizes its cultural importance.The significance of the sword is also illustrated in poetry, and several verses praise the virtues of this weapon.For more on swords in Islam see: Hoyland and Gilmour, Medieval Islamic Swords and Swordmaking: Kindi's treatise "On swords and their kinds".50 Like the appointment of 'Amr b.Muhājir (4).

Weapons used by the ḥaras
The reports concerning the establishment of the ḥaras mention the weapons ḥirāb and 'umud.'Umud or a'mida (pl. of 'amūd) were clubs or maces, possibly made of iron, 46 and ḥirāb (pl. of ḥarba) were short spears or lances that were considered a symbol of authority.The Negus, or the ruler of Ethiopia, allegedly granted the prophet a lance ('anaza, syn. of ḥarba), and people used to walk in front of him with it.After the prophet's death, the caliphs are said to have inherited this lance and to have had people walk in front of them carrying it.Reportedly, the prophet fought Ubayy b.Khalaf with the lance he received from the Negus during the battle of Uḥud. 47It seems however that the ḥirāb and 'umud were not the weapons borne by the members of the ḥaras during formal processions; rather, the shurṭa members used to carry them. 48oncerning the weapons of the ḥaras chiefs, the most commonly used was the sword. 49Receiving a sword occasionally symbolized appointment to this position. 50Sometimes the ḥaras chiefs used chains (silsila, pl.salāsil) as an instrument of torture. 51Other reports state that the ḥaras members used whips (sawṭ, pl.siyāṭ). 52nfusion between the terms ḥaras and shurṭa Several ḥaras chiefs are referred to in the sources as shurṭa chiefs, 53 and it seems that there is some confusion between the two terms. 54hat is more, the term shurṭa (pl.shuraṭ) has occasionally been translated in modern studies as bodyguard. 55The ḥaras and the shurṭa were related, since both bodies dealt with security, but their functions were distinct.The shurṭa was in charge of maintaining public order and security, while the ḥaras was responsible for the personal safety of the caliph.The distinction can be seen quite clearly in the origin of the men who headed the ḥaras and the shurṭa: the Umayyad ḥaras chiefs were mainly mawālī, whereas most shurṭa chiefs were Arab tribesmen. 56ome reports note that a certain person functioned as a ḥaras chief, while others say that the same person was a ḥājib (chamberlain) of the caliph, which can also be explained as a result of confusion between the two terms. 57It is perhaps possible that there is no contradiction between the reports, and that these people held the two positions simultaneously.

Characteristics of the ḥaras
Since the time of Mu'āwiya b.Abī Sufyān, each caliph had a ḥaras, led by a ḥaras chief, who escorted him.There was only one ḥaras chief at a time.When the sources remark that a certain caliph had more than one, it is because different people functioned at different times.It seems that the caliph himself appointed and dismissed his ḥaras chief, which is another indication of their close relations.Occasionally a ḥaras chief functioned under more than one caliph. 58Thus, several times a new caliph did not choose a new ḥaras chief, but rather employed the one already in command.The continuity of the ḥaras is also evident from the fact that it was a body that functioned during both the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.
Regarding the numbers provided by the sources, 59 the report concerning the establishment of the ḥaras by Ziyād notes that the ḥaras comprised 500 men.However, as previously mentioned, this report is ambiguous, because it is not clear whether this unit was the ḥaras or the rābiṭa.The ḥaras of 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Azīz consisted of 300 men, 60 and the formal procession of Hishām b. 'Abd al-Malik included 400 ḥaras members. 61A report regarding al-Mahdī remarks that he took 500 men from the Anṣār (i.e.descendants of the Anṣār) and made them his ḥaras. 62The salary of the ḥaras chief is not dis-cussed in detail in the sources, but some reports refer briefly to this issue. 63umerous reports discuss the ḥaras chiefs of governors as opposed to caliphs. 64There are also reports of quḍāt (pl. of qāḍī) who had a ḥaras. 65Not all governors, nor all of the quḍāt, are said in the sources to have employed a ḥaras, but it may be assumed that nearly all governors and possibly other officials as well had a ḥaras guarding them.

The ḥaras in the mosque
Reports on the establishment of the ḥaras mention that its members were stationed inside the mosque in order to protect the caliph while praying.Other reports describe the actions of the ḥaras members inside the mosque, such as expelling people from it for various reasons. 66Perhaps some of the ḥaras members were charged with keeping the mosque safe and protecting the caliph when he was there, but it is dif-ficult to ascertain whether they indeed belonged to the body under the command of the ḥaras chief of the caliph, or were a separate unit responsible for maintaining order in the mosque.

Functions of the ḥaras
The main function of the ḥaras was to guard the caliph and to prevent his exposure to any kind of danger.Even when the caliph was in a private meeting, his ḥaras chief was with him to guard him, armed with a sword.An anecdote about 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Azīz shows how the ḥaras protected the caliph and escorted him: when 'Umar became caliph, he walked at night with a ḥaras member (ḥarasī) to the mosque.'Umar entered the mosque, and because of the darkness he bumped into a sleeping man.The man lifted his head and said: "Are you crazy?"The ḥaras member intended to harm him, but 'Umar told him that the man was simply asking him a question and that he had answered by telling him that he was not crazy. 67Although all this might not have occurred at all, the background details are trustworthy: the caliph was escorted by his ḥaras at all times.
In addition to protecting the caliph, the ḥaras carried out executions at his orders. 68Several reports demonstrate how the ḥaras members dealt with opponents of the caliph.For instance, the ḥaras had a central role during the bay'a (oath of allegiance) to Yazīd b.Mu'āwiya (r.60-64/680-683). 69Reportedly, Mu'āwiya threatened the men who refused to pledge the bay'a to Yazīd, and he forced them to accept his son's appointment as his heir apparent.Mu'āwiya summoned his ḥaras chief and ordered him to place two ḥaras members next to each of the men present during his speech.Had any of them said anything  6), and Aḥmad b.Hishām (11).In addition Janāb b.Marthad (see note 64) and his men struck and jailed whoever behaved in a rude manner towards 'Abd al-'Azīz: fa-kāna l-rajul idhā aghlaẓa li-'Abd al-'Azīz wa-kharaja tanāwalahu Janāb wa-man ma'ahu fa-ḍarabūhu waḥabasūhu: al-Kindī, Wulāt Miṣr, p. 71.
73 A report about Mu'āwiya mentions that before his death he summoned al-Ḍaḥḥāk b.Qays, his shurṭa chief, and Muslim b. 'Uqba, his ḥaras chief, and asked them both to give Yazīd his will: al-Dīnawarī, al-Akhbār al-ṭiwāl, pp.208-9; Darādkeh, "al-Ḥaras wal-shurṭa," p. 85. 74 Abū Muslim sent his ḥaras chief Abū Isḥāq to al-Manṣūr to check al-Manṣūr's opinions before he went to meet him: al-Ṭabarī, Ta'rīkh, third series I, p. 107 (English translation: XXVIII, p. 30). 75Al-Mughīra b.Shu'ba (governor 41-50/661-670) ordered Ma'bad, a member of his ḥaras, to deport Ziyād b.Abīhi from Kūfa: al-Qāḍī, "Security Positions," pp.265-66.  in opposition to Mu'āwiya, the ḥaras member would have killed him with his sword. 70In another report, Yazīd b.Mu'āwiya sent some of his ḥaras members to 'Abd Allāh b. al-Zubayr to ascertain that the latter was obedient to him.The ḥaras members were supposed to either receive 'Abd Allāh b. al-Zubayr's bay'a, or bring him in chains to the caliph. 71part from these main functions of the ḥaras, there were others, such as prison supervision. 72It is possible that the latter was under the control of the ḥaras chiefs, but there is not enough in the sources to determine whether this was a permanent role of the ḥaras or only the responsibility of several specific ḥaras chiefs.The sources also discuss various tasks assigned to the ḥaras chiefs and the ḥaras members, which were not necessarily related to the personal security of the ruler, 73 such as performing duties related to intelligence, 74 or deporting various people on the ruler's order. 75

Summary
Since the time of Mu'āwiya b.Abī Sufyān, every caliph was guarded by his ḥaras at all times.Not only were caliphs protected by bodyguards, but also governors and several other officials, which is an indication of the importance of this body.Scholars have remarked that nearly all the ḥaras chiefs of the Umayyad caliphs were mawālī, and the confusion between the ḥaras and the shurṭa has been pointed out as well.Some studies have mentioned that the ḥaras chiefs had responsibilities in addition to protecting the caliph's life, such as responsibility for the official seal.It may be supposed that their non-Arab background and administrative skills enabled them to secure such positions.During the early Abbasid period, some ḥaras chiefs were promoted to the office of governors, perhaps implying that the qualifications for the ḥaras position were not merely security related.
Besides the primary duty of protecting the caliphs, the ḥaras chiefs also performed executions and were active in suppressing political opposition.Naturally, the ḥaras chiefs had close relations with the caliph.According to some reports it was the caliph himself who appointed or dismissed his ḥaras chief; on several occasions a relative of a ḥaras chief succeeded him in the position.A prosopographical study of the ḥaras chiefs shows that they had much in common, and this fact contributes to our knowledge of the ḥaras, a significant institution during early Islam.Abī 'Ubayd Allāh, who was accused of heresy. 1041.Aḥmad b.Hishām: Aḥmad b.Hishām was the ḥaras chief of the Caliph al-Ma'mūn (r.197-218/813-833).Al-Ma'mūn ordered Aḥmad b.Hishām to execute one of his mawālī for writing insulting verses, but eventually he was pardoned. 105In another report, Yaḥyā b.Khāqān was imprisoned under the supervision of Aḥmad b.Hishām. 106Aḥmad b.Hishām is also reported to have been al-Ma'mūn's ḥājib. 1072