حَارِثَة
Boy Arabic origin Ḥāritha
CompanionA form in -a of Harith: “one who ploughs, who tills the land”
Haritha ibn Suraqa, a young Ansari, was killed at Badr by a stray arrow. His mother came to ask the Prophet ﷺ whether he was in Paradise, so as to know whether to bear it patiently or to weep for him; he answered: “O mother of Haritha, there are many gardens in Paradise, and your son has attained the highest Firdaws” (al-Bukhari 2809).
Haritha is built on Harith, “the ploughman, one who tills the land and earns his living” (root ḥ-r-th), with the ending -a, which in ancient Arabic names does not mark the feminine: like Talha, Hamza or ʿUrwa, it is a man’s name. It gave its name to the Banu Haritha, a clan of the Ansar of Medina. The name also recalls Zayd ibn Haritha, the freedman whom the Prophet ﷺ had adopted before the revelation, and the young martyr Haritha ibn Suraqa.
The name Haritha does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (ح ر ث) occurs 14 times. Examples:
مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُۥ فِى حَرْثِهِۦ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ ٱلدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُۥ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ ٢٠
Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter - We increase for him in his harvest [i.e., reward]. And whoever desires the harvest [i.e., benefits] of this world - We give him thereof, but there is not for him in the Hereafter any share.
قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِى ٱلْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا قَالُوا۟ ٱلْـَٰٔنَ جِئْتَ بِٱلْحَقِّ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا۟ يَفْعَلُونَ ٧١
He said, "He says, 'It is a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, one free from fault with no spot upon her.'" They said, "Now you have come with the truth." So they slaughtered her, but they could hardly do it.
وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ ٱلْحَرْثَ وَٱلنَّسْلَ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْفَسَادَ ٢٠٥
And when he goes away, he strives throughout the land to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and animals. And Allāh does not like corruption.
All the words of the root ح ر ث in the Quran (14 occurrences)
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Umm Ar-Rubay‘ bint al-Barā', who was the mother of Hārithah ibn Surāqah, came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, will you not tell me about Hārithah (he was killed in the battle of Badr)?…
يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ، أَلاَ تُحَدِّثُنِي عَنْ حَارِثَةَ وَكَانَ قُتِلَ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ أَصَابَهُ سَهْمٌ غَرْبٌ، فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، صَبَرْتُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ اجْتَهَدْتُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْبُكَاءِ. قَالَ…
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Haritha in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.
Read the rules for choosing a name
This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.
