Shurahbil ibn Amr () was a

Ghassanid The Ghassanids, also known as the Jafnids, were an Arab tribe. Originally from South Arabia, they migrated to the Levant in the 3rd century and established what would eventually become a Christian kingdom under the aegis of the Byzantine Empi ...

governor of the vassal Ghassanid confederation under the Byzantine Empire in southern Syria region during the 7th century. When Muhammad wished to spread the message of Islam, one of his letters was addressed to Shurahbil bin Amr. It was carried by an envoy, Harith bin Umayr, who was killed in A.D. 629 at a place called Tafilah, a village within the Roman province of

Palaestina Salutaris Palaestina Salutaris or Palaestina Tertia was a Late Roman and Byzantine province, which covered the area of the Negev, Sinai (except the north-western coast) and south-west of Transjordan, south of the Dead Sea. The province, a part of the Dio ...

, In the

Mu'tah Mu'tah (, ') is a town in Karak Governorate in Jordan. Mutah University is located in the city. History In Islamic Hadith, tradition, it is known for the Battle of Mu'tah in 629 Common Era, CE, the first military engagement between the Arab Mus ...

region in the western part of modern day Jordan. In response, an army of 3000 was forthwith mustered at the command of Zaid bin Harith to avenge the death of the envoy. This led to the

Battle of Mu'tah The Battle of Mu'tah (, or ') took place in September 629 (1 Jumada al-Awwal 8 AH), between the forces of Muhammad and the army of the Byzantine Empire and their Ghassanid vassals. It took place in the village of Mu'tah in Palaestina Sa ...

, a small skirmish in which the Muslim forces were defeated and forced to withdraw due to the far superior numbers of the Byzantine Roman forces.

References

7th-century Arab people 7th century in the Byzantine Empire 7th-century monarchs in the Middle East Ghassanids {{Royalty-stub