Sa'id ibn Amr al-Harashi was a
Qaysi from
Qinnasrin,
Syria. He appears on the side of the
Umayyad prince and general
Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik in 720, when the latter was sent into
Iraq to quell
Yazid ibn al-Muhallab's rebellion. However, his brutality in suppressing the Soghdian revolt, and his strict enforcement of the
jizya on the native population, merely reinforced their hostility towards Arab rule. Despite his oppressive measures, however, he was unable to forward enough tax revenue to Iraq, and was replaced by
Muslim ibn Sa'id al-Kilabi. After his dismissal, Sa'id returned to
Syria. In spring 733, however, Sa'id was rehabilitated and appointed in turn as governor of Armenia and Adharbayjan, following the somewhat lacklustre performance of Maslama and another Umayyad prince, Marwan ibn Muhammad (the future
Marwan II), against the Khazars over the previous years. Nevertheless, for the duration of Sa'id tenure, he remained on the defensive, possibly as a result of the exhaustion of his troops in the
long conflict with the Khazars. Due to the loss of his eyesight, Sa'id was forced to resign his post, probably in early 735. == Family ==