Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib is a great-grandson…

Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib is a great-grandson of Oqba ibn Nafi al-Fihri (Muslim Arab conqueror of North Africa).

His family, the al-Fihris, are among the leading Arab families of the Maghreb.

At the beginning of 740, he joins his father Habib ibn Abi Obeida in an Arab expedition across the water to Sicily in what is possibly the first attempt at a full-scale invasion of the island (rather than a mere raid).

They have a successful landing and laid a brief siege to Syracuse, securing its submission to tribute, but the breakout of the Great Berber Revolt in the Maghreb forces the al-Fihris to cancel the invasion of Sicily and ship their army quickly back to Africa to help quell the uprising.