Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib حَمْزَة إبْن عَبْد ٱلْمُطَّلِب | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 568CE |
| Died | 23 March 625 (15Shawwal, 3AH) (aged 56–57) |
| Resting place | Uhud, Medina |
| Spouses |
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| Relations | full-siblings:
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| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Occupation | Military general |
| Known for | PaternalUncle andCompanion of Muhammad |
| Tribe | Quraysh (Banu Hashim) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Nickname(s) | Abu 'Umara[1]: 2 Abu Yaʿla[1]: 3 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Muhammad (623–625) |
| Years of service | 623–625 |
| Rank | Military Commander |
| Battles/wars | |
Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hasim ibn Abd Manaf al-Qurayshi[2] (Arabic:حَمْزَة إبْن عَبْد ٱلْمُطَّلِب,romanized: Ḥamza ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib;c. 568–625)[3][1] was a foster brother, paternal uncle, maternal second-cousin, andcompanion of theIslamic prophetMuhammad.
Hamza embracedIslam around 616 CE following an altercation withAbu Jahl and soon became one ofMuhammad’s strongest supporters. He took part in early expeditions, notably fighting at theBattle of Badr, and was killed in theBattle of Uhud in 625 CE. His death was widely mourned, and Islamic tradition honors him asAsadullah (lit. 'Lion ofGod') and the "leader of themartyrs".
Ibn Sa'd, citingal-Waqidi, and Ibn Sayyid, quotingZubayr, both reported that Hamza was four years older than Muhammad.[1][4] His father wasAbdul Muttalib, a member of theQuraysh tribe ofMecca, and his mother wasHalah bint Wuhayb of the Zuhrah clan of Quraysh.[1]: 2 Al-Tabari cites two traditions regarding their marriage: in one account, al-Waqidi relates that Abdul Muttalib accompanied his sonAbdullah to the house ofWahb ibn Abd Manaf to propose marriage to Wahb’s daughterAmina. During the visit, Abdul Muttalib noticed Wahb’s niece, Halah bint Wuhayb, and also asked for her hand. Wahb agreed, and both Abdullah and Abdul Muttalib were married on the same day in a double-marriage ceremony.[5]
| Kilab ibn Murra | Fatima bint Sa'd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zuhra ibn Kilab (progenitor ofBanu Zuhra) maternal great-great-grandfather | Qusayy ibn Kilab paternal great-great-great-grandfather | Hubba bint Hulail paternal great-great-great-grandmother | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abd Manaf ibn Zuhra maternal great-grandfather | Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy paternal great-great-grandfather | Atika bint Murra paternal great-great-grandmother | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wahb ibn `Abd Manaf maternal grandfather | Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf (progenitor ofBanu Hashim) paternal great-grandfather | Salma bint `Amr paternal great-grandmother | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fatima bint Amr paternal grandmother | `Abd al-Muttalib paternal grandfather | Hala bint Wuhayb paternal step-grandmother | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amina mother | Abd Allah father | al-Zubayr paternal uncle | al-Harith paternal half-uncle | Hamza paternal half-uncle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thuwayba first nurse | Halima second nurse | Abu Talib paternal uncle | `Abbas paternal half-uncle | Abu Lahab paternal half-uncle | 6 other sons and 6 daughters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Muhammad | Khadija first wife | Abd Allah ibn Abbas paternal cousin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fatima daughter | Ali paternal cousin and son-in-law family tree,descendants | Qasim son | Abd Allah son | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zainab daughter | Ruqayya daughter | Uthman second cousin and son-in-law family tree | Umm Kulthum daughter | Zayd adopted son | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ali ibn Zainab grandson | Umama bint Zaynab granddaughter | `Abd Allah ibn Uthman grandson | Rayhana bint Zayd wife | Usama ibn Zayd adoptive grandson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Muhsin ibn Ali grandson | Hasan ibn Ali grandson | Husayn ibn Ali grandson family tree | Umm Kulthum bint Ali granddaughter | Zaynab bint Ali granddaughter | Safiyya tenth wife | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abu Bakr father-in-law family tree | Sawda second wife | Umar father-in-law family tree | Umm Salama sixth wife | Juwayriya eighth wife | Maymuna eleventh wife | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aisha third wife Family tree | Zaynab fifth wife | Hafsa fourth wife | Zaynab seventh wife | Umm Habiba ninth wife | Maria al-Qibtiyya twelfth wife | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ibrahim son | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hamza showed little interest inIslam during its early years and converted in late 616 CE.[1]: 3 According to early sources, after returning toMecca from a hunting trip, he was informed that Abu Jahl had insulted Muhammad.[1]: 3 [6]: 131 Hamza went to theKaaba, struck Abu Jahl with his bow, and declared his support for Muhammad.[1]: 3 When members of Abu Jahl’s clan intervened, he reportedly told them to leave Hamza alone, admitting he had insulted Muhammad.[6]: 132
Following the incident, Hamza entered the House ofAl-Arqam and formally embraced Islam.[1]: 3 His conversion was seen as a turning point by the Quraysh, who shifted from direct harassment to attempts at negotiation, which he refused.[6]: 132–133 One account states that Hamza once asked to see theangelJibril in his true form. When Jibril appeared with feet like emeralds, Hamza lost consciousness.[1]: 6 In 622, he joined theemigration toMedina, where he stayed with either Kulthum ibn al-Hidm or Sa'd ibn Khaythama.[6]: 218 Muhammad paired him in brotherhood withZayd ibn Haritha.[1]: 3 [6]: 324
In hisfirst expedition, Muhammad appointed Hamza to lead a raid against aQuraysh caravan. He commanded a force of thirty riders to intercept a merchant convoy returning fromSyria along the coastal route in Juhayna territory.[1]: 4 At the seashore, Hamza encountered the caravan led by Abu Hisham, accompanied by 300 riders. Conflict was averted when Majdi ibn Amr al-Juhani, who had ties to both parties, intervened and negotiated a peaceful resolution.[1]: 4 [6]: 283 Sources differ on whether Hamza or his cousinUbayda ibn al-Harith was the first Muslim to whom Muhammad entrusted a banner.[6]: 283
At theBattle of Badr, Hamza fought alongside theMuslims, sharing a camel withZayd ibn Haritha[6]: 293 and wearing anostrich feather to make himself identifiable in combat.[1]: 4 [6]: 303 Prior to the battle, the Muslims blocked access to the wells atBadr.[6]: 297 Al-Aswad ibn Abd al-Asad approached the cistern, vowing to drink from it, destroy it, or die trying. Hamza confronted him and struck his leg, causing him to fall. Al-Aswad crawled into the water before Hamza killed him near the cistern.[6]: 299 During a duel withUtba ibn Rabi'a, Hamza is reported to have referred to himself as the"Lion ofAllah and His Messenger".[7] Accounts differ on whether Utba was killed by Hamza orAli.[6]: 337 Hamza later carried Muhammad’s banner during the expedition againstBanu Qaynuqa.[1]: 4
Hamza was killed in theBattle of Uhud on Saturday, 23 March 625 (7Shawwal 3 AH), at the age of approximately 57 to 59. Fighting at the front line with two swords, he was fatally struck in the abdomen by a javelin thrown byWahshi ibn Harb, anAbyssinian slave promisedmanumission byHind bint Utba in retaliation for the death of her father at the Battle of Badr.[6][8] Some sources report that Hind attempted to chew Hamza’s liver after the battle but was unable to swallow it.[9]Ibn Hisham narrates that Muhammad expressed deep grief upon seeing Hamza’s body and stated that the angel Jibril had called him the "Lion of the Prophet" in the seven heavens.[10] Hamza and his nephew,Abd Allah ibn Jahsh, were buried in the same grave.Ibn Masud reported that Muhammad led multiplefuneral prayer for Hamza, each time with another fallencompanion laid beside him.[11] He was widely mourned and later referred to as the "leader of themartyrs" by Muhammad, as narrated byJabir ibn Abd Allah.[12]
Hamza married three times and had seven children.[1]: 3
