16. The conversion of Ḥamzah, may God have mercy on him

1. Sirat Ibn Hisham 319No grade recorded

   [ إيقَاعُ حَمْزَةَ بِأَبِي جَهْلٍ وَإِسْلَامُهُ ] فَاحْتَمَلَ حَمْزَةَ الْغَضَبُ لَمَّا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهِ مِنْ كَرَامَتِهِ، فَخَرَجَ يَسْعَى وَلَمْ يَقِفْ عَلَى أَحَدٍ، مُعِدًّا لِأَبِي جَهْلٍ إذَا لَقِيَهُ أَنْ يُوقِعَ بِهِ؛ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ نَظَرَ إلَيْهِ جَالِسًا فِي الْقَوْمِ، فَأَقْبَلَ نَحْوَهُ، حَتَّى إذَا قَامَ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ رَفَعَ الْقَوْسَ فَضَرَبَهُ بِهَا فَشَجَّهُ شَجَّةً مُنْكَرَةً، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَتَشْتِمُهُ وَأَنَا عَلَى دِينِهِ أَقُولُ مَا يَقُولُ ؟ فَرُدَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَيَّ إنْ اسْتَطَعْتُ. فَقَامَتْ رِجَالٌ مِنْ بَنِي مَخْزُومٍ إلَى حَمْزَةَ لِيَنْصُرُوا أَبَا جَهْلٍ؛ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ: دَعُوا أَبَا عُمَارَةَ، فَإِنِّي وَاَللَّهِ قَدْ سَبَبْتُ ابْنَ أَخِيهِ سَبًّا قَبِيحًا، وَتَمَّ حَمْزَةُ ؓ عَلَى إسْلَامِهِ، وَعَلَى مَا تَابَعَ عَلَيْهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ. فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَ حَمْزَةُ عَرَفَتْ قُرَيْشٌ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَدْ عَزَّ وَامْتَنَعَ، وَأَنَّ حَمْزَةَ سَيَمْنَعُهُ، فَكَفُّوا عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا كَانُوا يَنَالُونَ مِنْهُ

   ✧ [The assault of Ḥamzah upon Abū Jahl and his Islam] So Ḥamzah was seized by anger, because of what God willed for him of His honor. He went out walking swiftly, not stopping for anyone, prepared, if he met Abū Jahl, to strike him. When he entered the mosque, he saw him sitting among the people, so he came toward him, until when he stood over his head, he raised the bow and struck him with it, inflicting a severe head wound. Then he said: "Do you revile him while I follow his religion and say what he says? Reply to me if you can!" Some men of Banū Makhzūm rose to Ḥamzah to aid Abū Jahl. But Abū Jahl said: "Leave Abū ʿUmārah alone, for by God, I reviled his nephew with a vile insult." And Ḥamzah ؓ remained firm in his Islam and in what he had accepted of the words of the Messenger of God ﷺ. When Ḥamzah embraced Islam, Quraysh knew that the Messenger of God ﷺ had become mighty and protected, and that Ḥamzah would defend him. So they desisted from some of what they had been inflicting upon him.

2. Sirat Ibn Hisham 318No grade recorded

   إسْلَامُ حَمْزَةَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ [ أَذَاةُ أَبِي جَهْلٍ لِلرَّسُولِ ﷺ، وَوُقُوفُ حَمْزَةَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: حَدَّثَنِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَسْلَمَ، كَانَ وَاعِيَةً: أَنَّ أَبَا جَهْلٍ مَرَّ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عِنْدَ الصَّفَا، فَآذَاهُ وَشَتَمَهُ، وَنَالَ مِنْهُ بَعْضَ مَا يَكْرَهُ مِنْ الْعَيْبِ لِدِينِهِ، وَالتَّضْعِيفِ لِأَمْرِهِ؛ فَلَمْ يُكَلِّمْهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَمَوْلَاةٌ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جُدْعَانَ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ تَيْمِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ فِي مَسْكَنٍ لَهَا تَسْمَعُ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ عَنْهُ فَعَمَدَ إلَى نَادٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ عِنْدَ الْكَعْبَةِ، فَجَلَسَ مَعَهُمْ. فَلَمْ يَلْبَثْ حَمْزَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ ؓ أَنْ أَقْبَلَ مُتَوَشِّحًا قَوْسَهُ، رَاجِعًا مِنْ قَنْصٍ لَهُ، وَكَانَ صَاحِبَ قَنْصٍ يَرْمِيهِ وَيَخْرُجُ لَهُ، وَكَانَ إذَا رَجَعَ مِنْ قَنْصِهِ لَمْ يَصِلْ إلَى أَهْلِهِ حَتَّى يَطُوفَ بِالْكَعْبَةِ، وَكَانَ إذَا فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ لَمْ يَمُرَّ عَلَى نَادٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ إلَّا وَقَفَ وَسَلَّمَ وَتَحَدَّثَ مَعَهُمْ، وَكَانَ أَعَزَّ فَتًى فِي قُرَيْشٍ، وَأَشَدَّ شَكِيمَةً. فَلَمَّا مَرَّ بِالْمَوْلَاةِ، وَقَدْ رَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إلَى بَيْتِهِ، قَالَتْ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا عُمَارَةَ، لَوْ رَأَيْتَ مَا لَقِيَ ابْنُ أَخِيكَ مُحَمَّدٌ آنِفًا مِنْ أَبِي الْحَكَمِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ: وَجَدَهُ هَاهُنَا جَالِسًا فَآذَاهُ وَسَبَّهُ، وَبَلَغَ مِنْهُ مَا يَكْرَهُ، ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ عَنْهُ وَلَمْ يُكَلِّمْهُ مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ.

   ✧ The Islam of Ḥamzah, may God have mercy upon him [The harm of Abū Jahl to the Messenger ﷺ, and Ḥamzah’s learning of that] Ibn Isḥāq said: A man from Aslam, who was a keeper of knowledge, related to me that Abū Jahl passed by the Messenger of God ﷺ at al-Ṣafā, and he harmed him and reviled him, and directed at him some of what he disliked in the way of faulting his religion and belittling his affair. The Messenger of God ﷺ did not speak to him. A freedwoman of ʿAbd Allāh b. Judʿān b. ʿAmr b. Kaʿb b. Saʿd b. Taym b. Murrah was in a dwelling of hers, listening to that. Then he went away from him and made for a gathering of Quraysh at the Kaʿbah, and sat with them. It was not long before Ḥamzah b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ؓ came forward, having slung his bow over his shoulder, returning from a hunt of his. He was a man of the hunt, shooting and going out for it; and when he returned from his hunt, he would not reach his family until he had circumambulated the Kaʿbah. And when he did that, he would not pass by any gathering of Quraysh without stopping, greeting, and speaking with them. He was the most esteemed young man in Quraysh, and the most firm in resolve. When he passed by the freedwoman, after the Messenger of God ﷺ had returned to his house, she said to him: O Abū ʿUmārah, if only you had seen what your nephew Muḥammad just now encountered from Abū al-Ḥakam b. Hishām: he found him sitting here and harmed him and insulted him, and directed at him what he disliked; then he went away from him, and Muḥammad ﷺ did not speak to him.