Sayyiduna Hamzah radiallahu anhu- The Lion of Allah Born as a soldier, raised as a warrior, hunter by nature and a lion by signature. He is hailed as one of the greatest men of this nation. His name struck terror in the hearts of his adversaries whilst it induced strength and pride in the souls of his comrades. The pages with his name are known as the golden pages of Islamic History. This soldier was none other than the uncle of the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam, Asadullah Abu ῾Umārah Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib (radiallahu anhu). He was born two years prior to the birth of the Prophet salallahu laihi wasallam, he entered the ranks of the believers two years following the announcement of Prophethood and was martyred two years after the Hijrah (migration). His bond to the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam was three dimensional; paternal, maternal and through foster. Paternally, he was the uncle of the Prophet salallahu alahi wasallam. Maternally, the mother of Hamzah, Hālah bint Wuhayb was the cousin sister of Āminah, the mother of the Messenger of Allah. In fostering, Hamzah was fed by the same wet nurse who fed by the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam, Thuwaybah. His acceptance of Islam was primarily due to his love for his nephew, the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasaallam. As he galloped back to Makkah after hunting in the deserts of Makkah, a slave girl called out to him, “O Abu Umārah (Hamzah)! Have you heard what Abu Hakm (Abu Jahl) has done with your nephew? He has debased him with vulgar language and has caused him much pain. Muhammad just left him without saying a word.” Hamzah was enraged by the news and his temper boiled from within him. The pain caused to his nephew was intolerable. He moved swiftly towards the gathering where Abu Jahl was. When he entered the crowd, his gleaming eyes searched around for his target. Upon detecting him, at once he rushed towards him like a lion attacking its prey and struck his head with a bow severely injuring him. Blood started to gush forth from his head. The crowd was terrified at the scene and stood up to aid Abu Jahl. They started shouting, “O Abu Umārah, it seems as though you have changed your religion!” Hamzah’s voice thundered like lightning in response to their call, “Who has the audacity to stop me? I have accepted the true faith of Muhammad. I testify that verily he is the messenger of Allah.” Abu Jahl, who was badly beaten, pacified the angry crowd saying, “Leave Abu Umārah. Verily, I have caused great pain to his nephew.” The acceptance of Islam by Hamzah radiallahu anhu became a barrier between the torments of Quraish and the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam. They were no longer able to prosecute the Prophet openly. Hamzah radiallahu anhu had instilled his fear into the hearts of the disbelievers. It was the 15th of Shawwal, the 3rd year after hijrah. The battlefield was none other than Uhud and there was a familiar soldier amidst the chaos and frenzy. This was the one who was not intimidated by any of the opposition. This was a giant amongst men, a person who terrified and slaughtered anyone who dared to stand in his path and wage war against Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam. This man was none other than the leader of the martyrs and the lion of Allah, Hamza bin Abd al Muttalib. Like every great man and warrior, his dream and goal was to attain martyrdom and to end his life for the cause he held dearest to him; Allah, his Rasul and his religion. Sayyiduna Hamza was no different. He fought with two swords; one in each hand. He would wear a red ostrich feather stuck to his head so that other people could spot him easily and challenge him. Wahshi was the person who martyred the leader of the martyrs. He narrates that he was the slave of a disbeliever called Jubayr bin Mut’am. His owner had seen the life of his uncle Tua’yma bin Adī taken by Sayyiduna Hamzah during the battle of Badr and he had been meticulously planning to avenge his death. He sought vengeance, so he addressed me and asked me if I wanted freedom. I asked him what it would cost. He replied that if I managed to kill Hamzah, I would be a free man. I said that I was willing to assassinate this person for my freedom even though I had no desire to partake in the war and fight. I was already an accomplished marksman with a spear and never missed my target. I joined the army of the disbelievers at the rear, close to the women because of my reluctance to engage with the enemy. Every time Hind- the wife of Abu Sufyan- passed by me, she would tell me to exact revenge. When we finally reached Uhud, I scanned the battlefield looking for Hamzah and it wasn’t long before I spotted the ostrich feather on his head and recognised him. He was butchering people all around him. As I was preparing myself to kill him, I hid behind a tree and saw that a non believer on horseback neared towards him screaming “Duel with me oh Hamzah!” Hamzah replied “Come you son of a disbeliever, let us engage in battle! Come!” So as the horseman approached, Hamzah struck his sword with a swift blow which made the rider fall to the floor and die. I saw that this was my opportunity to gain my freedom and I seized it. I came out of hiding, aimed my spear at Hamzah and sent it hurtling towards him. It struck him just below his stomach and protruded out of his other end. He took a couple of steps towards me before he fell to the floor. I left the spear in his body because I was apprehensive of approaching it. When I was sure that he was dead, I yanked the spear out and abandoned the battlefield and returned to the tents. I had accomplished my goal and attained my freedom. Then Hind and some other women went to the body of Hamzah and the other martyrs, mutilated it, split and tore their bellies and extracted their livers, gouged out their eyes and cut of their noses and ears. They made these into necklaces and wore them around their necks. She gave me two gold necklaces in gratitude for killing Hamzah. This is how one of the greatest warriors the world has ever seen gained his martyrdom and was received by the maidens of Paradise who escorted him to paradise at the age of 57. This is how the Lion of Allah fell. Allah elevate his status and fame in this world and the hereafter. May Allah make us taste that which Sayyiduna Hamzah radiallahu anhu tasted. Ameen.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 13:41:12 +0000
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