Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib

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Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (Arabic: حمزه بن عبدالمطلب) was the uncle of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He and Muhammad were raised together as they were almost the same age.

Hamza was known as Lion of God (Arabic أسد الله) and Lion of Paradise (Arabic: أسد الجنة) for his bravery. Among the champions of early Islam, few have rivaled his reputation in battle. He was martyred at the Battle of Uhud on 19 March 625 by the Abyssinian slave Wahshy ibn Harb.

Contents 1 Hamza’s conversion to Islam 2 Early life 3 Mecca and Hijrah 4 Film 5 Books 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Hamza’s conversion to Islam

Hamza converted to Islam due to the actions of Amr ibn Hishām, (who is infamous by the name of Abu Jahl and known for his hostility against the Muslims). Hamza, uncle of Muhammad had returned to the city of Mecca after a hunting trip in the desert. Upon returning, he soon learned that Abu Jahl, avowed enemy of Islam had heaped abuse and insults upon Muhammad, who had not responded and walked away from where he had sat in the Haram. Outraged, Hamza dashed to the Kaaba, where Abu Jahl sat with other leaders of Mecca and began to beat him with his bow, crying, "Are you going to insult him now, now that I am of his religion and vouch for what he vouches for? Hit me if you can!" As the companions of Abu Jahl warily stood, approaching Hamza, Abu Jahl feebily cried out from the ground, "Let Abu Umarah be, for indeed, I insulted his nephew deeply." And he cowered at the feet of Hamza, while his friends could not meet Hamza’s eyes. As he departed, he kicked sand back at the men, leaving all shocked at what Hamza had just said, none more so than Hamza himself.^{[clarification needed]}

[edit] Early life

Hamza, the son of Shaiba ibn Hashim, was the brother of Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib, Muhammad's father, but he had also been weaned by the same woman, Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb, making him his foster brother as well. The two had grown up together, being just two years apart in age. But as the boys had become young men, they developed different attitudes toward life. Muhammad became thoughtful and concerned with the problems of society, Hamza was not such a contemplative thinker and was comfortable in his status of being part of Meccan elite, though their relationship remained as strong as ever. So it was a conflicted Hamza that witnessed the escalating situation in the city as Muhammad declared the message of Islam. On the one hand, he had absolute faith in the character of his foster brother and nephew, being one of those who had been closest to him for all of his life. Yet some of his most honored values were the respect he held for his family and the traditions they had always followed, his pagan religion among these. So he was indifferent to the controversy, discouraging his peers from worrying about what they saw as a revolution in their midst and not bothering to join them^{[clarification needed]} in torturing the defenseless Muslims, while declining Muhammad's invitation to Islam.

[edit] Mecca and Hijrah

The conversion to Islam of Hamza, gave the Muslims much greater strength and moral among its followers. They were now able to speak and pray in public. Hamza had been a one of the most renowned warriors of the Quraysh, known for his solitary hunting expeditions in the desert and his prowess on the battlefield, and was known as the "Lion of the Desert". He became a staunch supporter of Muhammad, enduring the ostracization of the Muslims, and helped him get through the Year of Sorrow, when many of his close relatives died. And he became a trusted advisor after the Hijra, when Muhammad led the fledgling Muslim state in Medina. Hamza advised Muhammad to go on the offensive against those who had driven the Muslims from their homes and seized their property, which Muhammad decided to do by seizing a Quraysh caravan from Mecca at the wells of Badr.

[edit] Film

His story is related in the film Mohammad, Messenger of God. Hamza was portrayed by the Hollywood actor Anthony Quinn.

[edit] Books

Stories of his life are collected in the Hamzanama. Hamza is the protagonist of a dastan-goi "narrative tales" from Islamic India, where he is portrayed as a larger-than-life hero who fights demons, trades witty remarks with Emperors and fights great wars. It resembles both the Shahnameh and the Ramayana in form. A recent translation of Navab Mirza Aman Ali Khan Bahadur Ghalib Lakhnavi's Dastan-e Amir Hamza is available in English. The most famous book of poetry on Hamza is Daastan Amir Hamza (Story of Hamza) by Maulvi Ghulam Rasool, a Sufi of Alampur.

[edit] See also

• Sahaba
• ‘Abd al-Muttalib (name)

[edit] References

Musharraf Ali Farooqi, trans.; Ghālib Mirzā Amānʻalīkhāṉ Lakhnavī and Abdullah Bilgrami, compilers, ed (2007). The Adventures of Amir Hamza, Lord of the Auspicious Planetary Conjunction. New York: The Modern Library. ISBN 0679643540. 

Noura Durkee (1999). Those Promised Paradise. Chicago: IQRA International Education Foundation. ISBN 1-56316-374-8. 

[edit] External links

• islam.r2.ru

v • d • e List of Sahaba     Abbad ibn Bishr `Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-Asad Abd-Allah ibn Mas'ud `Abd Allah ibn Rawahah Abd-Allah ibn Sailam Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy Abd-Allah ibn Umm-Maktum Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr Abdullah ibn Hudhafah as-Sahmi Abdullah ibn Ja'far Abdullah ibn Sailam Abu Ayyub al-Ansari Abu Bakr Abu Dharr al-Ghifari Abu Dujana Abu Fuhayra Abu Hudhaifah ibn al-Mughirah Abu Hurairah Abu Lubaba ibn Abd al-Mundhir Abu Sufyan ibn Harb Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah Abu al-Aas ibn al-Rabiah Abu al-Dardaa Abu-Hudhayfah ibn Utbah Abu-Musa al-Asha'ari Abu-Sa'id al-Khudri Akib ibn Usaid Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami Al-Baraa ibn Malik al-Ansari Al-Hasan Al-Husayn Al-Nahdiah Ali Aminah bint Wahab Ammar ibn Yasir Amr ibn al-Jamuh An-Numan ibn Muqarrin Anas ibn Malik Aqeel ibn Abi Talib Ashaab Bashir ibn Sa'ad Bilal ibn Ribah Bilal ibn al-Harith Fadl ibn Abbas Fatima bint Asad Fatima bint Hizam Fayruz al-Daylami Habibah bint Ubayd-Allah Halima Sadia Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib Harithah bint al-Muammil Hatib ibn Abi Baitah Hisham ibn Al-Aas Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman Hujr ibn Adi Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl Ja`far bin Abī Tālib Julaybib Khabbab ibn al-Aratt Khalid ibn Sa`id Khalid ibn al-Walid Khunais ibn Hudhaifa Kumayl ibn Ziyad Khuzaymat ibn sabet Layla bint al-Minhal Lubaba bint al-Harith Lubaynah Malik Bin Deenar Malik al-Dar Malik ibn Ashter Malik ibn Nuwayrah Mus`ab ibn `Umair Miqdad ibn Aswad Muadh ibn Jabal Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan Mughira ibn Shu'ba Muhammad Ibn Maslamah Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr Muhammad ibn Maslamah Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid Nusaybah bint Ka'ab Qatadah Rab'ah ibn Umayah Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith Sa`ad ibn ar-Rabi` Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas Saffiyah bint ‘Abd al-Muttalib Said ibn Aamir al-Jumahi Sa'id ibn Zayd Salim Mawla Abu Hudhayfah Salman the Persian Suhayb ar-Rumi Tamim al-Dari Ubaydah ibn al-Harith Umamah bint Zainab Umar Umm Kulthum bint Ali Umm Kulthum bint Jarwila Khuzima Umm Shareek Umm Ubays Uqbah ibn Amir Urwah ibn Mas'ud Usama ibn Zayd Utbah ibn Ghazwan Uthman ibn Hunaif Wahb ibn Abd Manaf Zayd ibn Arqam Zayd ibn Harithah Zayd ibn Thabit Zaynab bint Ali