Hanzala ibn Abi 'Amir

Ḥanẓalah ibn Abī ʿĀmir al-Anṣārī al-Awsī, known by the title Ghasīl al-Malāʾikah (the One Washed by the Angels). He was the son of Abū ʿĀmir al-Fāsiq, the Aws leader who had rejected Islam and fought against the Muslims at Uḥud from the Qurayshi side.

Despite his father's apostasy and defection, Ḥanẓalah was a committed Muslim. The night before the Battle of Uḥud (3 AH), he had just married and was in a state of janābah (ritual impurity requiring ghusl). When the call to battle came in the morning, he rushed out without completing his ghusl, and was martyred in the battle.

After the battle, the Prophet ﷺ said: 'I saw the angels washing Ḥanẓalah between the heavens and the earth with water from silver vessels.' When his wife was asked about this, she confirmed that he had left that morning without ghusl after their wedding night. This is why he is honored with the title Ghasīl al-Malāʾikah, the one whom the angels themselves gave the ritual bath.

His story stands as a stark contrast to his father: the son embraced Islam fully and was honored in death by the angels, while his father rejected Islam and died in exile. The contrast between father and son is one of the most poignant of the Uḥud narrative.