The Conversion of Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib

Speaker introduction: Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (رضي الله عنه) was the Prophet's paternal uncle and his milk brother, they were both nursed by Thuwaybah. He was known as one of the strongest and most formidable men in Makkah: a celebrated hunter, archer, and fighter. His conversion and ʿUmar's three days later, both occurring in Dhu al-Ḥijjah of Year 6 of the Dawah, represented the greatest single boost to Muslim strength in Makkah up to that point. Together, Ibn Isḥāq says, they forced Quraysh to tone down their open persecution.

The public insult:

During one of Ḥamzah's extended hunting expeditions, Abū Jahl encountered the Prophet (SAW) near the mountain of Ṣafā in a foul mood and harangued him for an extended period, cursing him, his ancestors, and his message, while the Prophet remained completely silent. The insult was public; the people of Makkah witnessed it. No man of the Banū Hāshim was nearby to respond.

The taunting of Hamza:

When Ḥamzah returned and went to the Kaʿbah for Ṭawāf as was his custom, some of the women of Banū Hāshim accosted him with taunts: "What kind of uncle are you? What kind of leader of the Banū Hāshim? Your own nephew was publicly humiliated by Abū Jahl for all of Makkah to see, and not one person stood up to defend him."

This was not a religious argument, it was a matter of tribal honor. Abū Jahl was from Banū Makhzūm. The Banū Hāshim had been publicly shamed. Whether or not Muḥammad was a prophet was irrelevant: a man does not let his nephew be insulted in the public square.

The confrontation at the Ka'bah:

Ḥamzah's blood reached boiling point. Still carrying his bow and hunting equipment from the trip, he marched straight to the Kaʿbah, to wherever Abū Jahl was sitting, surrounded by his men from Banū Makhzūm. He raised his bow and smashed Abū Jahl across the face with it, opening a large gash.

Then, and he did not plan this, he blurted out: "How dare you curse my nephew? And I too am a follower of his religion!"

This was Ḥamiyyat al-Jāhiliyyah (حَمِيَّة الْجَاهِلِيَّة), tribal fury untethered from any religious conviction. The words erupted out of anger and the need to stand behind his declaration. The men of Banū Makhzūm rose to defend Abū Jahl. Abū Jahl stopped them: "Leave him alone. Wallāhi, today I cursed his nephew like I never cursed him before. He has a right to be angry."

The night of confusion and the dua:

Ḥamzah returned home dazed. He had not intended to convert. He did not know if Islām was true. But he had said what he said before all of Makkah, and a man of his standing did not publicly retract his word, that would be more shameful than anything.

He made duʿāʾ to Allāh:

"Oh Allāh, You know that I am one of the leaders of Quraysh. I have now said something I cannot take back. If this matter is true, then open my heart to it. And if it is not true, then cause me to die right now. Because I cannot live as a liar."

He spent the most miserable night of his life: sleepless, tossing, thinking.

The morning, and Islam:

The next morning he went to the Prophet (SAW) and told him everything, the anger, the blow, the declaration, the doubt. The Prophet (SAW) sat with him, spoke to him about Allāh, explained the message of Islām, exhorted him, and called him to the testimony of lā ilāha illā Allāh. After that conversation, Ḥamzah said: "I testify that you are a truthful person and you speak the truth. I will never return to the paganism or the religion of my forefathers."

His Islam was now sincere, not born of tribal rage but of a deliberate choice made after reflection. The duʿāʾ had been answered.

Significance:

Ḥamzah was the senior-most figure in Quraysh to have converted up to this point, a son of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, brother of Abū Ṭālib. Ibn Isḥāq: "They had to tone down their animosity." For the first time, the Muslims had a protector who could answer Quraysh's violence with physical force.

Three days later, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb converted, and together they led the first public prayer at the Kaʿbah.

Ḥamzah later became Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ (سَيِّدُ الشُّهَدَاء), the Master of the Martyrs, after his death at the Battle of Uḥud, where he was killed and mutilated by the Abyssinian spearman Waḥshī ibn Ḥarb at the instigation of Hind bint ʿUtbah. The Prophet (SAW) wept over him more than over any other person.