64/23. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4072 — Wahshi and Hamza
The martyrdom of Hamza ﵁
Wahshi and Hamza Hadith: A Hard Story of Accountability
Sahih Bukhari : 4072
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4072
حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا حُجَيْنُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْفَضْلِ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ الضَّمْرِيِّ، قَالَ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَدِيِّ بْنِ الْخِيَارِ، فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا حِمْصَ قَالَ لِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ هَلْ لَكَ فِي وَحْشِيٍّ نَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ قَتْلِ حَمْزَةَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ. وَكَانَ وَحْشِيٌّ يَسْكُنُ حِمْصَ فَسَأَلْنَا عَنْهُ فَقِيلَ لَنَا هُوَ ذَاكَ فِي ظِلِّ قَصْرِهِ، كَأَنَّهُ حَمِيتٌ. قَالَ فَجِئْنَا حَتَّى وَقَفْنَا عَلَيْهِ بِيَسِيرٍ، فَسَلَّمْنَا، فَرَدَّ السَّلاَمَ، قَالَ وَعُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ مُعْتَجِرٌ بِعِمَامَتِهِ، مَا يَرَى وَحْشِيٌّ إِلاَّ عَيْنَيْهِ وَرِجْلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ يَا وَحْشِيُّ أَتَعْرِفُنِي قَالَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لاَ وَاللَّهِ إِلاَّ أَنِّي أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ عَدِيَّ بْنَ الْخِيَارِ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً يُقَالُ لَهَا أُمُّ قِتَالٍ بِنْتُ أَبِي الْعِيصِ، فَوَلَدَتْ لَهُ غُلاَمًا بِمَكَّةَ، فَكُنْتُ أَسْتَرْضِعُ لَهُ، فَحَمَلْتُ ذَلِكَ الْغُلاَمَ مَعَ أُمِّهِ، فَنَاوَلْتُهَا إِيَّاهُ، فَلَكَأَنِّي نَظَرْتُ إِلَى قَدَمَيْكَ. قَالَ فَكَشَفَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ عَنْ وَجْهِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلاَ تُخْبِرُنَا بِقَتْلِ حَمْزَةَ قَالَ نَعَمْ، إِنَّ حَمْزَةَ قَتَلَ طُعَيْمَةَ بْنَ عَدِيِّ بْنِ الْخِيَارِ بِبَدْرٍ، فَقَالَ لِي مَوْلاَىَ جُبَيْرُ بْنُ مُطْعِمٍ إِنْ قَتَلْتَ حَمْزَةَ بِعَمِّي فَأَنْتَ حُرٌّ، قَالَ فَلَمَّا أَنْ خَرَجَ النَّاسُ عَامَ عَيْنَيْنِ ـ وَعَيْنَيْنِ جَبَلٌ بِحِيَالِ أُحُدٍ، بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُ وَادٍ ـ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ النَّاسِ إِلَى الْقِتَالِ، فَلَمَّا اصْطَفُّوا لِلْقِتَالِ خَرَجَ سِبَاعٌ فَقَالَ هَلْ مِنْ مُبَارِزٍ قَالَ فَخَرَجَ إِلَيْهِ حَمْزَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ فَقَالَ يَا سِبَاعُ يَا ابْنَ أُمِّ أَنْمَارٍ مُقَطِّعَةِ الْبُظُورِ، أَتُحَادُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ثُمَّ شَدَّ عَلَيْهِ فَكَانَ كَأَمْسِ الذَّاهِبِ ـ قَالَ ـ وَكَمَنْتُ لِحَمْزَةَ تَحْتَ صَخْرَةٍ فَلَمَّا دَنَا مِنِّي رَمَيْتُهُ بِحَرْبَتِي، فَأَضَعُهَا فِي ثُنَّتِهِ حَتَّى خَرَجَتْ مِنْ بَيْنِ وَرِكَيْهِ ـ قَالَ ـ فَكَانَ ذَاكَ الْعَهْدَ بِهِ، فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ النَّاسُ رَجَعْتُ مَعَهُمْ فَأَقَمْتُ بِمَكَّةَ، حَتَّى فَشَا فِيهَا الإِسْلاَمُ، ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ إِلَى الطَّائِفِ، فَأَرْسَلُوا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَسُولاً، فَقِيلَ لِي إِنَّهُ لاَ يَهِيجُ الرُّسُلَ ـ قَالَ ـ فَخَرَجْتُ مَعَهُمْ حَتَّى قَدِمْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمَّا رَآنِي قَالَ " آنْتَ وَحْشِيٌّ ". قُلْتُ نَعَمْ. قَالَ " أَنْتَ قَتَلْتَ حَمْزَةَ ". قُلْتُ قَدْ كَانَ مِنَ الأَمْرِ مَا بَلَغَكَ. قَالَ " فَهَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تُغَيِّبَ وَجْهَكَ عَنِّي ". قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ، فَلَمَّا قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَخَرَجَ مُسَيْلِمَةُ الْكَذَّابُ قُلْتُ لأَخْرُجَنَّ إِلَى مُسَيْلِمَةَ لَعَلِّي أَقْتُلُهُ فَأُكَافِئَ بِهِ حَمْزَةَ ـ قَالَ ـ فَخَرَجْتُ مَعَ النَّاسِ، فَكَانَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ مَا كَانَ ـ قَالَ ـ فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ قَائِمٌ فِي ثَلْمَةِ جِدَارٍ، كَأَنَّهُ جَمَلٌ أَوْرَقُ ثَائِرُ الرَّأْسِ ـ قَالَ ـ فَرَمَيْتُهُ بِحَرْبَتِي، فَأَضَعُهَا بَيْنَ ثَدْيَيْهِ حَتَّى خَرَجَتْ مِنْ بَيْنِ كَتِفَيْهِ ـ قَالَ ـ وَوَثَبَ إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ، فَضَرَبَهُ بِالسَّيْفِ عَلَى هَامَتِهِ. قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ فَأَخْبَرَنِي سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ يَسَارٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ فَقَالَتْ جَارِيَةٌ عَلَى ظَهْرِ بَيْتٍ وَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قَتَلَهُ الْعَبْدُ الأَسْوَدُ.
Ja`far bin `Amr bin Umaiya Narrated from:
I went out with 'Ubaidullah bin `Adi Al-Khaiyar. When we reached Hims (i.e. a town in Syria), 'Ubaidullah bin `Adi said (to me), "Would you like to see Wahshi so that we may ask him about the killing of Hamza?" I replied, "Yes." Wahshi used to live in Hims. We enquired about him and somebody said to us, "He is that in the shade of his palace, as if he were a full water skin." So we went up to him, and when we were at a short distance from him, we greeted him and he greeted us in return.'Ubaidullah was wearing his turban and Wahshi could not see except his eyes and feet. 'Ubaidullah said, "O Wahshi! Do you know me?" Wahshi looked at him and then said, "No, by Allah! But I know that `Adi bin Al-Khiyar married a woman called Um Qital, the daughter of Abu Al-Is, and she delivered a boy for him at Mecca, and I looked for a wet nurse for that child. (Once) I carried that child along with his mother and then I handed him over to her, and your feet resemble that child's feet." Then 'Ubaidullah uncovered his face and said (to Wahshi), "Will you tell us (the story of) the killing of Hamza?"Wahshi replied "Yes, Hamza killed Tuaima bin `Adi bin Al-Khaiyar at Badr (battle) so my master, Jubair bin Mut`im said to me, 'If you kill Hamza in revenge for my uncle, then you will be set free." When the people set out (for the battle of Uhud) in the year of 'Ainain ..'Ainain is a mountain near the mountain of Uhud, and between it and Uhud there is a valley.. I went out with the people for the battle.When the army aligned for the fight, Siba' came out and said, 'Is there any (Muslim) to accept my challenge to a duel?' Hamza bin `Abdul Muttalib came out and said, 'O Siba'. O Ibn Um Anmar, the one who circumcises other ladies! Do you challenge Allah and His Apostle?' Then Hamza attacked and killed him, causing him to be non-extant like the bygone yesterday.I hid myself under a rock, and when he (i.e. Hamza) came near me, I threw my spear at him, driving it into his umbilicus so that it came out through his buttocks, causing him to die. When all the people returned to Mecca, I too returned with them. I stayed in (Mecca) till Islam spread in it (i.e. Mecca). Then I left for Taif, and when the people (of Taif) sent their messengers to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), I was told that the Prophet (ﷺ) did not harm the messengers; So I too went out with them till I reached Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).When he saw me, he said, 'Are you Wahshi?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Was it you who killed Hamza?' I replied, 'What happened is what you have been told of.' He said, 'Can you hide your face from me?' So I went out when Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) died, and Musailamah Al-Kadhdhab appeared (claiming to be a prophet). I said, 'I will go out to Musailamah so that I may kill him, and make amends for killing Hamza. So I went out with the people (to fight Musailamah and his followers) and then famous events took place concerning that battle.Suddenly I saw a man (i.e. Musailamah) standing near a gap in a wall. He looked like an ash-colored camel and his hair was dishevelled. So I threw my spear at him, driving it into his chest in between his breasts till it passed out through his shoulders, and then an Ansari man attacked him and struck him on the head with a sword. `Abdullah bin `Umar said, 'A slave girl on the roof of a house said: Alas! The chief of the believers (i.e. Musailamah) has been killed by a black slave."
[1] Wahshī was then a slave belonging to Jubair.(1) The Prophet ﷺ did not want to see the man who killed his uncle Hamza.Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4072In-book reference : Book 64, Hadith 117USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 399
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4072
This long hadith tells Wahshi's own account of the killing of Hamza at Uhud and what happened later. He explains that his master promised freedom if he killed Hamza in revenge for Tuaima. Wahshi describes hiding, throwing his spear, and Hamza dying from that wound. Later, after Islam spread, he came with the people of Taif to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked if he was Wahshi and if he had killed Hamza. Wahshi confirmed that the matter was as reported. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) then asked him if he could hide his face from him. After the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) died, Wahshi went out against Musailamah and struck him with the same type of weapon. The text gives a serious story of past action, pain, and later effort.
What we learn from this hadith
- Wahshi openly narrated his role in killing Hamza.
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked Wahshi to keep his face away from him.
- Wahshi later went out against Musailamah and struck him with his spear.
- The hadith presents actions and consequences without softening the pain of Hamza’s death.
