The killing of Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him)

Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the occasion of the Battle of Uhud, a woman came running and was about to reach the slain. The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked that the woman should see the slain, and he said: "Stop the woman! Stop the woman!" Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I recognised that she was my mother, Sayyidah Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her). I ran to her and reached her before she got to the slain. She struck me on the chest (she was a woman of strong build) and said: "Get away from me! I will not be pleased with you." I said: "The Messenger of Allah has firmly instructed you (not to go forward)." The narrator says: So she stopped. Then she took out two pieces of cloth she had with her and said: "I have brought these two cloths for my brother Hamzah; I have learned that he has been martyred. Shroud him in these two." The narrator says: We brought the two cloths to shroud Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) in them, and beside him lay a martyr from the Ansar, who had been treated the same way as Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him). We felt ashamed and embarrassed to shroud Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) in two cloths while the Ansari had no shroud. So we decided that there would be one cloth for Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) and one cloth for the Ansari. We measured them, and one was bigger than the other, so we cast lots between them and shrouded each of them in the cloth that fell to his share.
Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Abd al-Rahman bin Abi al-Zinad, who is da'if (weak), although he has been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: On the day of Uhud, when Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, Sayyidah Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) came and asked about the state of Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him). She met Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyidah Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O Ali! O Zubayr! How is Hamzah?" They both gave her the impression that they did not know. The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled and said: "I fear for this woman's mind (lest she lose her balance from the intensity of grief)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed his blessed hand on her chest; she recited Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return) and began to weep. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and stood by Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Were it not for fear of the women's lamenting, I would have left him like this, until on the Day of Gathering he would be raised from the bellies of beasts of prey and the bellies of birds." Then the slain were brought, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began offering their funeral prayer. Seven bodies would be placed with Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say seven takbirs over them; then the others would be lifted away and the body of Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) would remain where it was. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called for nine and said seven takbirs over them, until in this way he (peace and blessings be upon him) finished offering the funeral prayer for all of them.
Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani recorded it. Muslim in the introduction to his book, and Ibn Majah, recorded only the part about the funeral prayer over them. The chain of al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani contains Yazid bin Abi Ziyad, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When news of the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he wept; and when he looked at his (body), he sobbed deeply.
Al-Bazzar recorded it; its chain contains Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqil, who is "hasan al-hadith" (fair in hadith) despite his weakness.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed the cloth from Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him), he wept; and when he saw how he had been mutilated, he sobbed deeply.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains al-Mufaddal bin Sadaqah, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Who saw the place where Hamzah was killed?" A man said: "May Allah Almighty honour you! I saw the place where he was killed." That man went and stood by the (body of) Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him), and saw that his belly had been ripped open and his body mutilated. He said: "O Messenger of Allah! He has been mutilated." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked to look at him. He stood among the slain and said: "I am a witness over these people. Wrap them in their blood (that is, in their bloodstained clothes)! For whoever is wounded in the path of Allah, his wound will come on the Day of Resurrection bleeding, its colour the colour of blood and its fragrance the fragrance of musk. Put forward (towards the qiblah) the one who knew the most Qur'an, and place him in the grave niche (lahd)."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When Sayyiduna Hamzah bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and stood by his body. When he beheld this sight, he had never seen a sight more painful to his heart than it (the narrator is in doubt about one word here). When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that he had been mutilated, he said: "May the mercy of Allah be upon you! To my knowledge you were the one who most upheld the ties of kinship, a doer of good deeds. By Allah! Were it not that I feared people's grief over you after you, I would have liked to leave you just as you are, until Allah raises you on the Day of Gathering from the bellies of wild beasts (the narrator is in doubt; or perhaps he said some word similar to it. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) By Allah! In return for this, I will mutilate seventy people the way you have been mutilated." Then Sayyiduna Jibril (peace be upon him) descended upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with this surah, and he recited this verse: "And if you punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were harmed" up to the end of the verse. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave expiation (for his oath) and refrained from that.
Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains Salih bin Bashir al-Murri, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Usayd al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I was present with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at the grave of Sayyiduna Hamzah bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him). The people would draw the sheet over his face and his feet would be exposed; they would pull the sheet down over his feet and his face would be exposed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Put this sheet over his face, and put (the leaves) of this tree over his feet." The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his blessed head, and his Companions were weeping. He said: "A time will come upon people when they will go off to prosperous lands; there they will find things for food, for dwelling and for riding (the narrator is in doubt about one word here). They will write to their families: 'Come to us as well! For the land of Hijaz is a land of drought,' whereas Madinah is better for them, if only they knew. Whoever is patient with its hardship and severity, I will be his intercessor (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words are:) his witness on the Day of Resurrection."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the day of the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and stood by Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) as he was having him buried. He was wrapped in a sheet, and his feet became exposed when the people covered his head. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave orders regarding harmal (i.e. grass or leaves), and it was placed over his feet. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Were it not feared that the women would grieve over this, we would have left Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) just as he was, for the birds and the wild beasts."
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains Abd al-Aziz bin Yahya al-Madani, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood by Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) and observed his condition, he said: "Were it not feared that our women would grieve, I would not have buried him; I would have left him just as he was, until he had gone into the bellies of the wild beasts and the crops of the birds, and from there Allah Almighty would have brought him back to life." The narrator says: The condition that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had observed grieved him, and he said: "If I gain victory over these people, I will mutilate thirty of their men." So Allah Almighty revealed this verse concerning that: "And if you punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were harmed; but if you are patient, it (i.e. being patient) is better for those who are patient" up to: "they plot." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave orders regarding him, and he was placed facing the qiblah. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said the takbir over him nine times. Then the other martyrs were brought and placed with him; whenever a martyr was brought, he was placed beside Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered the funeral prayer over Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him), together with the other martyrs, seventy-two times. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and stood by his Companions, and he had all of them buried. (The narrator says:) When the command of the Qur'an was revealed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pardoned and gave up the decision to mutilate.
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains Ahmad bin Ayyub bin Rashid, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: On the day of the Battle of Uhud, Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, and a man from the Ansar was also martyred along with him. Sayyidah Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with her) brought two garments so that Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) could be shrouded in them, but there was no shroud for the Ansari. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) divided the two garments into two shares, and each of the two was shrouded in one garment.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) and Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from Uhud, he heard the women of the Ansar weeping, and he said: "But where are the women to weep for Hamzah?" When the women of the Ansar learned of this, they wept for Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) as well. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had fallen asleep; when he woke up, the women were still weeping. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Woe to them! They have kept on weeping. Let them weep, but after today let them not weep over anyone who dies."
Abu Ya'la recorded it with two chains; the narrators of one of them are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from Uhud, the women of the Ansar began weeping over their martyrs. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) learned of this, he said: "But Hamzah has no women to weep for him." So the Ansar went back and said to their women: "You are not to weep over anyone until you have first wept over Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him)." The narrator says: From that time until today this custom has continued: whenever those women weep over a deceased person, they begin with Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains Yahya bin Muti' al-Shaybani, whom I do not know, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Wahshi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: After I had killed Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him), when I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he spat in my face three times, then said: "(Never again) show me your face."
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains al-Musayyab bin Wadih, whom Abu Hatim declared thiqah (trustworthy), and he said: "He makes mistakes"; and al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) also (declared him trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Wahshi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he asked me: "Are you Wahshi?" I said: "Yes!" He asked: "Did you kill Hamzah?" I said: "Yes! All praise belongs to Allah Almighty, who honoured him (with martyrdom) through me, and did not disgrace me (by being killed in a state of disbelief) through him." Quraysh asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Would you like him, when he is the killer of Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The narrator says: I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Pray for my forgiveness!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spat on the ground three times, then struck my chest with his hand and pushed me away three times, and said: "O Wahshi, go! And fight in the path of Allah, just as you previously fought in order to block the path of Allah."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good). (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: It has another route that is more complete than this; it will come later in the chapter on the virtues of Sayyiduna Wahshi (may Allah be pleased with him).