❖ Hind bint Utbah's Mutilation of Hamzah's Body and Attempt to Chew His Liver in the Battle of Uhud
Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid حفظه الله
✿ The Incident as Reported by Ibn Ishaq
Ibn Ishaq narrates from Ṣāliḥ ibn Kaysān that:
Hind bint ʿUtbah, along with other women, approached the bodies of the martyred Companions رضي الله عنهم after the Battle of Uhud. They began cutting off the noses and ears of the martyrs.
Hind made necklaces out of these body parts and wore them around her neck.
She then took off all her jewelry and gave it to Wahshi, the slave of Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim, as a reward for killing Hamzah رضي الله عنه.
Hind then tore out the liver of Hamzah, placed it in her mouth, and tried to chew and swallow it. But she was unable to do so and spat it out.
Afterwards, she climbed a high rock and recited verses mocking the Muslims, the meaning of which includes:
"We have repaid you for the day of Badr; battle after battle is madness. You had no patience over the affair of ʿUtbah, nor over your brother and his uncle Abu Bakr. I have healed my heart and avenged myself. Wahshi has cooled the fire in my chest. Wahshi will remain forever indebted to me — until the day my bones decay in the grave."
❖ Authentication of the Report:
Status of the Chain: Its chain is weak.
- [Reported in Sīrah Ibn Hishām with al-Rawḍ al-Unuf, Vol. 3, p. 277]
Reasons for Weakness:
① The chain is mursal (disconnected), hence weak.
② Ṣāliḥ ibn Kaysān is a junior Tabiʿī (Successor). Though reliable, he was born after 70 AH and passed away in 140 AH.
③ The Battle of Uhud occurred nearly 70 years before Ṣāliḥ ibn Kaysān was born, so he could not have witnessed it.
④ No chain above Ṣāliḥ is mentioned by Ibn Ishaq, making the report cut off (munqatiʿ).
A munqatiʿ (disconnected) narration is not acceptable as evidence in hadith sciences.
✿ Conclusion:
While this narrative is widely cited in historical texts, especially regarding the brutal actions of Hind bint ʿUtbah in the Battle of Uhud, its chain of transmission is weak and mursal, making it unreliable for use in authentic Islamic discourse. It should not be relied upon for establishing historical certainty.
