Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib

The Lion of Allah

Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib was the paternal uncle and foster-brother of the Prophet ﷺ, of Banu Hashim — a man of legendary courage known as Asad Allah, the Lion of Allah. At Badr he was among the foremost champions of the Muslims, and his sword spread terror in the ranks of the disbelievers. 1 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 2 · pp. 64 — Idris Kandhlawi — Hamza the Prophet's uncle; his dauntless attacks throwing the disbelievers into panic; his slaying of Tu'ayma's kin at Badr.

Martyrdom at Uhud

At Uhud his valour was unmatched: when Sib’a ibn Abd al-Uzza challenged the Muslims, Hamza struck him down in a single blow. But Wahshi ibn Harb — promised his freedom if he killed Hamza in revenge for a man slain at Badr — lay in ambush behind a boulder and, as Hamza passed, hurled his spear through him so that it pierced him to the navel; Hamza tottered a few steps and fell a martyr. 2 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 2 · pp. 65 — Idris Kandhlawi — Hamza strikes down Sib'a at Uhud; Wahshi, promised freedom, ambushes and spears Hamza through to the navel; his martyrdom.

Chief of the Martyrs

When the Prophet ﷺ saw the body of his uncle, he wept bitterly and declared that on the Day of Judgement Hamza would be the leader of all the martyrs — for which he is honoured as Sayyid al-Shuhada, the chief of the martyrs. 3 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 2 · pp. 70–72 — Idris Kandhlawi — the Prophet weeps over Hamza and declares he will be the leader of the martyrs on the Day of Judgement (Jabir; and via Ali in Mu'jam Tabarani), hence Sayyid al-Shuhada. Years later, when Wahshi came to accept Islam, the Prophet ﷺ received him — saying the Islam of a single soul was dearer to him than the death of a thousand disbelievers — though he asked him to keep from his sight, for seeing him revived the grief of his uncle’s death. 4 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 2 · pp. 65 — Idris Kandhlawi — Wahshi's later Islam; the Prophet accepts it but asks him to stay out of sight as it revived the memory of Hamza.