“…men from among our own kinsfolk.”

Their herald then called out: “O Muḥammad, send us opponents who are our equals, men of our own clan!”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied,

“Stand up, ʿUbaydah ibn al-Ḥārith; stand up, Ḥamzah; stand up, ʿAlī.” (1)

Al-Umawī reports that when the three Anṣārīs had first come forward, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ disliked it, for this was the very first encounter in which he faced the enemy, and he wished his initial champions to be from his own tribe. He therefore ordered the Anṣārīs to return and commanded those three men to step out instead.

Ibn Isḥāq (2) narrates: When the two parties drew close they were asked, “Who are you?”—a proof that they were fully armored and unrecognizable beneath their weapons. ʿUbaydah answered, “ʿUbaydah.” Ḥamzah said, “Ḥamzah.” ʿAlī said, “ʿAlī.” The Meccans responded, “Yes indeed; noble and worthy opponents.”

Thus ʿUbaydah—the eldest—faced ʿUtbah, Ḥamzah faced Shaybah, and ʿAlī faced al-Walīd ibn ʿUtbah. Ḥamzah allowed Shaybah no respite before killing him, and ʿAlī did the same with al-Walīd. As for ʿUbaydah and ʿUtbah, they exchanged two blows, each inflicting a grievous wound on the other. Then Ḥamzah and ʿAlī rushed in with their swords and finished ʿUtbah off, after which they carried their wounded companion back to his lines—may Allah be pleased with him.

It is recorded in the two Ṣaḥīḥs (3), in a ḥadīth transmitted by Abū Majlaz from Qays ibn ʿAbbād from Abū Dharr, that he used to swear that the verse, “These two adversaries have disputed concerning their Lord” (al-Ḥajj 22:19), was revealed regarding Ḥamzah and his two companions and ʿUtbah and his two companions on the day they stepped forth at Badr. This is al-Bukhārī’s wording in his commentary on the verse.

Al-Bukhārī (4) also relates: Ḥajjāj ibn Minhāl told us, al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān told us—I heard my father—Abū Majlaz narrated to us, from Qays ibn ʿAbbād, from ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, who said, “I am the first to kneel before the All-Merciful—glorious is He—in dispute on the Day of Resurrection.” Qays added, “It was concerning them that the verse, ‘These two adversaries have disputed concerning their Lord,’ was revealed—namely, ʿAlī, Ḥamzah, and ʿUbaydah on one side, and Shaybah ibn Rabīʿah, ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah, and al-Walīd ibn ʿUtbah on the other.” This narration is unique to al-Bukhārī.

We have treated this verse at length in the Tafsīr (5), in a discussion sufficient for anyone who seeks it—praise and bounty belong to Allah.

Al-Umawī further says: Muʿāwiyah ibn ʿAmr narrated to us, from Abū Isḥāq, from Ibn al-Mubārak, from Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Khālid, from ʿAbd Allāh al-Buhay, who said: ʿUtbah, Shaybah, and al-Walīd came forward, and Ḥamzah, ʿUbaydah, and ʿAlī rose to meet them. The Meccans said, “Speak, so that we may recognize you.” Ḥamzah replied, “I am the Lion of Allah and the Lion of His Messenger ﷺ; I am Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib.” They answered, “A noble and worthy match.”