Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (8/96)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

them on from the rear until he drove the caravan into the mountain pass, laden with food and clothing in honor of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and of his aunt Khadijah.

He was the one who first purchased Zayd ibn Ḥārithah; thereafter his aunt Khadijah bought him from him and gifted him to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who set him free.

He also bought the robe of Dhī Yazan and presented it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who wore it. Ḥakīm later said, “I never saw anything that suited him better.”

Despite all this, he and all of his children did not enter Islam until the Day of the Conquest.

Al-Bukhārī (1) and others say: “Ḥakīm lived sixty years in the Age of Ignorance and sixty years as a Muslim.”

He was one of Quraysh’s nobles, celebrated for generosity and expert in genealogy. He was abundant in almsgiving, beneficence, and manumission of slaves. When he embraced Islam he asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the status of those former deeds, and the Prophet replied,

“You have embraced Islam upon the good (2) you previously sent ahead.” (3)

Ḥakīm had in fact been present with the idolaters at Badr; he advanced toward the pond and Ḥamzah almost killed him—he was dragged away only with difficulty from before his hands. Because of that, whenever Ḥakīm wished to take a solemn oath he would say, “No—by Him who delivered me on the Day of Badr.”

When, on the Day of the Conquest, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ camped at Marri al-Zahrān (4) with the troops, Abū Sufyān and Ḥakīm went out to gather intelligence. Al-ʿAbbās met them, seized Abū Sufyān, granted him protection, and obtained a safe-conduct for him from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Abū Sufyān accepted Islam that very night, though reluctantly, and at dawn the next morning Ḥakīm accepted Islam.

He accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Ḥunayn. The Prophet ﷺ gave him one hundred camels; he asked again and was given, asked yet again and was given, whereupon the Prophet said to him:

“O Ḥakīm, this wealth is indeed sweet and green. Whoever takes it with a contented heart will find blessing in it; whoever takes it with a covetous soul will find no blessing, and he will be like one who eats yet is never satisfied.”

Ḥakīm replied, “By Him who sent you with the truth, I will never, after you, ask (5) anyone for anything.” And he never did. Abū Bakr would offer him stipends and he would refuse; likewise ʿUmar would present him with allotments and he would decline, summoning the Muslims (6) as witnesses to his refusal. Even so, he was among the wealthiest of people: when al-Zubayr died, he owed Ḥakīm one hundred thousand.

(1) al-Tarikh al-Kabir (The Great History), vol. 3: ‘At-Tarjamah’ entry no. 42. (2) In the printed edition it is mistakenly rendered as “Aslamtu.” (3) This hadith is recorded by al-Bukhari (no. 1436) and Muslim (no. 123) in the Book of Faith, via the chain: Ibn Shihāb → ʿUrwah → Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām. Ḥakīm reported that he said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “Concerning certain devout practices I used to perform in the jahiliyya (Pre-Islamic period), is there any merit for me in them?” The Messenger ﷺ replied: “You have embraced Islam on account of the good you used to precede it with.” Other isnads of this hadith are cited in the commentary on al-Siyar (vol. 3, p. 49). (4) “Mar ad-Dhahran” is a locality near Mecca. (5) In Lisan al-Arab, the expression “ma razā’a fulān shay’an” signifies that none of a person’s wealth was affected nor did it diminish. (6) Reported by al-Bukhari (no. 3143) and Muslim (no. 1035).

أدبارها حتى تلج الشِّعب تحمل الطعام والكسوة تكرمةً لرسول الله ﷺ ولعمته خديجة. وهو الذي اشترى زيد بن حارثة أولًا، فابتاعته منه عمتُه خديجة، فوهبته لرسول الله ﷺ فأعتقَه. وهو الذي اشترى حُلَّة ذي يَزَن، فأهداها لرسول الله ﷺ فلبسها، قال: فما رأيت شيئًا أحسن منه فيها. ومع هذا ما أسلم إلَّا يوم الفتح هو وأولاده كلهم. قال البخاري (١) وغيره: عاش حَكيم في الجاهلية ستين سنة، وفي الإسلام ستين سنة. وكان من سادات قريش وكرمائهم وأعلمهم بالنَّسب، وكان كثير الصدقة والبِرّ والعَتَاقة، فلما أسلم سأل رسول الله ﷺ عن ذلك، فقال له: "أَسلمتَ على ما أَسْلَفْتَ (٢) مِنْ خَيْر" (٣) . وقد كان حَكيم شهد مع المشركين بدرًا، وتقدَّم إلى الحوض فكاد حمزة أن يقتلَه، فما سُحب إلا سَحبًا من بين يديه، فلهذا كان حَكيم إذا اجتهد في اليمين يقول: لا والذي نجَّاني يوم بدر. ولما نزل رسول الله ﷺ يوم الفتح بمَرِّ الظَّهران (٤) ومعه الجنود خرج أبو سفيان وحَكيم يتحسَّسان الأخبار، فلقيهما العباس، فأخذ أبا سفيان فأجاره وأخذ له أمانًا من رسول الله ﷺ ، وأسلم أبو صفيان ليلتئذ كُرْهًا، ومن صبيحة ذلك اليوم أسلم حكيم. وشهد مع رسول الله ﷺ حُنَينًا، وأعطاه رسول الله ﷺ مئةَ من الإبل، ثم سأله، فأعطاه، ثم سأله، فأعطاه ثم قال له: "يا حَكيم إنَّ هذا المال حُلوةٌ خَضِرة، وإنَّه مَنْ أخذهُ بسَخاوة نَفْسٍ بُوركَ له فيه، ومَنْ أخذَهُ بإشْراف نَفْس لم يُبارَك له فيه، وكان كالذي يأكلُ ولا يَشْبع" . فقال حكيم: والذي بعثك بالحقِّ لا أَرْزَأُ (٥) بعدك أحدًا شيئًا. فلم يَرْزَأْ أحدًا بعده، فكان أبو بكر يعرض عليه العطاء فيأبى، وكذلك عمر فكان يعرض عليه العطاء فيأبى، فيُشهد عليه المسلمين (٦) . ومع هذا كان من أغنى الناس، مات الزبير يوم مات ولحكيم عليه مئة ألف.

(١) تاريخه الكبير (٣/ الترجمة ٤٢). (٢) تحرفت في المطبوع إلى: أسلمت. (٣) أخرجه البخاري رقم (١٤٣٦) ومسلم (١٢٣) في الإيمان، من طريق ابن شهاب، عن عروة، عن حكيم بن حزام أخبره أنه قال لرسول اللّه ﷺ : أرأيت أمورًا كنت أتحنث بها في الجاهلية هل لي فيها من شيء؟ فقال له رسول الله ﷺ : "أسلمت على ما أسلفت من خير". وللحديث طرق أخرى تنظر في التعليق على السير (٣/ ٤٩). (٤) "مر الظهران": موضع قرب مكة. (٥) في اللسان: ما رزأ فلانًا شيئًا: أي ما أصاب من ماله شيئًا ولا نقص منه. (٦) رواه البخاري رقم (٣١٤٣) ومسلم رقم (١٠٣٥).