In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you vignettes from the lives of the Companions,
written by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy upon him.
Hakim ibn Hizam,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Has the story of this Companion reached you?
History records that he was the only human ever born inside the Venerable Ka'bah.
As for the story of his birth,
its summary is that his mother entered the interior of the Ka'bah with a group of her peers
to tour it,
as it was open that day for a special occasion.
She was pregnant with him at the time,
and labor pains suddenly struck her while she was inside the Ka'bah.
Unable to leave,
a leather mat was brought for her, and she gave birth to her child upon it.
That child was none other than
Hakim ibn Hizam ibn Khuwaylid,
the nephew of the Mother of the Believers,
Lady Khadijah bint Khuwaylid,
may Allah be pleased with her and grant her satisfaction.
Hakim ibn Hizam grew up in a family of noble lineage,
immense stature, and vast wealth.
In addition to that, he was wise, generous, and virtuous;
thus, his people made him a leader and entrusted him with the office of *rifadah* (providing hospitality to pilgrims).
He used to spend from his own personal wealth
to aid destitute pilgrims visiting the Sacred House of Allah during the Pre-Islamic Era of Ignorance (*Jahiliyyah*).
Hakim was a close, intimate friend of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, before his prophetic mission began.
Although he was five years older than the Noble Prophet,
he felt great affection and comfort in his presence,
finding peace in his companionship and gatherings.
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
reciprocated his affection with affection and his friendship with friendship.
Then came the bond of marriage, strengthening the connection between them even further,
when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, married
his paternal aunt, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, may Allah be pleased with her.
After all we have detailed regarding Hakim's close relationship with the Prophet, peace be upon him, you might be astonished
to learn that Hakim did not embrace Islam until the day of the Conquest of Makkah,
after more than twenty years had passed
since the advent of the Prophet's mission, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
It would have been expected that a man like Hakim ibn Hizam—
whom Allah had blessed with such a sound mind
and granted such close proximity to the Prophet, peace be upon him—
would be among the first to believe in him,
affirm his call, and follow his guidance.
But it was the will of Allah, and whatever Allah wills comes to pass.
Just as we marvel at the delay in Hakim ibn Hizam's acceptance of Islam,
he himself was equally astonished by it.
For no sooner had he entered Islam and tasted the sweetness of faith
than he began biting his fingertips in remorse over every moment of his life spent
associating partners with Allah and denying His Prophet.
His son saw him weeping after he embraced Islam
and asked, "What makes you cry, my father?"
He replied, "Many things make me weep, my son.
The first is my delay in accepting Islam,
which caused me to be preceded in so many righteous deeds that,
even if I were to spend an earth full of gold,
I could never attain them.
Furthermore, Allah saved me on the days of Badr and Uhud,
and I said to myself back then,
'I will never again help Quraysh against the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
nor will I go out from Makkah.'
Yet, before long, I was dragged into supporting Quraysh once more.
Moreover, whenever I intended to embrace Islam,
I looked at the remaining elders of Quraysh—
elders of age and dignity—
clinging stubbornly to their Pre-Islamic customs,
so I followed their example and went along with them.
Oh, how I wish I had not done so!
Nothing destroyed us except following the example of our forefathers and leaders.
So why should I not weep, my son?"
Just as we marveled at the delay in Hakim ibn Hizam's acceptance of Islam,
and just as he himself marveled at it,
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was likewise amazed that a man possessing the forbearance and intellect of Hakim ibn Hizam
could remain blind to the truth of Islam.
He wished for him and for men of his caliber
to hasten toward entering the religion of Allah.
On the night preceding the Conquest of Makkah,
the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to his Companions,
"Indeed, in Makkah there are four individuals
whom I deem far above committing *shirk* (polytheism), and I eagerly desire Islam for them."
It was asked, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?"
He replied, "'Attab ibn Asid, Jubayr ibn Mut'im,
Hakim ibn Hizam, and Suhayl ibn 'Amr."
By the grace of Allah upon them, every one of them embraced Islam.
When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, entered Makkah as a conqueror,
he insisted on honoring Hakim ibn Hizam.
He commanded his announcer to proclaim:
"Whoever bears witness that there is no deity except Allah alone, with no partner,
and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, shall be safe.
Whoever sits by the Ka'bah and lays down his arms shall be safe.
Whoever locks his door behind him shall be safe.
Whoever enters the house of Abu Sufyan shall be safe.
And whoever enters the house of Hakim ibn Hizam shall be safe."
The house of Hakim ibn Hizam was in the lower part of Makkah,
while the house of Abu Sufyan was in the upper part.
Hakim ibn Hizam embraced Islam with a devotion that captivated his heart and mind;
he believed with a faith that mingled with his blood and infused his core.
He vowed to make amends for every stance he took during the Pre-Islamic Era
and every sum he spent in hostility toward the Messenger,
by spending many times over in the cause of truth.
And he fulfilled his oath completely.
Among his deeds was that ownership of Dar al-Nadwah devolved to him—
an ancient building steeped in history,
where Quraysh used to hold their assemblies during the Pre-Islamic Era,
and where their leaders and chieftains gathered
to plot against the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Hakim ibn Hizam wanted to rid himself of it,
as if desiring to draw a veil of oblivion
over that hateful past.
So he sold it for one hundred thousand dirhams.
A young man from Quraysh said to him,
"You have sold the noble heritage of Quraysh, uncle!"
Hakim replied to him,
"Far from it, my son!
All noble honors are gone,
and nothing remains except God-wariness (*taqwa*).
I only sold it
to purchase with its price a house in Paradise.
I call you to witness that I have dedicated its entire price to the cause of Allah, Almighty and Majestic."
After accepting Islam, Hakim ibn Hizam performed Hajj,
driving before him one hundred camels draped in fine, vibrant garments,
which he then slaughtered entirely seeking closeness to Allah.
On another pilgrimage,
he stood at 'Arafat
accompanied by one hundred of his enslaved servants,
having placed a silver collar around each of their necks
inscribed with the words:
"Freedmen for the sake of Allah, Almighty and Majestic, on behalf of Hakim ibn Hizam."
Then he manumitted them all.
On a third pilgrimage,
he drove one hundred sheep before him—
yes, one thousand sheep—
and sacrificed them all at Mina,
feeding their meat to the poor among the Muslims,
seeking closeness to Allah, Almighty and Majestic.
After the Battle of Hunayn,
Hakim ibn Hizam asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for a share of the spoils of war,
and he gave him.
Then he asked him again, and he gave him,
until what he received reached one hundred camels.
At that time, he was still new to Islam.
So the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him:
"O Hakim!
Indeed, this wealth is sweet and green.
Whoever takes it with a selfless heart will be blessed in it,
but whoever takes it with greed and pride will not be blessed in it;
he will be like one who eats but is never satisfied.
And the upper hand is better than the lower hand."
When Hakim ibn Hizam heard these words from the Messenger, peace be upon him,
he said:
"O Messenger of Allah!
By the One Who sent you with the truth,
I shall never ask anyone for anything after you,
nor shall I accept anything from anyone,
until I depart this world."
Hakim fulfilled his oath with the utmost truthfulness and fidelity.
During the caliphate of Abu Bakr,
al-Siddiq summoned him more than once
to collect his rightful share from the public treasury (*Bayt al-Mal*) of the Muslims,
but he refused to accept it.
When the caliphate passed to al-Faruq ('Umar),
he likewise invited him to take his stipend,
but he refused to accept anything from him as well.
Thereupon 'Umar stood before the people and said,
"I call you to witness, O gathering of Muslims,
that I offer Hakim his stipend, but he refuses to take it."
Hakim remained steadfast in this manner,
accepting nothing from anyone until he passed away.
"Indeed, in Makkah there are four individuals whom I deem far above polytheism,
and I eagerly desire Islam for them."
One of them was Hakim ibn Hizam.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.