Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 25 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (40) - Hakim bin Hizam, may God be pleased with him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you vignettes from the lives of the Companions,
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written by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy upon him.
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Hakim ibn Hizam,
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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Has the story of this Companion reached you?
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History records that he was the only human ever born inside the Venerable Ka'bah.
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As for the story of his birth,
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its summary is that his mother entered the interior of the Ka'bah with a group of her peers
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to tour it,
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as it was open that day for a special occasion.
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She was pregnant with him at the time,
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and labor pains suddenly struck her while she was inside the Ka'bah.
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Unable to leave,
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a leather mat was brought for her, and she gave birth to her child upon it.
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That child was none other than
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Hakim ibn Hizam ibn Khuwaylid,
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the nephew of the Mother of the Believers,
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Lady Khadijah bint Khuwaylid,
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may Allah be pleased with her and grant her satisfaction.
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Hakim ibn Hizam grew up in a family of noble lineage,
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immense stature, and vast wealth.
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In addition to that, he was wise, generous, and virtuous;
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thus, his people made him a leader and entrusted him with the office of *rifadah* (providing hospitality to pilgrims).
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He used to spend from his own personal wealth
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to aid destitute pilgrims visiting the Sacred House of Allah during the Pre-Islamic Era of Ignorance (*Jahiliyyah*).
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Hakim was a close, intimate friend of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, before his prophetic mission began.
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Although he was five years older than the Noble Prophet,
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he felt great affection and comfort in his presence,
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finding peace in his companionship and gatherings.
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The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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reciprocated his affection with affection and his friendship with friendship.
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Then came the bond of marriage, strengthening the connection between them even further,
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when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, married
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his paternal aunt, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, may Allah be pleased with her.
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After all we have detailed regarding Hakim's close relationship with the Prophet, peace be upon him, you might be astonished
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to learn that Hakim did not embrace Islam until the day of the Conquest of Makkah,
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after more than twenty years had passed
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since the advent of the Prophet's mission, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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It would have been expected that a man like Hakim ibn Hizam—
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whom Allah had blessed with such a sound mind
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and granted such close proximity to the Prophet, peace be upon him—
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would be among the first to believe in him,
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affirm his call, and follow his guidance.
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But it was the will of Allah, and whatever Allah wills comes to pass.
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Just as we marvel at the delay in Hakim ibn Hizam's acceptance of Islam,
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he himself was equally astonished by it.
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For no sooner had he entered Islam and tasted the sweetness of faith
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than he began biting his fingertips in remorse over every moment of his life spent
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associating partners with Allah and denying His Prophet.
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His son saw him weeping after he embraced Islam
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and asked, "What makes you cry, my father?"
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He replied, "Many things make me weep, my son.
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The first is my delay in accepting Islam,
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which caused me to be preceded in so many righteous deeds that,
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even if I were to spend an earth full of gold,
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I could never attain them.
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Furthermore, Allah saved me on the days of Badr and Uhud,
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and I said to myself back then,
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'I will never again help Quraysh against the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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nor will I go out from Makkah.'
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Yet, before long, I was dragged into supporting Quraysh once more.
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Moreover, whenever I intended to embrace Islam,
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I looked at the remaining elders of Quraysh—
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elders of age and dignity—
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clinging stubbornly to their Pre-Islamic customs,
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so I followed their example and went along with them.
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Oh, how I wish I had not done so!
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Nothing destroyed us except following the example of our forefathers and leaders.
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So why should I not weep, my son?"
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Just as we marveled at the delay in Hakim ibn Hizam's acceptance of Islam,
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and just as he himself marveled at it,
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the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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was likewise amazed that a man possessing the forbearance and intellect of Hakim ibn Hizam
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could remain blind to the truth of Islam.
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He wished for him and for men of his caliber
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to hasten toward entering the religion of Allah.
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On the night preceding the Conquest of Makkah,
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the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to his Companions,
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"Indeed, in Makkah there are four individuals
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whom I deem far above committing *shirk* (polytheism), and I eagerly desire Islam for them."
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It was asked, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?"
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He replied, "'Attab ibn Asid, Jubayr ibn Mut'im,
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Hakim ibn Hizam, and Suhayl ibn 'Amr."
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By the grace of Allah upon them, every one of them embraced Islam.
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When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, entered Makkah as a conqueror,
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he insisted on honoring Hakim ibn Hizam.
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He commanded his announcer to proclaim:
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"Whoever bears witness that there is no deity except Allah alone, with no partner,
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and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, shall be safe.
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Whoever sits by the Ka'bah and lays down his arms shall be safe.
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Whoever locks his door behind him shall be safe.
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Whoever enters the house of Abu Sufyan shall be safe.
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And whoever enters the house of Hakim ibn Hizam shall be safe."
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The house of Hakim ibn Hizam was in the lower part of Makkah,
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while the house of Abu Sufyan was in the upper part.
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Hakim ibn Hizam embraced Islam with a devotion that captivated his heart and mind;
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he believed with a faith that mingled with his blood and infused his core.
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He vowed to make amends for every stance he took during the Pre-Islamic Era
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and every sum he spent in hostility toward the Messenger,
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by spending many times over in the cause of truth.
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And he fulfilled his oath completely.
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Among his deeds was that ownership of Dar al-Nadwah devolved to him—
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an ancient building steeped in history,
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where Quraysh used to hold their assemblies during the Pre-Islamic Era,
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and where their leaders and chieftains gathered
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to plot against the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Hakim ibn Hizam wanted to rid himself of it,
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as if desiring to draw a veil of oblivion
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over that hateful past.
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So he sold it for one hundred thousand dirhams.
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A young man from Quraysh said to him,
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"You have sold the noble heritage of Quraysh, uncle!"
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Hakim replied to him,
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"Far from it, my son!
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All noble honors are gone,
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and nothing remains except God-wariness (*taqwa*).
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I only sold it
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to purchase with its price a house in Paradise.
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I call you to witness that I have dedicated its entire price to the cause of Allah, Almighty and Majestic."
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After accepting Islam, Hakim ibn Hizam performed Hajj,
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driving before him one hundred camels draped in fine, vibrant garments,
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which he then slaughtered entirely seeking closeness to Allah.
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On another pilgrimage,
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he stood at 'Arafat
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accompanied by one hundred of his enslaved servants,
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having placed a silver collar around each of their necks
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inscribed with the words:
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"Freedmen for the sake of Allah, Almighty and Majestic, on behalf of Hakim ibn Hizam."
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Then he manumitted them all.
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On a third pilgrimage,
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he drove one hundred sheep before him—
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yes, one thousand sheep—
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and sacrificed them all at Mina,
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feeding their meat to the poor among the Muslims,
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seeking closeness to Allah, Almighty and Majestic.
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After the Battle of Hunayn,
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Hakim ibn Hizam asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for a share of the spoils of war,
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and he gave him.
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Then he asked him again, and he gave him,
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until what he received reached one hundred camels.
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At that time, he was still new to Islam.
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So the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him:
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"O Hakim!
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Indeed, this wealth is sweet and green.
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Whoever takes it with a selfless heart will be blessed in it,
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but whoever takes it with greed and pride will not be blessed in it;
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he will be like one who eats but is never satisfied.
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And the upper hand is better than the lower hand."
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When Hakim ibn Hizam heard these words from the Messenger, peace be upon him,
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he said:
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"O Messenger of Allah!
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By the One Who sent you with the truth,
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I shall never ask anyone for anything after you,
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nor shall I accept anything from anyone,
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until I depart this world."
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Hakim fulfilled his oath with the utmost truthfulness and fidelity.
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During the caliphate of Abu Bakr,
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al-Siddiq summoned him more than once
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to collect his rightful share from the public treasury (*Bayt al-Mal*) of the Muslims,
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but he refused to accept it.
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When the caliphate passed to al-Faruq ('Umar),
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he likewise invited him to take his stipend,
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but he refused to accept anything from him as well.
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Thereupon 'Umar stood before the people and said,
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"I call you to witness, O gathering of Muslims,
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that I offer Hakim his stipend, but he refuses to take it."
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Hakim remained steadfast in this manner,
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accepting nothing from anyone until he passed away.
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"Indeed, in Makkah there are four individuals whom I deem far above polytheism,
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and I eagerly desire Islam for them."
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One of them was Hakim ibn Hizam.
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Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.