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Wahshi comes to the Prophet ﷺ

Date
After the conquest of Makkah · approximate
Location
Madinah
People
Wahshi, Hamza (RA)

In Sahih al-Bukhari, Wahshi himself recounts killing Hamza (RA) at Uhud, later accepting Islam, and the Prophet ﷺ — who had lost his beloved uncle — accepting him while asking him to keep his face from him.

As it was narrated

The story, in the words of those who were there

Read slowly. These are the Companions' own words, from the verified hadith collections.

Hadith
Hadith collection

حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا حُجَيْنُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْفَضْلِ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ الضَّمْرِيِّ، قَالَ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَدِيِّ بْنِ الْخِيَارِ، فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا حِمْصَ قَالَ لِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ هَلْ لَكَ فِ…

Narrated Jafar bin `Amr bin Umaiya:I went out with 'Ubaidullah bin `Adi Al-Khaiyar. When we reached Hims (i.e. a town in Syria), 'Ubaidullah bin `Adi said (to me), "Would you like to see Wahshi so that we may ask him about the killing of Hamza?" I replied, "Yes." Wahshi used to live in Hims. We enquired about him and somebody said to us, "He is that in the shade of his palace, as if he were a full water skin." So we went up to him, and when we were at a short distance from him, we greeted him and he greeted us in return. 'Ubaidullah was wearing his turban and Wahshi could not see except his eyes and feet. 'Ubaidullah said, "O Wahshi! Do you know me?" Wahshi looked at him and then said, "No, …

Sahih al-Bukhari · Hadith 4072 · Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (pbuh) (Al-Maghaazi)
Translation: Sahih al-Bukhari — English. Hadith data: fawazahmed0/hadith-api (numbering and gradings as published there).

Grading information unavailable in source data · from a collection regarded as sahih

Open source

Lessons

  • Islam accepted even the man who killed the Prophet's uncle.
  • Forgiving does not mean the pain disappears — he ﷺ was human, and still forgave.

Lessons are editorial reflections drawn from the event and its sources.

Pause for a moment

Which moment of your own life does this remind you of? Sit with it for a minute, then send salawat on the one who lived it ﷺ.

Send salawat ﷺ

Bibliography

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 4072 (Wahshi, via Ja'far ibn 'Amr) · primary source
  • Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (further reading)

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