Bright Stars
Sayyiduna Haris Bin Hishaam رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ
Adnan Ahmad Attari Madani
According to one narration, while the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was in Makkah, mounted on his ride, he remarked: ‘By Allah! You are the best of lands and the most beloved of lands to me. If I was not driven out from you, I would never leave.’ Hearing this, a companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, who was a resident of Makkah, cried out: ‘Prior to accepting Islam, only if we had not compelled you to leave Makkah; Come back! for this is the land where you were born and raised.’ The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied: ‘I implored my Lord Almighty: ‘O Allah! You have taken me out of my beloved land, so send me to Your beloved land.’ Thus, Allah Almighty settled me in Madinah,’’ (Tareekh Ibn-e-‘Asakir, vol. 11, p. 492).
The honourable companion was none other than Sayyiduna Haris Bin Hishaam رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, brother of the notorious enemy of Islam, Abu Jahl, and the paternal cousin of Sayyiduna Khalid Bin Waleed. He was also the paternal cousin of Sayyiduna Umar’s mother Hantamah, (Usd-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 1, p. 514).
His virtues
He is regarded as a jurist and scholar among the companions. (Istee’ab, vol. 1, p. 365) He رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was held in great esteem in the age of Ignorance and during the age of Islam, (Al-A’lam-lil-Zurqali, vol. 2, p. 158). After embracing Islam, he emerged as a righteous figure who abstained from anything disliked and indecorous. (Usd-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 1, p. 514)
His Islam
Regarding him, The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم once commented: ‘Haris is a noble man and his father was noble too; it is my wish that Allah Almighty graces Haris with the guidance of Islam.’ (Istee’ab, vol. 1, p. 366). This wish was actualised during the Conquest of Makkah wherein Sayyiduna Haris رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ sought protection with Sayyidatuna Umm-e-Hani, the sister of Sayyiduna Ali رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا, and took refuge in her home, thus coming under her sanctuary. Sayyiduna Ali رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ entered the home, attacked him, and grabbed him by the neck in an attempt to execute him. Seeing this, Sayyidatuna Umm-e-Hani رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا cried out: ‘You are not treating me well with this behaviour in front of everyone.’ Hearing this, Sayyiduna Ali رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ left the house, remarking: ‘You have given shelter to polytheists.’
Shortly afterwards, Sayyidatuna Umm-e-Hani رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا went to the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and related the whole incident, to which the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied: ‘We too grant protection to whomever you have granted protection, and we grant safety to whomever you have given safety.’ Sayyidatuna Umm-e-Hani رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا returned to her house and informed Haris of the exchange with the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Upon hearing about the turn of events, he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ returned to his own home, (Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 317; Tahzeeb-ul-Kamal, vol. 5, p. 297).
Sayyiduna Haris رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ commented on the incident: ‘Following this, I felt embarrassed to go before the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, because the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had [previously] found me among the polytheists on every occasion, but then I remembered the honourable conduct, compassion, and mercy of the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Eventually, I came across the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in Masjid Al-Haraam; the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم pleasantly welcomed me and stopped for a while until I greeted him, pronounced Shahadah and became a Muslim. The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم remarked: ‘All praise is for Allah who granted you guidance! A person like you could not remain distant from Islam.’” Sayyiduna Haris رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ adds that he replied: ‘By Allah! Islam is such a religion that none can stay away from it,’ (Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 318, summarised; Tahzeeb-ul-Kamal, vol. 5, p. 299, summarised).
Burning embers
Sayyiduna Haris رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ relates that he once asked the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم: ‘I treat my relatives well, care for my neighbours, give refuge to orphans, honour my guests, and feed the poor; and my (disbelieving) father Hishaam Bin Mugheerah, was also like this. So, what is your opinion regarding him?’ The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied: ‘Every grave containing a person who did not testify ‘There is no god but Allah,’ is a burning ember of fire,’ (Mu’jam Kabeer, vol. 23, p. 405).
Controlling the tongue
Once, while visiting the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, Sayyiduna Haris رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ asked: ‘Kindly, inform me of an action that I can firmly hold onto.’ The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم pointed to his tongue and said: ‘Control this,’ (Mu’jam Kabeer, vol. 3, p. 260).
In the battlefield
In 2 AH, he and his brother, Abu Jahl, fought against the Muslims during the Battle of Badr. While Abu Jahl lost his life during the Battle, Sayyiduna Haris رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ survived, (Usd-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 1, p. 364). A year later, he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ supported the polytheists against Muslim forces in the Battle of Uhud. In fact, he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ continued to support the polytheists until 8 AH, when he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ became a Muslim following the Conquest of Makkah, (Tahzeeb-ul-Kamal, vol. 5, pp. 295-297).
During the Battle of Hunayn, he displayed unwavering commitment and support for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم awarded him one hundred camels as spoils of war. (Usd-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 1, p. 514)
Although he continued to live in Makkah throughout the Beloved Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم era, (Tabqat Ibn-e-Sa’d, vol. 7, p. 283), he moved to Madinah, along with a group of other companions, when, during the reign of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, a request was sent to Makkah, asking people to join Muslim forces in Madinah who were preparing for the Expedition of Byzantium. Upon arriving in Madinah, they were warmly welcomed by Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ before they were dispatched to battle, (Tabqat Ibn-e-Sa’d, vol. 7, p. 283).
Later, during the reign of Sayyiduna Umar Farooq رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ moved to the Levant with his family (Al-A’laam-lil-Zurqaali, vol. 2, p. 158), where he continued to support Muslim forces, (Tahzeeb-ul-Kamal, vol. 5, p. 295).
While still in Makkah, he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was preparing to join the Muslim forces in the Levant when people poured out to bid him farewell, visibly distressed by his departure. Even when he had left the vicinity of Makkah, reaching the area of Bathaa, locals swarmed around him, weeping and bewailing his move to the distant land of the Levant. He was moved to tears by this but continued to reassure them: ‘Dear people! I am not leaving this land to distance myself from you or because I prefer another city over your city; rather, this is what has been commanded. If the mountains of Makkah were of gold, a day would not pass but we would spend it in the way of Allah,’ (Usd-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 1, p. 515; Tareekh Ibn-e-‘Asakir, vol. 11, p. 499, summarised).
Martyrdom
According to one opinion, he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was severely wounded in the Expedition of Yarmouk in Rajab, 15 AH. In this dire condition, he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ sought water but seeing Sayyiduna ‘Ikrimah رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ wounded, he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ cried out: ‘Take this to ‘Ikrimah instead.’ When Sayyiduna ‘Ikrimah رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ saw that Sayyiduna ‘Ayash Bin Abi Rabi’ah رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was wounded, he refused the water for himself and remarked: ‘Take the water to him instead.’ The water had not yet reached Sayyiduna ‘Ayash Bin Abi Rabi’ah رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ when he رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ attained martyrdom. Thus, these three noble personalities were honoured with martyrdom without drinking any water, (Usd-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 1, p. 515; Istee’ab, vol. 1, p. 366; Tareekh Ibn-e-‘Asakir, vol. 11, p. 504, summarised). By this time, all of Sayyiduna Haris رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ family members and children had passed away, except for his son, Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman, and his daughter, Sayyidatuna Umm-e-Hakeem رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُما, (Tahzeeb-ul-Kamal, vol. 5, p. 300).
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