Takhrij Hadith 857: "Abu Jahl passed by the…"

Abu Jahl passed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ near al-Safa and insulted him. He reviled him and spoke words that the Prophet ﷺ disliked, disparaging his religion and belittling his mission. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not respond to him. A freedwoman belonging to ‘Abdullah ibn Judʿan ibn ‘Amr ibn Kaʿb ibn Saʿd ibn Taym ibn Murrah, whose dwelling overlooked the place, witnessed the incident. Abu Jahl then left and went to one of the gatherings of Quraysh near the Kaʿbah, where he sat with them. Not long afterward, Hamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) returned with his bow slung over his shoulder after a hunting expedition. It was his custom, whenever he returned from hunting, not to go to his family until he had circumambulated the Kaʿbah. As he did so, he would stop at every gathering of Quraysh he passed, greet them, and converse with them. He was among the most honored men of Quraysh and one of the strongest and most resolute. When he passed by the freedwoman—after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had already returned home—she said to him: "O Abu ʿUmarah! If only you had seen what your nephew Muhammad has just suffered at the hands of Abu al-Hakam ibn Hisham. He found him sitting here, insulted him, reviled him, and subjected him to words he disliked, then left without Muhammad ﷺ saying a word in return". Allah had destined honor for Hamzah, so he was overcome with anger. He set off at once without stopping to speak to anyone, determined that, when he met Abu Jahl, he would strike him. When he entered the mosque, he found him sitting among the people. He walked straight toward him, and when he stood over him, he raised his bow and struck him with it, inflicting a severe wound to his head. Then he said: "Do you insult him while I follow his religion and say what he says? Strike me back if you can!" Men from Banu Makhzum rose to defend Abu Jahl against Hamzah, but Abu Jahl said: "Leave Abu ʿUmarah alone, for by Allah, I did indeed insult his nephew in a disgraceful manner". Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) remained steadfast in his acceptance of Islam and in following what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had brought. When Hamzah embraced Islam, Quraysh realized that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had gained strength and protection, and that Hamzah would defend him. Thereafter, they refrained from some of the abuse they had previously directed toward him.