As mentioned before, Abu Aamir had a son named Hanzala, who was exactly opposite of his father. He was a sincere and devoted youth of the Muslim community. When Abu Aamir fled to Mecca , Hanzala married Jamila, the daughter of Abdullah Ubayy, the hypocrite. The amazing thing about this episode is that though their fathers were deadly foes of Islam, this young couple was absolutely devoted to Islamic values and imbued with the teachings of Quran. They were prepared to give any sacrifice for the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the manifest religion of Islam.
The intrigue and fraud of Abdullah Ubayy had reached such a level that outwardly he claimed to be a Muslim and mingled with the other Muslims, but he secretly contacted the Jews of Bani Nuzayr and Bani Quraiza and leaked the secrets of the nascent Muslim community. He used to instigate the Jews to organize a new confrontation against the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.). He used to hatch new plots everyday and even on the day Muslims were departing for the Battle of Uhad he absented himself and instigated 300 Muslim soldiers to defect towards hypocrisy. All these people were double-faced. That is, apparently they were something and in reality they were altogether different. Due to his instigation those three hundred militiamen refused to go to the battle. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) was compelled
to take the battleground with only 700 soldiers. By this Abdullah Ubayy intended to weaken and defeat the power of Muslims. This backstabbing was aimed at the destruction and annihilation of Islam.
Hanzala had married Jamila on the very day the battle was announced. After his wedding Hanzala came to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and sought his permission to participate in Jihad. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) accorded him the permission. When Hanzala was leaving the next day, his wife asked him to swear before four women of the Ansar community that he has married Jamila and spent the previous night with her. Thus it was to announce that Jamila was the wife of Hanzala and no more a virgin. The aim in taking four women as witnesses was that the testimony of two women equals that of a man.
Thus Hanzala left his house early the morning next day. Since no water was available for the ritual bath after sexual intercourse Hanzala departed for the battlefield in a condition of ritual impurity (Janabat), though he was very much ashamed to do so. When he arrived in the battlefield he saw Abu Sufyan astride a horse with the polytheistic people surrounding him from all sides.
Hanzala attacked with great ferocity and determination and slashed at the legs of Abu Sufyan’s mount. The legs severed, the horse came to the ground bringing with it Abu Sufyan also. But he got up quickly and began to flee. Hanzala chased him but someone shot a spear at him that pierced his back. Though injured, Hanzala wanted to finish off his quarry but the spear had gone very deep and his strength was seeping away. Thus the valiant youth fell down in the
vicinity of the corpses of other martyrs like Hamzah and Abdullah Ibn Hazm. Finally this newly married youth embraced martyrdom and bid adieu to the transient world.
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) has said that he saw the heavenly angels giving bath to Hanzala with the water of heaven. That is why from that moment Hanzala came to be referred as the “one bathed by the angels”.
Yes, this was a youth who belonged to the family of Abu Aamir, the monk who was such a valiant young man and had such deep regard for the religion of God that he gave up the pleasures and comforts of his newly married life and departed for the battlefield early the next morning even though he could not obtain water to perform the ritual bath. Thus, what is so amazing if he was martyred in the way of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and given a ritual bath by the angels with heavenly water?
Re: Hanzala b Amir [R.A]
I read about him in hayatus-Sahaba but not in this much detail. It is amazing that children of worst enemies of Islam became great Muslims. Hazrat Akrama (r.a), son of Abu-Jehel, is another example.
JazakAllah khair for a beautiful reminder to refresh and inspire our souls with such role models.
May Allah (swt) bless you and your family with all the blessings of this life and hereafter.
Re: Hanzala b Amir [R.A]
^ well actually Ikrima [ra] himself was a great enemy of Islam but after conversion he himself served with great distinction in the syrian campaign.
Even many of those who apostasized during Ridda Wars later became excellent muslims like Qays b Makhsush[ra]
But Abdullah b Hanazala [ra] his family and friends have a long history of being supporters of Islam , but were all martyred in the Battle of Harra the oft forgotten tragedy in islamic history