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History has recorded that
he is the only person who was born
inside the Kabah itself.
Together with a group
of friends, his mother had gone inside
this ancient House of God to inspect it.
On that particular day it was open
because of a festive occasion. She was
pregnant and labor pains suddenly
gripped her. She was unable to leave the
Kabah. A leather mat was brought to her
and she gave birth on it. The child was
named Hakim. His father was Hazm who was
the son of Khuwaylid. Hakim was
therefore the nephew of the Lady
Khadijah, the daughter of Khuwaylid, may
Allah be pleased with her.
Hakim grew up in a
wealthy and noble family which enjoyed a
high status in Makkan society. He was
also an intelligent and well-mannered
person who was well respected by his
people. He was held in such esteem that
he was given the responsibility of the
rifadah which involved giving assistance
to the needy and those who had lost
their property during the season of
pilgrimage. He took this responsibility
seriously and would even help needy
pilgrims from his own resources.
Hakim was a very close
friend of the Prophet, peace be on him,
before the latter's call to prophethood.
Even though he was five years older than
the Prophet, he used to spend much time
talking to him and enjoying hours of
pleasant companionship. Muhammad in his
turn felt great affection for Hakim.
Their relationship was
further strengthened when the Prophet
married his aunt, Khadijah bint
Khuwaylid.
What is truly amazing
is that in spite of the close friendship
between Hakim and the Prophet, Hakim did
not become a Muslim until the conquest
of Makkah, more than twenty years after
the start of the Prophet's mission. One
would have thought that someone like
Hakim whom God had blessed with a sound
intellect and who was so well-disposed
to the Prophet, would have been among
the first to believe in him and follow
the guidance he brought. But that was
not to be.
Just as we are
astonished at the late acceptance of
Islam on the part of Hakim, he himself
later in life was also amazed. In fact,
as soon as he accepted Islam and tasted
the sweetness of iman (faith), he began
to feel deep regret for every moment of
his life as a mushrik and a denier of
God's religion and of His Prophet.
His son once saw him
weeping after his acceptance of Islam
and asked: "Why are you weeping, my
father'?" "Many things cause
me to weep, my dear son. The most
grievous is the length of time it took
for me to become a Muslim. Acceptance of
Islam would have given me so many
opportunities to do good which I missed
even if I were to have spent the earth
in gold. My life was spared at the
battle of Badr and also at the battle of
Uhud. After Uhud. I said to myself. I
would not help any Quraysh against
Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of
God be upon him, and I would not leave
Makkah. Then, whenever I felt like
accepting Islam I would look at other
men among the Quraysh, men of power and
maturity who remained firmly attached to
the ideas and practices of Jahiliyyah
and I would fall in line with them and
their neighbors... Oh, how I wish I had
not done so. Nothing has destroyed us
except the blind following of our
forefathers and elders. Why should I not
weep, my son?"
The Prophet himself
was puzzled. A man of sagacity and
understanding like Hakim ibn Hazm, how
could Islam remain "hidden"
from him?. For a long time, the Prophet
had dearly hoped that he and a group of
persons like him would take the
initiative and become Muslims. On the
night before the liberation of Makkah,
he, may God bless him and grant him
peace, said to his companions:
"There are four
persons in Makkah whom I consider to be
above having any dealing with shirk and
I would dearly like them to accept
Islam." "Who are they, O
Messenger of God?" asked the
companions. "Attab ibn Usayd,
Jubayr ibn Mutim, Hakim ibn Hazm and
Suhayl ibn Amr," replied the
Prophet. By the grace of God, they all
became Muslims.
When the Prophet,
peace be on him, entered Makkah to
liberate the city from polytheism and
the ways of ignorance and immorality, he
ordered his herald to proclaim:
"Whoever declares that there is no
god but Allah alone, that He has no
partner and that Muhammad is His servant
and His Messenger, he is safe...
Whoever sits at the
Kabah and lays down his weapons, he is
safe. Whoever enters the house of Abu
Sufyan, he is safe.
Whoever enters the
house of Hakim ibn Hazm, he is
safe..." The house of Abu Sufyan
was in the higher part of Makkah and
that of Hakim was in the lower part of
the city. By proclaiming these houses as
places of sanctuary, the Prophet wisely
accorded recognition to both Abu Sufyan
and Hakim, weakening any thought they
might have of resisting and making it
easier for them to be more favorably
disposed to him and his mission.
Hakim embraced Islam
wholeheartedly. He vowed to himself that
he would atone for whatever he had done
during his Jahili days and that whatever
amounts he had spent in opposing the
Prophet, he would spend the same amounts
in the cause of Islam.
He owned the Dar an-Nadwah,
an important and historic building in
Makkah, where the Quraysh held their
conferences during the days of
Jahiliyyah. In this building the Quraysh
leaders and chieftains would gather to
plot against the Prophet.
Hakim decided to get
rid of it and cut himself off from its
past associations which were now so
painful to him. He sold the building for
one hundred thousand dirhams. A Quraysh
youth exclaimed to him: "You have
sold something of great historical value
and pride to the Quraysh, uncle."
"Come now, my
son," replied Hakim. "All vain
pride and glory has now gone and all
that remains of value is taqwa -
consciousness of God. I have only sold
the building in order to acquire a house
in Paradise. I swear to you that I have
given the proceeds from it to be spent
in the path of God Almighty."
Hakim ibn Hazm
performed the Hajj after becoming a
Muslim. He took with him one hundred
fine camels and sacrificed them all in
order to achieve nearness to God. In the
following Hajj, he stood on Arafat. With
him were one hundred slaves. To each he
gave a pendant of silver on which was
engraved: "Free for the sake of God
Almighty from Hakim ibn Hazm." On a
third Hajj, he took with him a thousand
sheep - yes a thousand sheep and
sacrificed them all at Mina to feed the
poor Muslims in order to attain nearness
to God.
While Hakim was
generous in his spending for the sake of
God, he also still liked to have much.
After the battle of Hunayn, he asked the
Prophet for some of the booty which the
Prophet gave. He then asked for more and
the Prophet gave him more. Hakim was
still a newcomer to Islam and the
Prophet was more generous to newcomers
so as to reconcile their hearts to
Islam. Hakim ended up with a large share
of the booty. But the Prophet peace be
upon him, told him:
"O Hakim! This
wealth is indeed sweet and attractive.
Whoever takes it and is satisfied will
be blessed by it and whoever takes out
of greed will not be blessed. He would
be like someone who eats and is not
satisfied. The upper hand is better than
the lower hand (it is better to give
than to receive)."
The kind words of
advice had a deep and immediate effect
on Hakim. He was mortified and said to
the Prophet: "O Messenger of God!
By Him who has sent you with the truth,
I shall not ask anyone after you for
anything."
During the caliphate
of Abu Bakr, Hakim was called several
times to collect his stipend from the
Bayt al-mal but he refused to take any
money. He did the same during the
caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab
whereupon Umar addressed the Muslims:
"I testify to you, O Muslims, that
I have called Hakim to collect his
stipend but he refuses."
Hakim remained
faithful to his word. He did not take
anything from anyone until he passed
away. From the Prophet, he had learnt
the great truth that contentment is
riches beyond compare.
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