Abu I-Hakam

Abu I-Hakam is the deified form of Amr Ibn Hisham, the leader of the Quryash tribe against Muhammad and an early opponent of Islam. He is venerated and worshipped by Arrikirri and has several prayers in the Book.

Name

There are several titles given to Amr Ibn Hisham or Ibn Hanazaliya on his mothers side, his mortal name meaning 'To Live a Long Time'. His other names are Abu I-Hakam, meaning 'Father of Wisdom' due to his ability to give wise judgments at an early age and Asad Al-Ahlaf, meaning 'Lion of the Thousand' which he gained by leading the armies of the Quryash against the Muslim forces at the battle of Badr. He is furthered referred to as the father of the faith and the defender of the faithful in prayers in the book. Muhammad further titles hi Abu Jahl 'Father of ignorance' for his opposition to Islam as well as calling him 'The Pharoah of this Ummah' when viewing his headless body after the battle of Badr.

Function

In the Wathani prayerbook Abu I-Hakam has a dedicated section of prayers and hymns, where he called upon to defend and guide the faithful, these prayers were further written by Arrikirri for his veneration. in Cult of Martyrs he is regarded as the leader of the martyrs of the Quryash and is worshipped as a protector of the faith and the leader of the spirits of the dead.

Death

Amr ibn Hisham died at the battle of Badr, during which he had fought against Mu'adh ibn Amr and Muaaz ibn Amr (No Relation) before being killed by Abdullah ibn Masud. During the fighting Amr ibn Hisham struck the arm of one of the boys so that it dangled by his skin and had to be torn off during the fighting, however they ultimately left him for dead. Later Abdullah ibn Masud came across him in the battlefield, whereby he had his last conversation: 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ūd said that he found him at his last gasp and put his foot on his neck and said to him: "Has God put you to shame?" He replied, "How has He shamed me? Am I anything more remarkable than a man you have killed? Tell me how the battle went." He told him that it went in favor of Allah and His apostle. Abu Jahl said, "You have climbed high, you little shepherd."' Afterwards his head was cut off and given to Muhammad, who referred to him as the Pharoah of the Community. His community mourned him and remarked him as a great and wise man. Suggesting the Islamic narratives of his wanton cruelty and evil disposition was made by later authors to further demonise an opponent of Muhammad.

Quotes

During a dispute with Muhammad, Abu I-Hakam said the following: ‘By Allah, Muhammad, you will either stop cursing our gods, or we will curse the God you serve.’ (Sura 6:108).

During a conflict over the Al-Zaqqum tree, Amr Ibn Hisham made the following verse to calm the Quryash after they were threatened by Allah. “O Quraysh, do you know what the tree of al Zaqqūm is with which Muhammad would scare you?” When they said that they did not, he said: “It is Yathrib dates buttered. By Allah, if we get hold of them we will gulp them down in one!” (Sura 44:43).

Reception

The worship of Abu I-Hakam has been met with mixed reception by the wider community, some being wary of his worship because of the records of his cruelty and further by the issue of owning slaves. King Obodas and Abu I-Hakam were further not initially going to be added to the book because of their position as deified mortals, however after Arrikirri expressed offence in the delivery of this information they were added.