Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib
حمزة بن عبد المطلب
c. 568 CE – March 625 CE · Shawwal 3 AH
An uncle of the Prophet who became one of the fiercest early defenders of Islam; killed at Uhud and remembered in tradition as the Master of the Martyrs.
At a glance
- Roles
- Companion
- Counted among
- Sunni · Shia (Twelver)
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Place in the story
- Convert to Islam · c. 616 CETradition
- Companion · c. 616 CE – March 625 CE · Ramadan 3 AH†Tradition
- Family of the ProphetTradition
- Martyr (as regarded) · March 625 CE · Ramadan 3 AH†Tradition
Arabian polytheism (transmitted) · Sunni (transmitted)
How others named them
- “Master of the Martyrs” — Islamic tradition
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Brief
Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib was an uncle of the Prophet and one of the most feared warriors of Quraysh. His conversion strengthened the early community; his death at Uhud in 625 CE made him, in tradition, the Master of the Martyrs.
Life
Close in age to the Prophet 1, Hamza was a hunter and one of Mecca's strong men. Tradition tells that he embraced Islam about 616 CE, in anger at the treatment of his nephew — his conversion openly announced, and the community's opponents thereafter more cautious 2.
He migrated to Medina, fought with distinction at The Battle of Badr, and at The Battle of Uhud in March 625 was killed by Wahshi ibn Harb, a slave promised his freedom for the deed 2. After the battle the victors mutilated the dead, and Hamza's body was among those dishonored — a wound the sources record soberly and the tradition never forgot 3.
Legacy
The title attached to him in Islamic memory is Sayyid al-Shuhada, "Master of the Martyrs" — an uncle whose strength stood between his nephew and those who wished him harm.
For young visitors
Hamza was the Prophet's uncle and its strongest defender. When he died in battle, the whole community mourned him.
Connections
- Sibling of
- al-Abbas ibn Abd al-MuttalibAbu Talib ibn Abd al-MuttalibArwa bint Abd al-MuttalibSafiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib
- Born in
- Mecca
- Died in
- Mount Uhud
- Buried in
- Mount Uhud
- Child of
- Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim
- Member of
- Banu HashimThe early Muslim community
- Participated in
- The Battle of BadrThe Battle of UhudThe duel at BadrExpedition of al-Abwa (Waddan)Expedition of Dhu al-UshayraExpedition of Sayf al-BahrHamza accepts IslamUmar accepts IslamSiege of Banu QaynuqaBattle over the Quraysh standard at UhudBurial of the Uhud martyrsMartyrdom of Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib at UhudUhud war council and Muslim mobilization
- Fought by
- Wahshi ibn Harb
People and things also explored
MuhammadThe Battle of UhudThe Prophetic EraMeccaQurayshMus'ab ibn Umayral-Abbas ibn Abd al-MuttalibAbd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim
Sources
- Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (Bewley translation, Ta-Ha)
- Ibn Ishaq / Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad (1955)
- Watt, Muhammad at Medina (1956)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/hamza/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.