Hisham bin As (r.a.)
He was the brother of Amr bin As, the conqueror of Egypt. He became a Muslim in the first years of Islam. When the torture on the Muslims increased, he migrated to Abyssinia with the second caravan of migration. After a while, he heard that the Prophet had migrated to Madinah. He did not stay in Abyssinia any longer and returned to Makkah. He wanted to migrate to Madinah from Makkah but his father and his relatives did not allow him. They imprisoned and tortured him. Hz. Hisham, who was imprisoned for a long time, managed to migrate to Madinah only after the Battle of Khandaq. After that, he took part in all battles with the Prophet. He fought heroically.
The Prophet loved him very much. He witnessed their belief by saying, “The children of As are believers.”
Hisham was known for his heroism and bravery like his brother Amr bin As. He took part in the battles that took place during the caliphate of Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar. He fought heroically. He became a legend in the Battle of Ajnadin, where he was martyred. The number of the Byzantine soldiers was very big. During the battle, the Muslims started to scatter at one moment. This depressed Hisham very much. He called out: “O Muslims! Come to me. I am Hisham bin As. Come to me. Are you escaping from Paradise?” Then, he attacked the Byzantine ranks and proceeded. He killed some of them but was severely wounded. Then, he was martyred. This battle took place in 13 H.
When Hz. Umar was informed that he had been martyred, he said, “May Allah show mercy on him! He was one of the best assistants of Islam.” Thus, He appreciated Hisham.
After the martyrdom of Hisham, the Muslims asked Amr whether he or his brother was more virtuous. Hz. Amr said, “I am older but Hisham is more virtuous.” He explained the reason as follows:
“Islam was offered to both of us. He accepted it at once but I rejected it at first. Both of us prayed to be martyrs. His prayer was accepted.”
May Allah be pleased with both of them! [1]
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[1]Tabaqat, 4: 191-194; Usdul-Ghaba, 5: 63; Mustadrak, 3: 240.
