Hisham Bin al- Hakam

Abu Mohammed Hisham b. al- Hakam was the Chief of Kunda. Also he was surnamed Abu al- Hakam. He reported traditions on the authority of Abu Abd Allah and Abu al- Hasan, peace be on them. He had books (group of traditions). The biographists have mentioned the books in his biography. He was excellent in theology and far away from mistakes in it. His debates in the techniques of theology guide you to his strong evidence and his answers for the proofs of his debaters. Al- Sadiq, peace be on him, prevented his companions from the debate and the dispute except very few of them. Hisham was in the vanguard of those companions whom al- Sadiq permitted to debate. Al- Sadiq, peace be on him, respected him. Though Hisham was young, al- Sadiq preferred him to his old companions with high social ranks. Concerning him, al- Sadiq said: "This (Hisham) supports us with his hand, his tongue, and his hand." Also he said: "Hisham b. al-Hakam is the guide of our right, the narrator of our words, the supporter of our truthfulness, the refuter of the false of our enemies. Whoever follows him and his tradition follows us; whoever opposes him and disbelieves in him shows enmity toward us and disbelieves in us." Not only al- Sadiq, peace be on him, praised Hisham but also praised other Imams of ahl al Bat him.

For example, al- Rida, peace be on him said: "He (Hisham) was a righteous servant." al- Jawad, peace be on him, said: "May Allah have mercy upon him, what an excellent defender he was for this standpoint!"

These words of the Imams of ahl al Bayt with regard to Hisham serve the clever, careful person instead of bombastic praise and woven land. Also these many words show you that Hisham adopted an attitude to defend the right and to wag war against the false and that he said intense words, which were sharper than a thousand swords as al- Rashid said, to defend the Imamate. Moreover, he was the matchless man who produced strong evidence for the Imamate and corrected the doctrines with his debates. Death came quickly to him due to those debates in the Imamate. That was when al- Rashid knew his place. He (Hisham) was afraid of him. So, he escaped to Kufa terrified. Then he died of that terror. It was said that he died in the year 179 (A.H.). Some slanders have been mentioned about him. Of course his enemies and his enviers tried to defame him and to destroy his beliefs because he defended ahl al Bayt in the manner whose results are still a live in the present time. However, the Imam himself sometimes defamed him to drive evil away from him.

Adapted from: "Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.)"