Ibn ‘Abdullāh al-Hāshimī@hashimiyy_
In Defense of the Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam
It is reported:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away while Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam was eight years old. He remained with his father until his father, al-Ḥakam ibn Abī al-ʿĀṣ, died during the caliphate of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān.”
[Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd (5/24)]
This establishes that Marwān was of an age of discernment at the time of the Prophet’s ﷺ passing. Thus, it is most likely that he saw and retained awareness of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
As for the claim that he was merely a man of worldly ambition, this is contradicted by the testimony of the early generations.
ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr said:
“Marwān was not accused (or suspected) in ḥadīth.”
A Companion, Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī (رضي الله عنه), narrated from him, demonstrating reliance upon his truthfulness.
Imām Mālik and other scholars relied upon his narrations and legal opinions.
[Hady al-Sārī (Muqaddimat Fatḥ al-Bārī) (2/164)]
It is reported that Sayyidunā Muʿāwiyah (رضي الله عنه) said:
“As for the reciter of the Book of Allah, the one well-versed in the religion of Allah, firm in upholding the limits of Allah, it is Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam.”
[Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah (8/257)]
This is not the praise of a trivial man, but of one recognized for knowledge, religiosity, and firmness upon the dīn.
Qāḍī Abū Bakr ibn al-ʿArabī رحمه الله states:
“Marwān is a just man, among the leading figures of this Ummah according to the Companions, the Followers, and the jurists of the Muslims.”
He further clarifies:
“As for the Followers (tābiʿūn), they are his contemporaries in age, and he may even be counted among the Companions according to one opinion.”
“As for the jurists of the major cities, all of them held him in high regard, recognized the legitimacy of his caliphate, paid attention to his legal opinions, and followed his narrations.”
[Al-ʿAwāṣim min al-Qawāṣim (pp. 89–90)]
The portrayal of Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam as an unreliable or purely worldly figure is not supported by the testimony of the early generations.
Rather, the evidence shows that he was among the younger Companions who saw the Prophet ﷺ, trusted by senior Tābiʿūn such as ʿUrwah, narrated from by the Companions, relied upon by Imām Mālik and others, highly praised by Sayyidunā Muʿāwiyah, and affirmed as just and reliable by leading scholars such as Ibn al-ʿArabī.
Therefore, fairness demands that he be spoken of with restraint, justice, and respect, according to the standards of Ahl al-Sunnah. We do not exalt beyond measure, nor do we disparage without proof.
Allah ﷻ knows best.