In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,
authored by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy on him.
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him.
In the valley of Waddan, which connects Mecca to the outside world,
dwelt the tribe of Ghifar.
Ghifar made its living from the modest sustenance
provided by the caravans carrying the trade of Quraysh,
bound for the Levant or returning from it.
At times, they lived by highway robbery against these caravans
if the traders failed to offer them a satisfying tribute.
Jundub ibn Junadah, known by his kunya Abu Dharr,
was a son of this tribe.
However, he was distinguished among them by his courageous heart,
sound intellect, far-sighted wisdom,
and his intense aversion to the idols
that his people worshipped besides Allah.
He denounced the corruption of religion among the Arabs
and the triviality of their beliefs,
longing for the emergence of a new prophet
who would capture the minds and hearts of the people.
“Whereby Allah guideth him who seeketh His good pleasure unto paths of peace. He bringeth them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guideth them unto a straight path.” (5:16)
Then, news reached Abu Dharr
while he was in his desert abode regarding the new Prophet
who had appeared in Mecca.
He said to his brother Unays:
"O Unays,
travel to Mecca—may you be blessed—
and learn about this man who claims to be a prophet
and that revelation comes to him from the heavens.
Listen to some of his speech and bring it back to me."
Unays went to Mecca,
met the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
listened to him,
and then returned to the desert.
Abu Dharr met him eagerly,
asking him fervently about the news of the new Prophet.
Unays said: "By Allah, I saw a man calling to noble morals
and speaking words that are certainly not poetry."
Abu Dharr asked him: "And what do the people say about him?"
He replied: "They say he is a sorcerer, a soothsayer, and a poet."
Abu Dharr said: "By Allah, you have not quenched my thirst,
nor fulfilled my need.
Will you take care of my family so I may go and investigate his matter myself?"
Unays said: "Yes,
but be cautious of the people of Mecca."
Abu Dharr prepared his provisions,
carried a small waterskin,
and set out the next morning for Mecca, seeking to meet the Prophet
and learn about his news firsthand.
Abu Dharr reached Mecca
filled with apprehension regarding its people,
for news had reached him of Quraysh's rage in defense of their idols
and their brutal persecution of anyone who contemplated
following Muhammad.
Therefore, he disliked asking anyone about Muhammad,
because he did not know
whether the person he asked was a supporter or an enemy.
When night fell,
he lay down in the Sacred Mosque.
'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by him
and recognized that he was a stranger.
He said: "Come with us, O man."
So he went with him and spent his night at his home.
In the morning, he took his waterskin and provisions and returned to the mosque,
without either of them asking the other about anything.
Abu Dharr spent his second day without coming to know the Prophet.
When evening came, he took his place to sleep in the mosque again.
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by him
and said: "Has the time not come for a man to know his lodging?"
So he took him along and he spent his second night at his house,
yet neither of them asked the other about anything.
On the third night,
'Ali said to his guest:
"Will you not tell me what brought you to Mecca?"
Abu Dharr replied: "If you give me a solemn promise
to guide me to what I seek, I will do so."
So 'Ali gave him the promise he desired,
and Abu Dharr said: "I traveled to Mecca from afar
seeking to meet the new Prophet
and hear something of what he says."
A smile beamed on the face of 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
and he said: "By Allah, he is truly the Messenger of Allah!
He is indeed the Prophet!
When morning comes, follow me wherever I go.
If I see anything I fear for you,
I will stop as if pretending to pour water.
But if I keep walking, follow me until you enter where I enter."
Abu Dharr could not sleep at all that night
out of longing to see the Prophet
and eagerness to hear some of what was revealed to him.
In the morning, 'Ali walked with his guest to the house of the Noble Messenger,
and Abu Dharr followed closely behind him,
paying attention to nothing else until he entered upon the Prophet.
Abu Dharr said: "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah."
The Messenger replied: "And upon you be the peace of Allah, His mercy, and His blessings."
Thus, Abu Dharr was the first to greet the Messenger with the greeting of Islam,
which subsequently spread and became the universal greeting.
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned to Abu Dharr,
calling him to Islam and reciting the Qur'an to him.
It was not long before Abu Dharr declared the word of truth
and embraced the new religion before leaving his spot.
He was the fourth or fifth person to embrace Islam.
Let us leave the account to Abu Dharr
to relate to us himself the rest of his story.
He said: "I stayed after that with the Messenger of Allah in Mecca,
and he taught me Islam and recited some of the Qur'an to me.
Then he said to me: 'Do not tell anyone in Mecca of your Islam,
for I fear they might kill you.'
I said: 'By Him in Whose Hand is my soul,
I will not leave Mecca until I go to the mosque
and proclaim the call of truth aloud amidst Quraysh!'
The Messenger remained silent.
So I went to the mosque while Quraysh were sitting and conversing.
I stepped into their midst and shouted at the top of my voice:
'O people of Quraysh!
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!'
No sooner had my words touched their ears
than they were all alarmed.
They sprang from their seats and said:
'Get this apostate!'
They rushed at me and began beating me to death.
Then al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib reached me—
the uncle of the Prophet—
and threw himself over me to protect me from them.
He then turned to them and said:
'Woe to you! Would you kill a man from Ghifar,
when your trade caravans must pass through their lands?'
So they desisted and let me go.
When I regained consciousness, I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
When he saw my condition, he said:
'Did I not forbid you from announcing your Islam?'
I said: 'O Messenger of Allah,
it was a yearning in my heart that I felt compelled to fulfill.'
He said:
'Go back to your people
and inform them of what you have seen and heard,
and call them to Allah.
Perhaps Allah will benefit them through you and reward you for them.
And when news reaches you that I have prevailed,
then come to me.'"
Abu Dharr said:
"I set out until I reached the dwellings of my people,
and my brother Unays met me.
He asked:
'What have you done?'
I said:
'I have embraced Islam and believed.'
It was not long before Allah opened his heart, and he said:
'I have no dislike for your religion;
I too have embraced Islam and believed.'
Then we went to our mother and called her to Islam,
and she said:
'I have no dislike for your religion,'
and she embraced Islam as well.
From that day onward,
the believing family set out calling to Allah among Ghifar,
never tiring nor wearying,
until a vast number of Ghifar embraced Islam,
and the prayer was established among them.
A group among them said:
'We will remain as we are
until the Messenger comes to Medina, then we will embrace Islam.'
So when the Messenger arrived in Medina, they embraced Islam.
Upon this, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said:
'Ghifar—may Allah forgive them!
And Aslam—may Allah grant them peace!'
Abu Dharr remained in his desert home
through the events of Badr, Uhud, and the Trench.
Then he came to Medina
and devoted himself exclusively to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
He asked his permission to serve him,
and the Prophet granted him permission.
He delighted in his companionship and found joy in serving him.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, continued
to favor him and honor him;
he never met him without shaking his hand,
greeting him with a warm and cheerful smile.
When the Noble Messenger passed away to the highest companionship,
Abu Dharr could no longer bear to remain
in Medina
after it had been vacated of its master
and deprived of the light of his gatherings.
So he departed for the desert of the Levant
and resided there throughout the caliphates of al-Siddiq and al-Faruq,
may Allah be pleased with them both and with him.
During the caliphate of 'Uthman,
he settled in Damascus,
where he saw people turning to worldly pursuits
and indulging in luxury,
which astounded him and drove him to condemn it.
'Uthman ibn 'Affan summoned him to Medina,
so he came to the city.
However, he soon grew weary of the people's pursuit of worldly pleasures,
and the people grew weary of his strictness with them
and his stern rebukes.
So 'Uthman ordered him to move to al-Rabdhah,
which was a small village among the villages of Medina,
so he departed for it
and resided there far away from people,
abstaining from the ephemeral vanities of the world in their hands,
firmly adhering to the path of the Messenger and his two companions
in preferring the everlasting Abode over the fleeting world.
A man once entered upon him
and began looking around his house,
but he found no furnishings or provisions in it,
so he said,
"O Abu Dharr,
where are your household belongings?"
He replied,
"We have a house over there,"
meaning the Hereafter,
"to which we send the best of our goods."
The man understood his meaning and said to him,
"But you must have some provisions as long as you are in this abode,"
meaning this worldly life.
So he answered,
"Indeed, the owner of the house will not leave us in it."
And the governor of Sham sent him three hundred dinars,
saying to him,
"Use this to fulfill your needs."
But he returned it to him and said,
"Could the governor of Sham find no servant of Allah more insignificant in his eyes than me?"
In the thirty-second year after the Hijrah,
the hand of death claimed this devout, ascetic worshiper,
regarding whom the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
"Earth has not borne,
nor has the sky sheltered,
anyone more truthful than Abu Dharr."
"Earth has not borne,
nor has the sky sheltered,
anyone more truthful than Abu Dharr."
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.