Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 9 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (24) - Abu Al-Darda’, may God be pleased with him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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The Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you "Portraits from the Lives of the Companions"
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by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy on him.
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Abu al-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him.
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'Uwaymir ibn Malik al-Khazraji,
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known by his kunya Abu al-Darda', rose early from his sleep
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and went to his idol, which he had set up in the most honored place in his house.
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He greeted it and anointed it with the finest perfumes stocked in his great shop,
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then draped over it a new garment of luxurious silk
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presented to him the day before by a merchant who had arrived from Yemen.
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When the sun had risen high,
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Abu al-Darda' left his house, heading toward his shop,
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only to find the streets and alleys of Yathrib crowded with the followers of Muhammad,
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who were returning from Badr,
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driving before them herds of captives from Quraysh.
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He turned away from them,
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but soon approached a young man among them from the Khazraj
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and asked him about 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah.
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The Khazraji youth replied,
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"He fought with the utmost gallantry and excellence in battle,
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and has returned safe and victorious," setting his mind at ease.
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The young man was not surprised by Abu al-Darda's inquiry concerning 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah,
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for everyone knew the strong bonds of brotherhood that united them.
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That was because Abu al-Darda' and 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah
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had been sworn brothers during the pre-Islamic period of ignorance (Jahiliyyah).
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When Islam came, Ibn Rawahah embraced it,
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while Abu al-Darda' turned away from it.
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Yet that did not sever the strong ties between the two men;
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'Abdullah ibn Rawahah continued to visit Abu al-Darda' faithfully,
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inviting him to Islam, stirring his longing for it,
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and grieving over every day of his life that passed while he remained an idolater.
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Abu al-Darda' arrived at his shop,
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sat cross-legged upon his elevated seat,
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and began buying and selling,
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commanding and forbidding his servants,
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completely unaware of what was taking place at his home.
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For at that very time,
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'Abdullah ibn Rawahah was making his way to the house of his companion, Abu al-Darda',
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having resolved upon a matter.
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When he reached the house,
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he saw its door open
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and spotted Umm al-Darda' in its courtyard.
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He said, "Peace be upon you, O bondwoman of Allah."
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She replied, "And upon you be peace, O brother of Abu al-Darda'."
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He asked, "Where is Abu al-Darda'?"
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She said, "He has gone to his shop,
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and will return shortly."
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He asked, "Do you permit me to enter?"
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She replied, "You are most welcome,"
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and stepped aside to clear the way for him,
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then went to her room,
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occupied away from him with attending to her household chores
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and caring for her children.
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'Abdullah ibn Rawahah entered the room where Abu al-Darda' had placed his idol,
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drew out an adze he had brought with him,
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bent over the idol,
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and began hacking it to pieces, declaring:
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"Behold! Everything invoked besides Allah is falsehood!
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Behold! Everything invoked besides Allah is falsehood!"
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When he finished shattering it, he left the house.
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Umm al-Darda' entered the room where the idol was,
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and was horrified when she saw it reduced to splinters,
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finding its shattered remains scattered across the floor.
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She began slapping her cheeks, crying out:
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"You have ruined me, O Ibn Rawahah!
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You have ruined me, O Ibn Rawahah!"
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It was not long
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before Abu al-Darda' returned home.
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He saw his wife sitting by the door of the room containing the idol,
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weeping and sobbing,
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with signs of terror toward him evident on her face.
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He asked, "What is the matter with you?"
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She said, "Your brother 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah came to us in your absence,
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and did to your idol what you see!"
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He looked at the idol
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and found it reduced to rubble.
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He flared up with rage
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and resolved to avenge it,
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but soon his fury subsided,
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his anger cooled,
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and he reflected on what had occurred.
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Then he said,
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"If there were any good in this idol, it would have defended itself from harm!"
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He then went straight away to 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah,
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and together they proceeded to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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where he announced his entry into the religion of Allah.
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He was the last person of his quarter to embrace Islam.
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From that very first moment, Abu al-Darda' believed
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in Allah and His Messenger
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with a faith that permeated every fiber of his being.
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He felt profound regret for the good he had missed,
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and realized with deep awareness
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how far his companions had surpassed him in the fiqh of Allah's religion,
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the memorization of the Book of Allah,
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and acts of worship and piety
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that they had stored up for themselves with Allah.
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He resolved to make up for what had passed him by through tireless exertion,
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joining the toil of the night to the toil of the day,
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until he might catch up with the vanguard and even advance ahead of it.
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Thus he devoted himself to worship with the complete dedication of an ascetic,
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turned to knowledge with the eagerness of a thirsty soul,
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and applied himself diligently to the Book of Allah, memorizing its words
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and deepening his understanding of its verses.
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When he realized that trade disrupted the sweetness of worship
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and caused him to miss the gatherings of knowledge,
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he abandoned it without hesitation or regret.
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A questioner once asked him about that,
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to which he answered, "I was a merchant before my covenant
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with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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When I embraced Islam,
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I wished to combine trade with worship,
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but what I wanted would not come together for me.
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So I abandoned trade and turned wholly to worship.
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By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Abu al-Darda',
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I would not wish today to own a shop
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at the door of the mosque
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such that I would never miss a prayer in congregation,
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and then buy and sell,
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earning three hundred dinars every single day!"
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Then he looked at his questioner and said:
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"I am not saying
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that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has forbidden trade,
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but rather I love to be among those whom neither trade nor sale distracts
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“Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned;” (24:37)
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Abu al-Darda' did not merely abandon trade;
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rather, he renounced the worldly life altogether,
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turning away from its adornments and superficial glamour,
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contenting himself with a coarse morsel to keep his back straight
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and a thick, simple garment to cover his body.
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Once, a group of guests stayed with him on a severely freezing night
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of biting cold.
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He sent them hot food,
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but did not send them any blankets.
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When they prepared to sleep,
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they began conferring among themselves about the blankets.
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One of them said,
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"I will go to him and speak to him."
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Another said to him,
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"Leave him be."
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But he refused,
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went ahead, and stood at the door of his room.
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He saw that Abu al-Darda' had lain down,
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with his wife sitting near him,
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wearing nothing between the two of them but a flimsy garment
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that protected against neither heat nor cold.
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The man said to Abu al-Darda',
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"I see that you are spending the night just as we are!
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Where are your furnishings?"
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He replied, "We have another home yonder,
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to which we send on ahead every furnishing we obtain.
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Had we retained anything in this temporary dwelling,
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we would have sent it to you!
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Moreover, on the path we must traverse to that eternal home,
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there is a steep, arduous mountain pass;
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the unburdened traveler fares far better on it than the heavily laden.
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Therefore, we wanted to lighten our loads
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so that we might safely cross it."
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Then he said to the man,
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"Do you understand?"
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The man replied,
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"Yes, I understand,
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and may you be rewarded with good."
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During the caliphate of al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him,
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'Umar wanted Abu al-Darda' to assume an official post for him in the Levant (al-Sham),
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but he refused.
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'Umar insisted upon it,
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so Abu al-Darda' said,
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"If you are content that I go to them merely to teach them the Book of their Lord
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and the Sunnah of their Prophet,
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and lead them in prayer, then I will go."
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'Umar agreed to that,
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and Abu al-Darda' departed for Damascus.
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When he arrived there, he found that the people had grown infatuated with luxury
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and immersed in worldly pleasures.
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That appalled him,
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so he summoned the people to the mosque,
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and they gathered around him.
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He stood up among them and said:
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"O people of Damascus!
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You are brothers in faith,
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neighbors in dwelling,
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and helpers against enemies.
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O people of Damascus!
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What prevents you from showing me affection
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and heeding my sincere counsel,
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when I seek nothing from you?
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My counsel is for your benefit,
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while my sustenance is provided by someone other than you!
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Why is it that I see your scholars passing away,
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while your ignorant do not learn?
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And I see you pursuing that which Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has already guaranteed you,
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while neglecting that which you were commanded to do!
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Why is it that I see you amassing what you do not eat,
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building what you do not inhabit,
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and harboring hopes you will never attain?
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The generations before you also amassed wealth and indulged high hopes,
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but it was not long
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Until their multitude became ruined,
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their hopes turned to delusion,
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and their homes became graves.
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This was 'Ad, O people of Damascus!
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They had filled the earth with wealth and children.
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Who will buy from me the legacy of 'Ad today for just two dirhams?"
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The people began to weep,
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until their sobbing could be heard outside the mosque.
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From that day on,
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Abu al-Darda' began frequenting the gatherings of the people in Damascus
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and walking through their markets,
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answering the questioner,
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teaching the ignorant,
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and alerting the heedless,
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seizing every opportunity
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and making use of every occasion.
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Thus, he once passed by a group of people
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who had crowded around a man,
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beating him and insulting him.
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He approached them and asked,
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"What is the matter?"
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They replied, "A man who fell into a grave sin."
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He said, "Tell me: if he had fallen into a well,
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would you not have pulled him out of it?"
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They replied, "Yes, certainly."
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He said, "Do not revile him and do not beat him;
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rather, admonish him and help him see reason,
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and praise Allah, Who has spared you from falling into his sin."
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They asked, "Should we not hate him?"
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He replied, "I only hate his deed;
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if he abandons it, he is my brother."
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The man then began to weep bitterly and proclaimed his repentance.
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And here was a young man approaching Abu al-Darda',
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saying,
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"Advise me, O Companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
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So he said to him,
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"O my son!
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Remember Allah in times of ease,
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and He will remember you in times of adversity.
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O my son!
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Be a scholar, or a student of knowledge,
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or an attentive listener,
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and do not be the fourth, lest you perish—
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that is, the ignorant one.
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O my son!
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Let the mosque be your home,
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for I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say,
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'The mosques are the home of every pious person.'
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And Allah, Almighty and Majestic, has guaranteed
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for those whose homes are the mosques
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comfort, mercy,
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and safe passage over the Sirat to the good pleasure of Allah, Almighty and Majestic."
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And there was a group of young men
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sitting on the roadside, chatting and watching the passersby.
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He approached them and said,
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"O my sons!
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The sanctuary of a Muslim man is his home,
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wherein he restrains himself and his gaze.
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Beware of sitting in the markets,
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for it distracts and invites vain talk."
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During Abu al-Darda's stay in Damascus,
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its governor, Mu'awiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan, sent to him,
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seeking the hand of his daughter, al-Darda', for his son Yazid.
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But he refused to marry her to him,
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and instead gave her in marriage to an ordinary young Muslim
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whose religious commitment and character he approved of.
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Word of this spread among the people,
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and they began saying,
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"Yazid Ibn Mu'awiyah proposed to
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the daughter of Abu al-Darda',
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yet her father turned him down
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and married her to an ordinary Muslim man!"
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An inquirer asked him about the reason for that,
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so he said, "I only sought, through what I did,
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the well-being of al-Darda'."
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The man asked, "And how so?"
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He said, "What do you think will become of al-Darda'
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when servants stand before her serving her,
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and she finds herself in palaces
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whose splendor dazzles the eye?
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Where will her religion be on that day?"
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During Abu al-Darda's time in the Levant,
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the Commander of the Believers, 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, arrived among them,
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inspecting its conditions.
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One night, he visited his companion Abu al-Darda' at his home.
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He pushed the door open and found it without a latch,
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so he entered a dark house with no light in it.
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When Abu al-Darda' heard his movement,
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he stood up, welcomed him, and seated him.
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The two men began conversing,
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with the darkness veiling each of them from the eyes of his companion.
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'Umar felt Abu al-Darda's pillow,
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only to find it was a pack-saddle—
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that is, a cloth placed on the back of a beast of burden.
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He felt his mattress and found it was pebbles,
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and he felt his blanket and found it was a thin garment
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that offered no protection against the cold of Damascus.
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So he said to him, "May Allah have mercy on you!
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Did I not grant you ample provision? Did I not send you support?"
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Abu al-Darda' said to him,
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"Do you remember, O 'Umar, a hadith narrated to us
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by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?"
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He asked, "And what is it?"
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He said, "Did he not say, 'Let the worldly provisions of any of you
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be like the provision of a traveler'?"
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He said, "Yes." Abu al-Darda' said,
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"Then what have we done after him, O 'Umar?"
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'Umar wept, and Abu al-Darda' wept,
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and they continued weeping together
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until morning dawned upon them.
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Abu al-Darda' remained in Damascus,
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admonishing its people and reminding them,
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and teaching them the Book and the Wisdom,
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until certainty (death) came to him.
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When he fell into his terminal illness, his companions entered upon him
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and asked, "What do you complain of?"
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He said, "My sins."
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They asked, "And what do you desire?"
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He said, "The pardon of my Lord."
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Then he said to those around him,
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"Prompt me to say: 'There is no god but Allah,
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Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'"
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He kept repeating it until he departed this life.
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When Abu al-Darda' passed on to the presence of his Lord,
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'Awf Ibn Malik al-Ashja'i saw in a dream a vast meadow,
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expansive in its bounds and offering lush shade,
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in which stood a magnificent dome of leather,
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surrounded by resting sheep
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the likes of which no eye had ever seen.
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He asked, "For whom is this?"
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He was told, "For 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn 'Awf."
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Then 'Abd al-Rahman emerged from the dome
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and said to him, "O Ibn Malik!
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This is what Allah, Almighty and Majestic, has granted me.
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And had you looked over this mountain pass,
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you would have seen what your eye has never seen,
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heard what your ear has never heard,
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and found what has never crossed your heart."
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Ibn Malik asked,
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"And for whom is all of that, O Abu Muhammad?"
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He replied, "Allah, Almighty and Majestic, has prepared it for Abu al-Darda',
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because he used to repel the world from himself
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with both his hands and his chest."
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Thus said 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn 'Awf.