Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 2 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (17) - Abu Dhar al-Ghafari, may God be pleased with him
0:000:00
Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
0:00
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
0:15
Mawaddah Association is pleased
0:18
to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,
0:22
authored by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
0:25
may Allah have mercy on him.
0:27
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him.
0:46
In the valley of Waddan, which connects Mecca to the outside world,
0:50
dwelt the tribe of Ghifar.
0:53
Ghifar made its living from the modest sustenance
0:57
provided by the caravans carrying the trade of Quraysh,
1:01
bound for the Levant or returning from it.
1:05
At times, they lived by highway robbery against these caravans
1:09
if the traders failed to offer them a satisfying tribute.
1:12
Jundub ibn Junadah, known by his kunya Abu Dharr,
1:16
was a son of this tribe.
1:19
However, he was distinguished among them by his courageous heart,
1:22
sound intellect, far-sighted wisdom,
1:25
and his intense aversion to the idols
1:29
that his people worshipped besides Allah.
1:32
He denounced the corruption of religion among the Arabs
1:36
and the triviality of their beliefs,
1:38
longing for the emergence of a new prophet
1:41
who would capture the minds and hearts of the people.
1:44
“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)
1:47
Then, news reached Abu Dharr
1:50
while he was in his desert abode regarding the new Prophet
1:53
who had appeared in Mecca.
1:55
He said to his brother Unays:
1:57
"O Unays,
1:58
travel to Mecca—may you be blessed—
2:00
and learn about this man who claims to be a prophet
2:05
and that revelation comes to him from the heavens.
2:08
Listen to some of his speech and bring it back to me."
2:11
Unays went to Mecca,
2:13
met the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
2:17
listened to him,
2:18
and then returned to the desert.
2:20
Abu Dharr met him eagerly,
2:23
asking him fervently about the news of the new Prophet.
2:27
Unays said: "By Allah, I saw a man calling to noble morals
2:33
and speaking words that are certainly not poetry."
2:36
Abu Dharr asked him: "And what do the people say about him?"
2:39
He replied: "They say he is a sorcerer, a soothsayer, and a poet."
2:45
Abu Dharr said: "By Allah, you have not quenched my thirst,
2:49
nor fulfilled my need.
2:51
Will you take care of my family so I may go and investigate his matter myself?"
2:55
Unays said: "Yes,
2:57
but be cautious of the people of Mecca."
3:00
Abu Dharr prepared his provisions,
3:03
carried a small waterskin,
3:06
and set out the next morning for Mecca, seeking to meet the Prophet
3:10
and learn about his news firsthand.
3:13
Abu Dharr reached Mecca
3:16
filled with apprehension regarding its people,
3:20
for news had reached him of Quraysh's rage in defense of their idols
3:24
and their brutal persecution of anyone who contemplated
3:27
following Muhammad.
3:29
Therefore, he disliked asking anyone about Muhammad,
3:33
because he did not know
3:35
whether the person he asked was a supporter or an enemy.
3:39
When night fell,
3:41
he lay down in the Sacred Mosque.
3:43
'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by him
3:46
and recognized that he was a stranger.
3:48
He said: "Come with us, O man."
3:51
So he went with him and spent his night at his home.
3:55
In the morning, he took his waterskin and provisions and returned to the mosque,
4:00
without either of them asking the other about anything.
4:04
Abu Dharr spent his second day without coming to know the Prophet.
4:09
When evening came, he took his place to sleep in the mosque again.
4:13
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by him
4:16
and said: "Has the time not come for a man to know his lodging?"
4:20
So he took him along and he spent his second night at his house,
4:24
yet neither of them asked the other about anything.
4:28
On the third night,
4:31
'Ali said to his guest:
4:33
"Will you not tell me what brought you to Mecca?"
4:37
Abu Dharr replied: "If you give me a solemn promise
4:40
to guide me to what I seek, I will do so."
4:43
So 'Ali gave him the promise he desired,
4:46
and Abu Dharr said: "I traveled to Mecca from afar
4:51
seeking to meet the new Prophet
4:54
and hear something of what he says."
4:57
A smile beamed on the face of 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
5:00
and he said: "By Allah, he is truly the Messenger of Allah!
5:04
He is indeed the Prophet!
5:07
When morning comes, follow me wherever I go.
5:10
If I see anything I fear for you,
5:13
I will stop as if pretending to pour water.
5:16
But if I keep walking, follow me until you enter where I enter."
5:20
Abu Dharr could not sleep at all that night
5:24
out of longing to see the Prophet
5:26
and eagerness to hear some of what was revealed to him.
5:31
In the morning, 'Ali walked with his guest to the house of the Noble Messenger,
5:36
and Abu Dharr followed closely behind him,
5:39
paying attention to nothing else until he entered upon the Prophet.
5:43
Abu Dharr said: "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah."
5:48
The Messenger replied: "And upon you be the peace of Allah, His mercy, and His blessings."
5:54
Thus, Abu Dharr was the first to greet the Messenger with the greeting of Islam,
5:59
which subsequently spread and became the universal greeting.
6:02
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned to Abu Dharr,
6:06
calling him to Islam and reciting the Qur'an to him.
6:11
It was not long before Abu Dharr declared the word of truth
6:14
and embraced the new religion before leaving his spot.
6:18
He was the fourth or fifth person to embrace Islam.
6:23
Let us leave the account to Abu Dharr
6:25
to relate to us himself the rest of his story.
6:28
He said: "I stayed after that with the Messenger of Allah in Mecca,
6:33
and he taught me Islam and recited some of the Qur'an to me.
6:38
Then he said to me: 'Do not tell anyone in Mecca of your Islam,
6:42
for I fear they might kill you.'
6:45
I said: 'By Him in Whose Hand is my soul,
6:48
I will not leave Mecca until I go to the mosque
6:52
and proclaim the call of truth aloud amidst Quraysh!'
6:56
The Messenger remained silent.
6:58
So I went to the mosque while Quraysh were sitting and conversing.
7:02
I stepped into their midst and shouted at the top of my voice:
7:06
'O people of Quraysh!
7:08
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
7:11
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!'
7:14
No sooner had my words touched their ears
7:18
than they were all alarmed.
7:20
They sprang from their seats and said:
7:23
'Get this apostate!'
7:25
They rushed at me and began beating me to death.
7:30
Then al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib reached me—
7:33
the uncle of the Prophet—
7:35
and threw himself over me to protect me from them.
7:37
He then turned to them and said:
7:40
'Woe to you! Would you kill a man from Ghifar,
7:43
when your trade caravans must pass through their lands?'
7:46
So they desisted and let me go.
7:48
When I regained consciousness, I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
7:53
When he saw my condition, he said:
7:56
'Did I not forbid you from announcing your Islam?'
7:59
I said: 'O Messenger of Allah,
8:02
it was a yearning in my heart that I felt compelled to fulfill.'
8:05
He said:
8:06
'Go back to your people
8:08
and inform them of what you have seen and heard,
8:11
and call them to Allah.
8:13
Perhaps Allah will benefit them through you and reward you for them.
8:17
And when news reaches you that I have prevailed,
8:19
then come to me.'"
8:21
Abu Dharr said:
8:23
"I set out until I reached the dwellings of my people,
8:26
and my brother Unays met me.
8:28
He asked:
8:29
'What have you done?'
8:30
I said:
8:31
'I have embraced Islam and believed.'
8:34
It was not long before Allah opened his heart, and he said:
8:37
'I have no dislike for your religion;
8:40
I too have embraced Islam and believed.'
8:43
Then we went to our mother and called her to Islam,
8:47
and she said:
8:48
'I have no dislike for your religion,'
8:50
and she embraced Islam as well.
8:52
From that day onward,
8:54
the believing family set out calling to Allah among Ghifar,
8:58
never tiring nor wearying,
9:01
until a vast number of Ghifar embraced Islam,
9:04
and the prayer was established among them.
9:07
A group among them said:
9:09
'We will remain as we are
9:11
until the Messenger comes to Medina, then we will embrace Islam.'
9:14
So when the Messenger arrived in Medina, they embraced Islam.
9:17
Upon this, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said:
9:20
'Ghifar—may Allah forgive them!
9:23
And Aslam—may Allah grant them peace!'
9:25
Abu Dharr remained in his desert home
9:28
through the events of Badr, Uhud, and the Trench.
9:31
Then he came to Medina
9:33
and devoted himself exclusively to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
9:37
He asked his permission to serve him,
9:41
and the Prophet granted him permission.
9:42
He delighted in his companionship and found joy in serving him.
9:45
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, continued
9:49
to favor him and honor him;
9:51
he never met him without shaking his hand,
9:54
greeting him with a warm and cheerful smile.
9:57
When the Noble Messenger passed away to the highest companionship,
10:01
Abu Dharr could no longer bear to remain
10:04
in Medina
10:06
after it had been vacated of its master
10:08
and deprived of the light of his gatherings.
10:11
So he departed for the desert of the Levant
10:13
and resided there throughout the caliphates of al-Siddiq and al-Faruq,
10:17
may Allah be pleased with them both and with him.
10:20
During the caliphate of 'Uthman,
10:22
he settled in Damascus,
10:23
where he saw people turning to worldly pursuits
10:26
and indulging in luxury,
10:28
which astounded him and drove him to condemn it.
10:31
'Uthman ibn 'Affan summoned him to Medina,
10:35
so he came to the city.
10:36
However, he soon grew weary of the people's pursuit of worldly pleasures,
10:40
and the people grew weary of his strictness with them
10:43
and his stern rebukes.
10:45
So 'Uthman ordered him to move to al-Rabdhah,
10:48
which was a small village among the villages of Medina,
10:51
so he departed for it
10:53
and resided there far away from people,
10:56
abstaining from the ephemeral vanities of the world in their hands,
10:59
firmly adhering to the path of the Messenger and his two companions
11:03
in preferring the everlasting Abode over the fleeting world.
11:06
A man once entered upon him
11:09
and began looking around his house,
11:12
but he found no furnishings or provisions in it,
11:15
so he said,
11:16
"O Abu Dharr,
11:17
where are your household belongings?"
11:19
He replied,
11:20
"We have a house over there,"
11:22
meaning the Hereafter,
11:24
"to which we send the best of our goods."
11:27
The man understood his meaning and said to him,
11:30
"But you must have some provisions as long as you are in this abode,"
11:34
meaning this worldly life.
11:36
So he answered,
11:37
"Indeed, the owner of the house will not leave us in it."
11:41
And the governor of Sham sent him three hundred dinars,
11:45
saying to him,
11:46
"Use this to fulfill your needs."
11:49
But he returned it to him and said,
11:52
"Could the governor of Sham find no servant of Allah more insignificant in his eyes than me?"
11:57
In the thirty-second year after the Hijrah,
12:00
the hand of death claimed this devout, ascetic worshiper,
12:04
regarding whom the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
12:08
"Earth has not borne,
12:10
nor has the sky sheltered,
12:12
anyone more truthful than Abu Dharr."
12:15
"Earth has not borne,
12:18
nor has the sky sheltered,
12:20
anyone more truthful than Abu Dharr."
12:24
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.