Early
in the morning, Abu-d Dardaa awoke and went straight to his idol
which he kept in the best part of his house. He greeted it and made
obeisance to it. Then he anointed it with the best perfume from his large
shop and put on it a new raiment of beauti ful silk which a merchant
had brought to him the day before from Yemen.
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| The Tomb of Abu Dardaa RA |
When
the sun was high in the sky he left his house for his shop. On that
day the streets and alleys of Yathrib were crowded with the followers
of Muhammad returning from Badr. With them were several prisoners
of war. Abu-d Dardaa surveyed the crowds and t hen went up to a
Khazraji youth and asked about
the fate of Abdullah ibn Rawahah RA.
"He
was put through the most severe tests in the battle," "but
he emerged safely..."
Abu-d
Dardaa was clearly anxious about his close friend, Abdullah ibn
Rawahah RA. Everyone in Yathrib knew the bond of brotherhood which
existed between the two men from the days of Jahiliyyah, before the
coming of Islam to Yathrib. When Islam came to the city, Ibn Rawahah
RA embraced it but Abu-dDardaa rejected it. This however did not
rupture the relationship between the two. Abdullah ibn Rawahah RA
kept on visiting Abu-d Dardaa and tried to make him! see the virtues,
the benefits and the excellence of Islam.
But
with e very passing day, while Abu-d Dardaa remained a mushrik,
Abdullah ibn Rawahah RA felt more sad and concerned. Abu-d Dardaa
arrived at his shop and sat cross-legged on a high chair. He began
trading-buying and selling and giving instructions to his assistants
unaware of what was going on at his house. For at that very time,
Abdullah ibn Rawahah RA had gone to the house determined on a course
of action. There, he saw that the main gate was open. Umm ad-Dardaa
was in the courtyard and he said to her:
"As-salaamu
alayki - Peace be unto you, servant of God."
"Wa
alayka-s salaam - And unto you be peace, O brother of Abu-d Dardaa."
"Where
is Abu-d Dardaa?" he asked. "He has gone to his shop. It
won't be long before he returns."
"Would
you allow me to come in?" "Make yourself at home," she
said and went about busying herself with
her household chores and looking after her children.
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| Saying of Abu Dardaa RA |
Abdullah
ibn Rawahah RA went to the room where Abu-d Dardaa kept his idol. He
took out an axe which he had brought with him and began destroying
the idol while saying: "Isn't everything batil which is
worshipped besides Allah?"
When
the idol was completely smashed, he left the house. Abu-d Dardaa's
wife entered the room shortly afterwards and was aghast at what she
saw. She smote her cheeks in anguish and said: "You have brought
ruin to me, Ibn Rawahah." When Abu-d Dardaa returned home, he
saw his wife sitting at the door of the room where he kept his idol.
She was weeping loudly and she looked absolutely terrified. "What's
wrong with you?" he asked. "Your brother Abdullah ibn
Rawahab visited us in your absence and did with your idols what you
see."
Abu-d
Dardaa looked at the broken idol and was horrified. He was consumed
with anger and determined to take revenge. Before long however his
anger subsided and thoughts of avenging the idol disappeared. Instead
he reflected on what had happened and said to himself: "If there
was any good in this idol, he would have defended himself against any
injury." He then went straight to Abdullah ibn Rawahah RA and
together they went to the Prophet, peace be on him. There he
announced his acceptance of Islam. He was the last person in his
district to become a Muslim.
 |
| The Simple life of Abu Dardaa RA |
From
this time onwards, Abu-d Dardaa RA devoted himself completely to
Islam. Belief in Allah SWT and His Rasul animated every fibre of his
being. He deeply regretted every moment he had spent as a mushrik and
the opportunities he had lost to do good. He realize d how much his
friends had learnt about Islam in the preceding two or three years,
how much of the Quran they had memorized and the opportunities they
had to devote themselves to Allah SWT and His Rasul . He made up his
mind to expend every effort, day and night to try to make up for
what he had missed. Ibadah occupied his days and his nights. His
search for knowledge was restless. Much time he spent memorizing the
words of the Quran and trying to understand the profundity of its
message. When he saw that business and trade disturbed the sweetness
of his ibadah and kept him away from the circles of knowledge, he
reduced his involvement without hesitation or regret.
Someone
asked him why he did this and he replied: "I was a merchant
before my pledge to the Rasululullah SAW , may Allah SWT bless him
and grant him peace. When I became a Muslim, I wanted to combine
trade (tijarah) and worship (ibadah) but I did not achieve what I
desired. So I abandoned trade and inclined towards ibadah. "By
Him in whose hand is the soul of Abu-d Dardaa, what I want to have is
a shop near the door of the masjid so that I would not miss any Solah
with the congregation. Then I shall sell and buy and make a modest
profit every day."
"I
am not saying," said Abu-d Dardaa RA to his questioner, "that
Allah Great and Majestic is He has prohibited trade, but I want to
be among those whom neither trade nor selling distracts form the
remembrance of God ."
Abu-d
Dardaa RA did not only become less involved in trade but he abandoned
his hitherto soft and luxurious life-style. He ate only what was
sufficient to keep him upright and he wore clothes that wassimple and
sufficient to cover his body. Once a group of Muslims came to spend
the night with him. The night was bitterly cold. He gave them hot
food which they welcomed. He himself then went to sleep but he did
not give them any blankets.
They
became anxious wondering how they were going to sleep on such a cold
night. Then one of them
said:
"I will go and talk to him." "Don't bother him,"
said another. However, the man went to Abu-d Dardaa RA and stood at
the door of his room. He saw Abu-d Dardaa RA lying down. His wife was
sitting near to him. They were both wearing light clothing which
could not protect them from the cold and they had no blankets. Abu-d
Dardaa RA said to his guest: "If there was anything we would
have sent it to you."
During
the caliphate of Umar RA , Saidina Umar RA wanted to appoint Abu-d
Dardaa RA as a governor in Syria. Abu-d Dardaa refused. Saidina Umar
RA persisted and then Abu-d Dardaa RA said: "If you are content
that I should go to them to teach them the Book of their Lord and the
Sunnah of their Prophet and pray with them, I shall go."
Saidina
Umar RA agreed and Abu-d Dardaa RA left for Damascus. There he found
the people immersed in luxury and soft living. This appalled him. He
called the people to the masjid and spoke to them: "O people of
Damascus! You are my brethren in religion, neighbors who live
together and helpers one to another against enemies. "O people
of Damascus! What is it that prevents you from being affectionate
towards me and responding to my advice while I do not seek anything
from you. Is it right that I see your learned ones departing (from
this world) while the ignorant among you are not learning. I see that
you incline towards such things which Allah has made you answerable
for and you abandon what He has commanded you to do.
 |
| Advise and Reminder to all of us from Abu Dardaa RA. |
"Is
it reasonable that I see you gathering and hoarding what you do not
eat, and erecting buildings in which you do not live, and holding out
hopes for things you cannot attain. "Peoples before you have
amassed wealth, made great plans and had high hopes. But it was not
long before what they had amassed was destroyed, their hopes dashed
and their houses turned into graves. Such were the people of Aad, O
people of Damascus. They filled the earth with possessions and
children.
"Who
is there who will purchase from me today the entire legacy of Aad for
two dirhams?" The people wept and their sobs could be heard from
outside the masjid. From that day, Abu-d Dardaa RA began to frequent
the meeting places of the people of Damascus. He moved around in
their marketplaces, teaching, answering questions and trying to
arouse anyone who had become careless and insensitive. He used every
opportunity and every occasion to awaken people, to set them on the
right path.
Once
he passed a group of people crowding around a man. They began
insulting and beating the man. He came up to them and said: "What's
the matter?" "This is a man who has committed a grave sin,"
they replied.
"What
do you think you would do if he had fallen into a well?" asked
Abu-d Dardaa RA "Wouldn't you try to get him out?"
"Certainly," they said. "Don't insult him and don't
beat him. Instead admonish him and make him aware of the consequences
of what he had done. Then give praise to Allah SWT Who has preserved
you from falling into such a sin." "Don't you hate him?"
they asked Abu-d Dardaa. "I only detest what he had done and if
he abandons such practice, he is my brother." The man began to
cry and publicly announced his repentance.
A
youth once came up to Abu-d Dardaa RA and said: "Give me advice,
O companion of Rasul the messenger of Allah.” and Abu-d Dardaa RA
said to him: "My son, remember Allah in good times and He will
remember you in times of misfortune”, "My son, be
knowledgeable, seek knowledge, be a good listener and do not be
ignorant for you will be ruined”, "My son, let the masjid be
your house for indeed I heard Rasulullah SAW say: The masjid is the
house of every Allah conscious person and Allah Almighty has
guaranteed serenity, comfort, mercy and staying on the path leading
to His pleasure, to those for whom masjids are their houses."
On
another occasion, there was a group of people sitting in the street,
chatting and looking at passers-by. Abu-d Dardaa RA came up to them
and said: "My sons, the monastery of a Muslim man is his house
in which he controls himself and lowers his gaze. Beware of sitting
in market-places because this fritters away time in vain pursuits."
While
Abu-d Dardaa RA was in Damascus, Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, its
governor, asked him to give his daughter in marriage to his
(Muawiyah's) son, Yazid. Abu-d Dardaa RA did not agree. Instead he
gave his daughter in marriage to a young man from among the poor
whose character and attachment to Islam pleased him. People heard
about this and began talking and asking: Why did Abu-d Dardaa RA
refuse to let his daughter marry Yazid? The question was put to Abu-d
Dardaa RA himself and he said: "I have only sought to do what is
good for ad-Dardaa." That was his daughter's name. "How?"
enquired the person. "What would you think of ad-Dardaa if
servants were to stand in her presence serving her and if she were to
find herself in palaces the glamor of which dazzled the eyes? What
would become of her religion then?"
While
Abu-d Dardaa RA was still in Syria, the Caliph Saidina Umar ibn
al-Khattab RA came on an inspection tour of the region. One night he
went to visit Abu-d Dardaa RA at his home. There was no light in the
house. Abu-d Dardaa RA welcomed the Caliph Saidina Umar ibn al
Khattab RA and sat him down. The two men conversed in the darkness.
As they did so, Saidina Umar RA felt Abu-d Dardaa's "pillow"
and realized it was an animal's saddle. He touched the place where
Abu-d Dardaa RA lay and knew it was just small pebbles. He also felt
the sheet with which he covered himself and was astonished to find it
so flimsy that it couldn't possibly protect him from the cold of
Damascus. Saidina Umar RA asked him:
"Shouldn't
I make things more comfortable for you? Shouldn't I send something
for you?" "Do you remember, Umar," said Abu-d Dardaa
RA, "a hadith which Rasulullah SAW ,told us?" "What is
it?" asked Saidina Umar RA. "Did he not say: Let what is
sufficient for anyone of you in this world be like the provisions of
a rider? " "Yes," said Umar RA. "And what have we
done after this, O Umar?" asked Abu-d Dardaa RA.
Both
men wept no doubt thinking about the vast riches that had come the
way of Muslims with the expansion of Islam and their preoccupation
with amassing wealth and worldly possessions. With deep sorrow and
sadness, both men continued to reflect on this situation until the
break of dawn.
