Abu Dharr al-Ghifari
From ilmpedia
He was Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junadah al-Ghifari. He embraced Islam at a very early period. He was probably the fifth Muslim from among the freeborn men.
During his early life he achieved fame as a daring raider. The Ghifari tribe lived in the Waddan Valley. The Makkan caravans, laden with their many goods, and riches had to pass through this valley. And, Abu Dharr used to lead the youths of his tribe in raids on the trade caravans. The tribe members lived by what these caravans gave in the way of protection money. If they refused to pay the price, Abu Dharr with his company of youths attacked them and caused great damage to the trading caravan.
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Abu Dharr: a God-seeker
With all this, Abu Dharr appears to have been a God-seeker from his early youth. He may well be classed together with those righteous men who prayed to the One God and were known before Islam as Hanifs.
One night a caravan man took Abu Dharr aside and spoke to him in whispers about the appearance of a Prophet in Makkah. He said, ‘He is not an ordinary man. His name is Muhammad. He belongs to the respected tribe of Quraysh, the Banu Hisham. He claims to have received a message from Allah the One. He wants the people to give up worshipping idols and worship Allah alone.’
Abu Dharr was absolutely attracted by this description of a man who was willing to risk all for the sake of his belief in Allah the One. He could not sleep well that night. He spent the night restlessly.
At dawn, he went to his brother’s tent. His name was Anis. He was a poet. He told Anis, ‘Listen carefully. I cannot go to Makkah. I have so many responsibilities here. I want you to go to Makkah and find out who this man Muhammad [s] is, what his message is, and what he really wants. You are intelligent. You are a poet. If this man’s message is only poetry, you will know it.’
Anis set off down the valley by the southern route towards Makkah. Anis returned from Makkah after a weak. He rested a while. Once refreshed, he said, ‘I did not get to see Muhammad. But I did hear some of the verses he recites, which he says are not from him but from Almighty Allah brought by the Angel Jibril. He says he is indeed the Messenger of Allah. He says we should not worship idols but Him. He is our Master. Only Him we should serve. He hears whatever we say. He sees whatever we do. Also, that we should cleanse ourselves and pray; that we should feed the poor; that we should take care of widows and orphans. All this advice comes from him in the form of Verses. It is not poetry. I know what poetry is!’
‘What do people say about him?’ Abu Dharr asked impatiently.
‘Some accuse him of being a poet. Others say he is a soothsayer. He casts a spell over people. The Quraysh hate him,’ replied Anis.
Abu Dharr looks for the Prophet (s)
Abu Dharr could not wait any longer. He set out for Makkah. When he reached Makkah, he felt all was not well as it should be. There was a tension in the air. Abu Dharr soon realized that it would be risky to ask anybody about the blessed Prophet [s]. They might consider him his follower. He, therefore, went straightway to the Ka’bah. It was the House of Allah. It provided a shelter for those coming form faraway places for Pilgrimage. No one spoke to him. He also did not pay any attention to those around him.
Eventually, a young boy in his teens came by. He was Ali ibn Abi Talib [ra].
Ali [ra] took Abu Dharr to his house. Ali knew him to be stranger. Until daybreak neither of the two asked any questions of the other. Then Abu Dharr betook himself with his water-skin and his provisions to the mosque and passed that day until evening without finding the Prophet [s]. This went on for three nights and three days. It was in fact an ancient custom of the Arabs, prevailing to this day among the Bedouins, not to ask any personal questions of a guest during the first three days of his stay.
Abu Dharr did not spend the whole day in the Mosque. He probably went out into the town in search of the Prophet [s] thereafter Ali [ra] said, ‘Will you not tell me what has brought you here?’ Abu Dharr answered, ‘I will do so if you promise me that you will guide me aright.’ Ali agreed to this. Thereupon Abu Dharr told him all. The next day Ali took Abu Dharr to the house where the Prophet [s] was staying.
Abu Dharr saw in front of him a face the like of which he had never seen. The Prophet [s] then began to explain to Abu Dharr about Islam.
‘I am a Messenger of Allah. My message is: There is no god but Allah. He is your Lord and Cherisher. To Him alone we do surrender. All other gods or things, which people worship, can neither harm nor benefit us. They cannot guide man or counsel him how to live his life on the earth. By accepting Allah as your only Lord, you will be freed from the false bond of all them, from idol-worship and slavery.’
The Prophet [s] then recited some of the verses of the Qur’aan. Abu Dharr embraced Islam on the spot by making his declaration of faith and declaring his belief in the One and Only Creator and His Messenger [s].
Soon Abu Dharr learnt from the Prophet [s] how to perform the ablutions and to offer Prayers. He learnt the basic teachings of Islam. He was taught to speak the truth, to be honest in his dealings, to keep a promise, to fight oppression and injustice, to help the poor and the needy, orphans and widows, to spend money in the Way of Allah, and to spread the message of Islam to everyone.
Then, Allah’s Messenger [s] said to him, ‘Return to your people and inform them about me and await my bidding.’
Aby Dharr cried out, ‘By Whom in whose Hand is my soul, indeed I will loudly proclaim this truth among the idolaters.’
Abu Dharr Invites
Abu Dharr then left and went to the Mosque and called out at the top of his voice, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ Thereupon the people of Makkah fell upon him and beat him and threw him on the ground. And there came al-Abbas and covered him with his own body saying, ‘Woe to you! Don’t you know that he belongs to the tribe of Ghifar, and that your merchants’ road to Syria passes through their country?’ And so he rescued him from them. The next morning Abu Dharr did the same and they fell upon him and beat him and again al-Abbas covered him with his own body.
Abu Dharr then returned to his tribal home and within a short time converted all other members of the tribe of Ghifar to Islam. Later, after the Prophet’s Hijrah to Madinah, Abu Dharr also migrated there. He reached Madinah after the battle of the Trench. He died in Rabadah, near Madinah in 32 A.H.
Notes
This ilmpedia.net article/entry/page has be contributed by Sister Rukaiah Maulvi. Her books have been published by Dar-us-Salam Publications
