|
|
|
Abu-d Dardaa
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.
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.
"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. 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 embraced it
but Abu-d Dardaa rejected it. This however did not rupture the
relationship between the two. Abdullah 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 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 had gone to the hou se 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 tong 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.
Abdullah ibn Rawahah went to the room where Abu-d Dardaa kept his idol.
He took out an adz 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 retur ned 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 subside d 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 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.
From this time onwards, Abu-d Dardaa devoted himself completely to
Islam. Belief in God and His Prophet 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 siam in the preceding two or three years, how much of
the Quran they had memorized and the opportunities they had to devote
themselves to God and His Prophet. He made up his mind to expend every
effort, day and nigh t 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
busin ess 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 Messenger of God, may God
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 tow ards 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
Salat with the congregation. Then I shall sell and buy and make a
modest profit every day."
"I am not saying," said Abu-d Dardaa 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 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 was simple
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 s leep 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 and stood at the door of his
room. He saw Abu-d Dardaa 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 said to his guest: "If
there was anything we would have sent it to you."
During the caliphate of Umar, Umar wanted to appoint Abu-d Dardaa as a
governor in Syria. Abu-d Dardaa refused. Umar persisted and then Abu-d
Dardaa 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."
Umar agreed and Abu-d Dardaa 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.
"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 began to frequent the meeting places of the
people of Damascus. He moved around in their market-places, teaching,
answering questions and trying to arouse a nyone 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. "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 God 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 and said: "Give me advice, O
companion of the Messenger of God," and Abu-d Dardaa 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 the Messenger
of God say: The masjid is the house of every God-conscious person and
God 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 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 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 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 refuse to let his
daughter marry Yazid? The question was put to Abu-d Dardaa himself and
he said: "I have only sought to do wh at 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
glamour of which dazzled the eyes? What would become of her religion
then?"
While Abu-d Dardaa was still in Syria, the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab
came on an inspection tour of the region. One night he went to visit
Abu-d Dardaa at his home. There was no light in the house. Abu-d Dardaa
welcomed the Caliph and sat him down. The tw o men conversed in the
darkness. As they did so, Umar felt Abu-d Dardaa's "pillow" and
realized it was an animal's saddle. He touched the place where Abu-d
Dardaa lay and knew it was just small pebbles. He also felt the sheet
with which he covered himse lf and was astonished to find it so flimsy
that it couldn't possibly protect him from the cold of Damascus. Umar
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, "a hadith which the
Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, told us?" "What is it?"
asked Umar. "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.
"And what have we done after this, O Umar?" asked Abu-d Dardaa.
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 si tuation until the break of
dawn.
|
|
Source: Companions of
the Prophet-Abdul Wahid Hamid
|
|
|
Copyright © ourdeen.net All Rights Reserved.
For
more information contact: contact@ourdeen.net
|
