Lessons from the incident of abu dhar praying tahajjud 3 years before he met the Prophet
Note: Explanation/Lessons will be highlighted in the green font, whereas the hadeeth wordings are in brown . I have noted this from my personal notes while studying this hadeeth i made a note of these things and now i am putting in on my blog. And i am mentioning the benifit right under the associated hadeeth statement to avoid confusion as the hadeeth is very lengthy and thus footnotes might not give the impact as i intend. Also note more lessons can be deduced from this lengthy hadeeth but i have not jotted down all points for convenience.
‘Abdullah b. Samit reported that Abu Dharr said:
We set out from our tribe Ghafir who look upon the prohibited months (of fighting) as permissible months.
{ Note: this was the thing that allah spoke against in the qur`an i.e the people who used to make halaal what allah made haraam and vice versa. Allah called them disbelievers in the qur`an and from this ayah, the `ulema take proof that whoever makes tahleel or tahreem of something which allah did made haraam and halaal respectively has disbelieved. this custom of the sacred months forbidding fighting was approved by allah and this is one of the examples where a custom of the pre-islamic era had been accepted for the muslims (with some modifications)}
I and my brother Unais and our mother stayed with our maternal uncle who treated us well. The men of his tribe fell jealous and they said: When you are away from your house, Unais commits adultery with your wife. Our maternal uncle came and he accused us of the sin which was conveyed to him.
{ Note: here the importance of verifying information is to be paid attention to. allah and his messenger forbid suspicion and believing unverified information. same is the case today. Muslims believe their sweet honey preachers for whatever they say without even verifying or making an effort to do so. See :http://the-finalrevelation.blogspot.com/2013/12/yes-sahaaba-and-salaf-used-to-verify.html] }
I said: You have undone the good you did to us. We cannot stay with you after this. We came to our camels and loaded (our) luggage. Our maternal uncle began to weep covering himself with (a piece of) cloth. We proceeded on until we encamped by the side of Mecca. Unais cast lot on the camels (we had) and an equal number (above that). They both went to a Kahin and he made Unais win and Unais came with our camels and an equal number along with them. He (Abu Dharr) said: My nephew, I used to observe prayer three years before my meeting with Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ). I said: For whom did you say prayer? He said: For Allah. I said: To which direction did you turn your face (for observing prayer)? He said: I used to turn my face as Allah has directed me to turn my face. I used to observe the night prayer at the time of the end of night and I fell down in prostration like the mantle until the sun rose over me.
{ Note: Allahu akbar. yes there were muslims who believed in the islamic monotheism even before the advent of the prophet or his prophethood within makkah. and this hadeeth proves how abu dharr r.a was among the first one’s who used to pray to allah , bow and even observe night prayers (tahajjud) way before he met the prophet (sallalahu `Alayahi wa sallam) . This is truly a divine guidance and blessing allah gave abu dhar r.a. he was upon the natural fitrah and was saved from being polluted with idol worship. Definitely this was in the very early stages of Islam}
Unais said: I have a work in Mecca, so you better stay here. Unais went until he came to Mecca and he came to me late. I said: What did you do? He said: I met a person in Mecca who is on your religion and he claims that verily it is Allah Who has sent him.
{ Note:This was a glad tiding for abu dhar r.a, acknowledging and confirming his path, by showing how his religion (path) and islamic monotheism was something which god’s messenger was also upon. what a blessed news indeed ! }
I said: What do the people say about him? He said: They say that he is a poet or a Kahin or a magician. Unais who was himself one of the poets said. I have heard the words of a Kahin but his words in no way resemble his (words). And 1 also compared his words to the verses of poets but such words cannot be uttered by any poet. By Allah, he is truthful and they are liars.
{Note: the book of Allah, books of history and ahadeeth are a proof that people with intellect, and honesty, even the most severe of enemies like abu jahl , the whole of makkah, knew how honest muhammad sallalahu `alayhi wa sallam was. he did not lie or fake yet they accused him due to jealousy and to protect their false gods. but every now and then there were people who submitted to the truth openly. this is also a proof that no matter how good the man is, how true he thinks islam is in his heart, but as long as he does not accept and proclaim it and enact upon it, he’s a kaafir. this is one of the conditions of shahaadah which every da`ee should take care. especially the #streetdawah team}
Then I said: you stay here, until I go, so that I should see him. He said: I came to Mecca and I selected an insignificant person from amongst them and said to him:
{Note: in some books it has come that he spoke to `ali r.a , however i did not verify this as of yet}
Where is he whom you call as-Sabi? He pointed out towards me saying (out loud to the people, look!): He is Sabi. Thereupon the people of the valley attacked me with sods and bows until I fell down unconscious. I stood up after having regained my consciousness and I found as if I was a red idol.
I came to Zamzam and washed blood from me and drank water from it and listen, O son of my brother, I stayed there for thirty nights or days and there was no food for me but the water of Zamzam. And I became so bulky that there appeared wrinkles upon my stomach, and I did not feel any hunger in my stomach.
{Note: we all know the blessings of zam zam. And for whom allah wants to make it easy, he makes it easy from sources you can’t imagine. there is a verse wherein allah says as long as we obey him and keep our obedience to him he shall provide (rizq) for us from source we can’t even imagine ! A warning for every one who is working today }
It was during this time that the people of Mecca slept in the moonlit night and none was there to circumambulate the House (ka`bah) but only two women who had been invoking the name of Isafa, and Na’ila (the two idols). They came to me while in their circuit and I said: Marry one with the other, but they did not dissuade from their invoking. They came to me and I said to them: Insert wood (in the idols’ private parts). (I said this to them in such plain words) as I could not express in metaphorical terms.
{Note: these harsh wordings used by the sahaabi, is not something strange. rather the sahaaba and the salaf used harsher wordings as and when required for different circumstances. nowadays, people think the scholars or du`at or students of knowledge are power rangers who won’t get angry when annoyed and many a times they speak or refute harshly. people object to this quoting the ahadeeth of manners. however they forget that there is a time for this (being mannerly or polite) and a time for that (being harsh and stern). Just the way how battles cannot be won by kissing, hugging and throwing flowers, likewise falsehood cannot be abolished by being always polite . I don’t want to lengthen the post otherwise i would have quoted some more examples}
These women went away crying and saying: Had there been one amongst our people (he would have taught a lesson to you for the obscene words used for our idols before us). These women met Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr who had also been coming down the hill. He asked them: What has happened to you? They said: There is Sabi, who has hidden himself between the Ka’ba and its curtain. He said: What did he say to you? They said: He uttered such words before us as we cannot express.
{Note: the kuffar women back then seem to have more hayah than most of our muslim women now a days let alone kuffar. how sad it is to see muslim women not only dress in an obscene manner but also speak like that openly. not only speak but promote such fahaasha through their accounts, platforms, colleges, etc. }
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came and he kissed the Black Stone and circumambulated the House along with his Companion and then observed prayer,..
{ note: there is a weak hadeeth that when one comes to the ka`bah he should greet it with a tawaaf. this hadeeth shows the opp. the prophet first kissed and then did the tawaaf}
and when he had finished his prayer, Abu Dharr said: I was the first to greet him with the salutation of peace and uttered (these words) in this way; Allah’s Messenger , may there be peace upon you,
[Note: maybe abu dhar r.a was comparing who greeted first abu bakr or him or maybe he meant to say he was the first one to wish the prophet ever in such words wallahu `alam}
whereupon he said: It may be upon you too and the mercy of Allah. He then said: Who are you? I said: From the tribe of Ghifar. He leaned his hand and placed his finger on his forehead and I said to myself: Perhaps he has not liked it that I belong to the tribe of Ghifar. I attempted to catch hold of his hand but his friend who knew about him more than I dissuaded me from doing so.
{Note: a benefit of adab. if you know something which your friend dislikes, then you should avoid the new person from doing that lest he be offended. this is more so applicable in study circles among the students of `ilm wherein a new student comes and probably out of good intention ends up doing something the teacher dislikes. }
He then lifted his head and said: Since how long have you been here? I said: I have been here for the last thirty nights or days. He said: Who has been feeding you? I said: There has been no food for me but the water of Zamzam. I have grown so bulky that there appear wrinkles upon my stomach and I do not feel any hunger. He said: It is blessed (water) and it also serves as food. Thereupon Abu Bakr said: Allah’s Messenger, let me serve as a host to him for tonight,
{Note: the manners of the `arabs and the muslims, to host a believer or someone in need. see this : Manners of the arabs during the pre islamic days : http://the-finalrevelation.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-manners-of-arabs-during-pre-islamic.html]
and then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) proceeded forth and so did Abu Bakr and I went along with them. Abu Bakr opened the door and then he brought for us the raisins of Ta’if and that was the first food which I ate there. Then I stayed as long as I had to stay. I then came to Allah’s Messenaer (ﷺ) and he said: I have been shown the land abound- ing in trees and I think it cannot be but that of Yathrib (that is the old name of Medina). You are a preacher to your people on my behalf.
[Note: a proof to show that assigning one man , to a whole tribe as a messenger to convey a message is permissible. Also supports the notion of khabarul-waahid}
I hope Allah would benefit them through you and He would reward you. I came to Unais and he said: What have you done? I said: I have done that I have embraced Islam and I have testified (to the prophethood of Allah’s Messenger). He said: I have no aversion for your religion and I also embrace Islam and testify (to the prophethood of Muhammad). Then both of us came to our mother and she said: I have no aversion for your religion and I also embrace Islam and testify to the prophethood of Muhammad. We then loaded our camels and came to our tribe Ghifir and half of the tribe embraced Islam and their chief was Aimi’ b. Rahada Ghifirl and he was their leader and hall of the tribe said: We will embrace Islam when Allah’s Messenger (may p,. ace be upon him) would come to Medina, and when Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to Medina the remaining half also embraced Islam. Then a tribe Aslam came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Allah’s Messenger, we also embrace Islam like our brothers who have embraced Islam. And they also embraced Islam. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Allah granted pardon to the tribe of Ghifar and Allah saved (from destruction) the tribe of Aslam. (by granting them islam)
