The Nation’s Wise Man

’Abû Ad-Dardâ’

May Allah be pleased with him

‘Uwaymir Ibn ‘Âmir known as ’Abû Ad-Dardâ’, became a Muslim after the battle of Badr. He joined the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, in the battle of ’Uhud then he joined him in all the other conquests and although he became a Muslim rather late, he quickly became one of the pioneers in Islam because of his excessive worship to Allah, and his indifference to worldly matters, and his contemplation in Allah’s verses. This made the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, says about him: “‘Uwaymir Ibn ‘Âmir is my nation’s wise man”[1]. The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, established the bond of brotherhood between him and Salmân Al Farsî. ‘Uwaymir says about himself: I became a Muslim with the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, and I was a merchant, I wanted to be a merchant and a worshipper at the same time, but they could not be joined so I refused merchandise and preferred worship.. I would not want to sell or buy and then gain every day three hundred Dînârs even if my shop was in front of the door of the mosque.. I do not claim that Allah has forbidden buying and selling, but I would like to be with those men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the Remembrance of Allah (with heart and tongue).

That was the motto of ’Abû Ad-Dardâ’, may Allah be pleased with him,. He lived his life as a thinker and as a contemplator. He said: One hour of contemplation is better than one night of worship, and one drop of good deed from a pious and believing man is better than a mountain’s equivalence of proud worshipper.

One day, his friends go to him, and find him sleeping on a rough bed of leather, and so they tell him: If you wish you may get a softer and better bed. He points far away and says: Our home is there, for it we gather and to it we return, for it we strive and for it we work.. So little is enough and better than plenty that disperses the concentration on worship.

He, may Allah be pleased with him, encouraged people to love, tenderness, and being lenient in all matters. One day he was walking by some people while they were insulting a man who had committed a sin.. He had told them: If you had found him in some ditch, wouldn’t you bring him out?

They replied: Yes.. He said: Then do not insult your brother and thank Allah who saved you.. They said: Don’t you dislike him?.. He said: No, but I dislike his deed, if he stops doing it, he is my brother…

He was gentle to people, he encouraged them to good deeds, even if they were little. He reminded them of the Prophet’s, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, saying: “Can any of you read every night one third of the Qur’ân?!”.. They said: We are weaker and less able than that.. He, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “Allah, Praise and Glory be to Him, divided the Qur’ân to three parts, one of these parts is [Say (O Muhammad, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,): He is Allâh, (the) One..]. (Al-Ikhlâs or At-Tauhîd, “The Purity”,1)”[2].

An incident that shows how he had no interest in life, is when Mu‘âwiyah came to him while he was a Khalifah (caliph) of Shâ’m to ask for his daughter’s hand for his son Yazîd, but he refused and he wedded her to a poor pious Muslim man, and when he was blamed by some of his friends for that he said: How will she be while the slaves and the servants are standing at her head. She will be flattered by the extravagance of the palaces! Where will her religion be then?. It is not too much wealth that means well or many children, what is good is when your patience is vast and, your knowledge wide, and you compete with people and push your way amongst them in the nearness and devotion to Allah.

And when one of his brothers -after knowing how bad his financial state was- sends to him trying to let him accept to share his money, he answers him saying: Let it be known that what you have now from wealth belonged to someone else before coming to you, and it will go to another after you, and you will not gain any of it except what you have earned for yourself... It will affect who you are keeping the money for from your children as an inheritance; for you are collecting the money for one of two children; for a good child who will use this money in the obedience of Allah so he will enjoy what you have suffered for in gaining this money, or a corrupt child who will use this money in a disobedient way to Allah’s rules and so he will suffer from what you collected to give him, therefore, have confidence in what Allah has in store for them and save yourself.

When he was assigned as judge in Shâ’m, and he saw how people were indulged in abundance of wealth and prosperity and extending in the world’s pleasures and collecting money, he gave a speech saying: O People of Shâ’m.. You are our brothers in religion, and our neighbours in our homes, and supporters to our enemies, but why do I see you without any shyness?!.. You collect what you do not spend, you build what you do not inhabit, you hope for what you are not aware of… people before you collected and kept it in, hoped too far, built with too much confidence so their collecting became barren, and their hopes turned to arrogance and their castles to tombs. There was the people of ‘Âd[3], the like of which were not created in the land, they filled the space between ‘Adan and ‘Umân with money and children… Then he continued sarcastically: Who would buy the inheritance of ‘Âd now from me for two Dirhams?!!.. He used to advise people saying: Get rid of your worldly problems as much as you can.. For whose first interest was this life, Allah dispersed his unity in life, and kept poverty between his eyes (very near to him), and for whose first interest was the afterlife, Allah gave him harmony in his life, made his wealth in his heart, for Allah is faster in giving where there is good.

One day he tells to his friends: Shall I guide you to your best deeds and the best accepted to Allah, and the best in degree, and even better to you than conquering your enemies and cutting off their heads and they cutting off your heads, and better to you than Darâhim and Danânîr (money-coins)?. They said: And what is that, O ’Abû Ad-Dardâ’?.. He said: Remembering Allah … for mentioning Allah is greater than all… 

’Abû Ad-Dardâ’ used to weep a lot, he had great fear of Allah, and he was highly apprehensive. He used to say about himself: What I fear most is to be called at the Judgment Day amongst all and addressed as such: O ‘Uwaymir, have you known and learnt?!. So I say: Yes. So I am addressed: So what have you done with what you have learnt and known?!!.

’Abû Ad-Dardâ’ falls in his illness of death, he becomes horrified and cries a lot.  His wife tells him: You ’Abû Ad-Dardâ’?!!. You are a companion of the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,. How can you cry?!.. So he says to her: Why shouldn’t I cry.. I do not know what shall I do with my sins?!.. So she says: You used to tell us that you loved death?!.. So he says: Yes by the Might of Allah, but when I was aware of the reality of death I hated it..

He calls his son Bilâl and tells him: Waihaka[4] Bilâl, work for the Judgment Day, work for the same fate you will face like your father and remember your death and your Judgment hour.. His end approaches, and his weeping and sobbing increase and he says: Those are my last hours in the world… Let me say (There is no god but Allah)… Let me say  (There is no god but Allah).. And so his soul returns to its Creator. A pure, clean and good soul… He did not receive any of his reward in his life. He was buried, may Allah be pleased with him, in Shâ’m during the rule of ‘Uthmân Ibn ‘Affân, may Allah be pleased with him,. 

It is enough pride for him that the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said about him:

“‘Uwaymir is my nation’s (people’s) wise man”.

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