Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī
أبو ذر الغفاري
- Dates
- c. 568–652 CE / 54 BH–32 AH
- Relation to the Prophet ﷺ
- Among the five earliest converts — said to be the fifth
The companion who most perfectly lived the austerity the Prophet ﷺ taught. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The earth has not carried anyone, nor the sky shaded anyone, more truthful than Abū Dharr."
Life
Abū Dharr was from the tribe of Ghifār — raiders who lived outside the cities of Arabia. He heard about the Prophet ﷺ in Makkah, travelled there, and proclaimed his conversion in public at the Kaaba, taking a beating from the Qurayshī opposition that nearly killed him.
He became the conscience of the early Muslim community on wealth. He refused to accept gifts beyond his need, publicly criticised rulers who hoarded, and was eventually exiled by ʿUthmān to al-Rabadhah, outside Madinah, where he died alone and was buried by a passing caravan — exactly as he had predicted years earlier, in one of the Prophet's ﷺ prophecies about him.
Passages that mention Abū
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"it had not befallen you." This is among the most comprehensive and beautiful statements on asceticism, and it has been narrated as a حَدِيث. Chapter: The Disagreement Among People Regarding Asceticism Chapter: People have debated whether asceticism is possible in these times. أَبُو حَفْص stated: "Asceticism can only be in the lawful, and there is no lawful in this world, so there is no asceticism." Others disagreed, arguing: "Indeed, the lawful exists in this world, alongside much that is unlawful."
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"and there is no lawful in this world, so there is no asceticism." Others disagreed, arguing: "Indeed, the lawful exists in this world, alongside much that is unlawful. If there were no lawful, it would be an even stronger reason for asceticism, taking only what is necessary, like consuming carrion, blood, and pork out of necessity." يُوسُف بْن أَصْبَاط remarked: "Even if someone reached the level of asceticism of أَبُو ذَرّ, أَبُو الدَّرْدَاء, سَلْمَان, and المِقْدَاد, may اللّٰه be pleased with them, I would not call him an ascetic; because asceticism can only be in pure lawful, which is not found in our time."
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"then asceticism in them is better. But if they do not distract, and one is grateful to اللّٰه, then that state is better. Asceticism in them is to purify the heart from attachment and reliance on them. And اللّٰه knows best. Chapter: Asceticism for the Common People and the Seeker The author of "المَنَازِل" described asceticism as the complete removal of desire for anything other than اللّٰه."
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"I would not call him an ascetic; because asceticism can only be in pure lawful, which is not found in our time. As for the unlawful, if you commit it, اللّٰه Almighty will punish you." The discussion on asceticism continued. One group said: "Asceticism is only in the lawful because abandoning the unlawful is an obligation." Another group argued: "Asceticism can only be in the unlawful."
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"This deficiency in understanding leads to a deficiency in asceticism, marking the varying degrees of asceticism, each with its sub-degrees. The endurance of the pretender varies with the hardship endured, and the self-admiration of the second degree varies with reflection on their asceticism. Regarding the division of asceticism concerning the desired goal, it is also at three levels."
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"obligatory for what is forbidden, supererogatory for what is permissible, and safety for what is doubtful. The details of the levels of piety are elucidated in the Book of the Lawful and the Unlawful, which is part of asceticism. When Malik ibn Anas was asked about asceticism, he said it is God-consciousness. As for the subtleties of what is forsaken, there is no end to asceticism in this regard, for there is no limit to what the soul may indulge in during thoughts, glances, and various states, especially the hidden aspects of hypocrisy, which are only discerned by keen scholars."
Also from this generation
- Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ
بلال بن رباح
The first muʾadhdhin in Islam. An African slave whose voice called the community to prayer five times a day in Madinah.
- Salmān al-Fārisī
سلمان الفارسي
The architect of the Trench at the Battle of the Ahzāb — a Persian military tactic introduced to the Arabs for the first time.