Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Sermons
Sermon
129

SERMON 129

Delivered when Abu Dharr (1)
was exiled towards ar-Rabadhah

O' Abu Dharr! You
showed anger in the name of Allah therefore have hope in Him for
whom you became angry. The people were afraid of you in the matter
of their (pleasure of this) world while you feared them for your
faith. Then leave to them that for which they are afraid of you
and get away from them taking away what you fear them about. How
needy are they for what you dissuade them from and how heedless
are you towards what they are denying you. You will shortly know
who is the gainer tomorrow (on the Day of Judgement) and who is
more enviable. Even if these skies and earth were closed to some
individual and he feared Allah, then Allah would open them for
him. Only rightfulness should attract you while wrongfulness
should detract you. If you had accepted their worldly attractions
they would have loved you and if you had shared in it they would
have given you asylum.

(1).
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari's name was Jundab ibn Junadah. He was an
inhabitant of ar-Rabadhah which was a small village on the east
side of Medina. When he heard about the proclamation of the
Prophet, he came to Mecca and after making enquires saw the
Prophet and accepted Islam whereupon the unbelievers of Quraysh
gave him all sorts of troubles and inflicted pain after pain, but
he remained steadfast. Among the acceptors of Islam he is the
third, fourth or fifth. Along with this precedence in Islam his
renunciation and piety was so high that the Prophet said:

Among my people Abu
Dharr is the like of Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary) in
renunciation and piety.

In the reign of Caliph
Umar, Abu Dharr left for Syria and during Uthman's reign also
remained there. He spent his days in counselling, preaching,
acquainting people with the greatness of the members of the
Prophet's family and guiding the people to the rightful path. The
traces of Shiism now found in Syria and Jabal Amil (north of
Lebanon) are the result of his preaching and activity and the
fruit of seeds sown by him.

The Governor of Syria,
Muawiyah, did not like the conduct of Abu Dharr and was much
disgusted with his open criticism and mention of the money-making
and other wrongful activities of Uthman. But he could do nothing.
At last he wrote to Uthman that if he remained there any longer
he would rouse the people against the Caliph. There should
therefore be some remedy against this. On this, Uthman wrote to
him that Abu Dharr should be seated on an unsaddled camel and
dispatched to Medina. The order was obeyed and Abu Dharr was sent
to Medina. On reaching Medina he resumed his preaching of
righteousness and truth. He would recall to the people the days of
the Holy Prophet and refrain them from displays of kingly
pageantry, whereupon Uthman was much perturbed and tried to
restrict his speaking. One day he sent for him and said: "I
have come to know that you go about propagating that the Holy
Prophet said that:
"When Banu Umayyah
will become thirty in number they will regard the cities of
Allah as their property, His creatures their slaves and His
religion the tool of their treachery."

Abu Dharr replied that
he had heard the Prophet say so. Uthman said that he was speaking
a lie and enquired from those beside him if any one had heard this
tradition and all replied in the negative. Abu Dharr then said
that enquiry should be made from Amir al-mu'minin Ali ibn Abi
Talib (p.b.u.h.). He was sent for and asked about it. He said it
was correct and Abu Dharr was telling the truth. Uthman enquired
on what basis he gave evidence for the correctness of this
tradition. Amir al-mu'minin replied that he had heard the Holy
Prophet say that:
There is no speaker
under the sky or over the earth more truthful than Abu Dharr.

Now Uthman could do
nothing. If he still held him to be liar it would mean
falsification of the Prophet. He therefore kept quiet despite much
perturbation, since he could not refute him. On the other side Abu
Dharr began speaking against the usurping of Muslims' property
quite openly and whenever he saw Uthman he would recite this
verse:
And those who hoard up
gold and silver and spend it not in Allah's way; announce thou
unto them a painful chastisement. On the Day (of Judgement) when
it shall be heated in the fire of hell, then shall be branded
with it their foreheads and their sides and their backs; (saying
unto them) "This is what ye hoarded up for yourselves,
taste ye then what ye did hoard up. " (Qur'an, 9:34-35)

Uthman promised him
money but could not entrap this free man in his golden net, then
resorted to repression but could not stop his truth-speaking
tongue. At last he ordered him to leave and go to ar-Rabadhah and
deputised Marwan, son of the man (al-Hakam) exiled by the Prophet,
to turn him out of Medina. At the same time he issued the inhuman
order that no one should speak to him nor see him off. But Amir
al-mu'minin, Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn, Aqil ibn Abi Talib,
Abdullah ibn Jafar and Ammar ibn Yasir did not pay any heed to
this order and accompanied him to see him off, and Amir
al-mu'minin uttered these sentences (i.e., the above sermon) on
that occasion.

In ar-Rabadhah, Abu
Dharr had to put up with a very had life. It was here that his son
Dharr and his wife died and the sheep and goats that he was
keeping for his livelihood also died. Of his children only one
daughter remained, who equally shared his starvation and troubles.
When the means of subsistence were fully exhausted and day after
day passed without food she said to Abu Dharr: "Father, how
long shall we go on like this. We should go somewhere in search of
livelihood." Abu Dharr took her with him and set off for the
wilderness. He could not find even any foliage. At last he was
tired and sat down at a certain place. Then he collected some sand
and, putting his head on it, lay down. Soon he began gasping, his
eyes rolled up and pangs of death gripped him .

When the daughter saw
this condition she was perplexed and said, "Father, if you
die in this vast wilderness, how shall I manage for your burial
quite alone." He replied, "Do not get upset. The Prophet
told me that I shall die in helplessness and some Iraqis would
arrange for my burial. After my death you put a sheet over me and
then sit by the roadway and when some caravan passes that way tell
them that the Prophet's companion Abu Dharr has died."
Consequently, after his death she went and sat by the roadside.
After some time a caravan passed that way. It included Malik ibn
al-Harith al-Ashtar an-Nakhai, Hujr ibn Adi at-Ta'i, Alqamah
ibn Qays an- Nakhai, Sasaah ibn Suhan al-Abdi, al-Aswad ibn
Yazid an-Nakhai etc. who were all fourteen persons in number.
When they heard about the passing away of Abu Dharr they were
shocked at his helpless death. They stopped their riding beasts
and postponed the onward journey for his burial. Ma1ik al-Ashtar
gave a sheet of cloth for his shroud. It was valued at four
thousand Dirhams. After his funeral rites and burial they
departed. This happened in the month of Dhi'l-hijjah, 32 A.H.