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The Sahaabah were the companions of Prophet Muhammad (saw). They are
described in glowing terms by the Prophet (saw) as the following hadith
from Sahih Muslim shows: Book 30, Number 6159.
Narrated Aisha (R.A): A person asked
Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) as to who amongst the people were
the best. He said: Of the generation to which I belong, then of the
second
generation (generation adjacent to my generation), then of the third generation
(generation adjacent to the second generation).
Below is a partial list of some of the
companions of the Prophet (saas). Their lives remain a source of
inspiration for the later generations of Muslims, including today’s.
Abbad Ibn Bishr
Abdullah Ibn Abbas
Abdullah Ibn Hudhafah As-Sahmi
Abdullah Ibn Jahsh
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud
Abdullah Ibn Sailam
Abdullah Ibn Umar
Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum
Abdur-Rahman Ibn Awf
Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari
Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari
Abu Musa Al-Ashari Abu Hurayrah
Abu Sufyan Ibn Al-Harith
Abu Ubaydah Ibn Al-Jarrah
Abu-d Dardaa
Abu-l Aas ibn ar-Rabiah
Adiyy Ibn Hatim
Aishah Bint Abi Bakr
Al-Baraa Ibn Malil Al-Ansari
Amr Ibn Al-Jamuh
An-Nuayman Ibn Amr
An-Numan Ibn Muqarrin
At-Tufayl Ibn Amr Ad-Dawsi
Asmaa Bint Abu Bakr
Barakah
Fatimah Bint Muhammad
Fayruz Ad-Daylami
Habib Ibn Zayd Al-Ansari
Hakim Ibn Hazm
Hudhayfah Ibn Al-Yaman
Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahl
Jafar Ibn Abi Talib
Julaybib
Khabbab Ibn Al-Aratt
Muadh Ibn Jabal
Muhammad Ibn Maslamah
Musab Ibn Umayr
Nuaym Ibn Masud
Rabiah Ibn Kab
Ramlah Bint Abi Sufyan
Rumaysa Bint Milhan
Sad Ibn Abi Waqqas
Said Ibn Aamir Al-Jumahi
Said Ibn Zayd
Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfah
Salman Al-Farsi
Suhayb Ar-Rumi
Suhayl Ibn Amr
Talhah ibn Ubaydullah
Thabit Ibn Qays
Thumamah Ibn Uthal
Ubayy Ibn Kab
Umayr Ibn Sad Al-Ansari
Umayr Ibn Wahb
Umm Salamah
Uqbah Ibn Amir
Utbah Ibn Ghazwan
Zayd Al-Khayr
Zayd ibn Thabit
Abu Hurayrah
“About Abi Hurayrata, radiyallahu anhu,
qal.’ qala rasul Allahi, sallallahu alayhi wa sailam…” Through this
phrase millions of Muslims from the early history of Islam to the
present have come to be familiar with the name Abu Hurayrah. In speeches
and lectures, in Friday khutbahs and seminars, in the books of hadith
and sirah, fiqh and ibadah, the n ame Abu Hurayrah is mentioned in this
fashion: “On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him
who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace,
said… “.
Through his Prodigious efforts, hundreds
of ahadith or sayings of the Prophet were transmitted to later
generations. His is the foremost name in the roll of hadith
transmitters. Next to him comes the names of such companions as Abdullah
the son of Umar, Anas the son of Malik, Umm al-Mumininin Aishah, Jabir
ibn Abdullah and Abu Said al-Khudri all of whom transmitted over a
thousand sayings of the Prophet.
Abu Hurayrah became a Muslim at the hands
of at-Tufayl ibn Amr the chieftain of the Daws tribe to which he
belonged. The Daws lived in the region of Tihamah which stretches along
the coast of the Red Sea in southern Arabia. When at-Tufayl returned to
his village after meeting the Prophet and becoming a Muslim in the early
years of his mission, Abu Hurayrah was one of the first to respond to
his call. He was unlike the majority of the Daws who remained stubborn
in their old beliefs for a long time. When at-Tufayl visited Makkah
again, Abu Hurayrah accompanied him. There he had the honor and
privilege of meeting the noble Prophet who asked him: “What is your
name?”
“Abdu Shams – Servant of a Sun,” he replied.
“Instead, let it be Abdur-Rahman – the Servant of the Beneficent Lord,” said the Prophet.
“Yes, Abdur-Rahman (it shall be) O
Messenger of God,” he replied. However, he continued to be known as Abu
Hurayrah, “the kitten man”, literally “the father of a kitten” because
like the Prophet he was fond of cats and since his childhood often had a
cat to play with.
Abu Hurayrah stayed in Tihamah for
several years and it was only at the beginning of the seventh year of
the Hijrah that he arrived in Madinah with others of his tribe. The
Prophet had gone on a campaign to Khaybar. Being destitute, Abu Hurayrah
took up h is place in the Masjid with other of the Ahl as- Suffah. He
was single, without wife or child. With him however was his mother who
was still a mushrik. He longed, and prayed, for her to become a Muslim
but she adamantly refused. One day, he invited her to have faith in God
alone and follow His Prophet but she uttered some words about the
Prophet which saddened him greatly. With tears in his eyes, he went to
the noble Prophet who said to him:
“What makes you cry, O Abu Hurayrah?”
“I have not let up in inviting my mother
to Islam but she has always rebuffed me. Today, I invited her again and I
heard words from her which I do not like. Do make supplication to God
Almighty to make the heart of Abu Hurayrah’s mother incline to Islam.”
The Prophet responded to Abu Hurayrah’s
request and prayed for his mother. Abu Hurayrah said: “I went home and
found the door closed. I heard the splashing of water and when I tried
to enter my mother said: “Stay where you are, O Abu Hurayrah.” And after
putting on her clothes, she said, “Enter!” I entered and she said: “I
testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is
His Servant and His Messenger.”
“I returned to the Prophet, peace be on
him, weeping with joy just as an hour before I had gone weeping from
sadness and said: “I have good news, O Messenger of Allah. God has
responded to your prayer and guided the mother of Abu Hurayrah to
Islam.”
Abu Hurayrah loved the Prophet a great
deal and found favor with him. He was never tired of looking at the
Prophet whose face appeared to him as having all the radiance of the sun
and he was never tired of listening to him. Often he would praise God
for h is good fortune and say: “Praise be to God Who has guided Abu
Hurayrah to Islam.” Praise be to God Who has taught Abu Hurayrah the
Quran.”
“Praise be to God who has bestowed on Abu
Hurayrah the companionship of Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him
peace.” On reaching Madinah, Abu Hurayrah set his heart on attaining
knowledge. Zayd ibn Thabit the notable companion of the Prophet reported
: “While Abu Hurayrah and I and another friend of mine were in the
Masjid praying to God Almighty and performing dhikr to Him, the
Messenger of God appeared. He came towards us and sat among us. We
became silent and he said: “Carry on with what you were d oing.”
“So my friend and I made a supplication to God before Abu Hurayrah did and the Prophet began to say Ameen to our dua.
“Then Abu Hurayrah made a supplication
saying: “O Lord, I ask You for what my two companions have asked and I
ask You for knowledge which will not be forgotten.”
“The Prophet, peace be on him, said:
‘Ameen.’ “We then said: ‘And we ask Allah for knowledge which will not
be forgotten, and the Prophet replied: ‘The Dawsi youth has asked for
this before you.” “With his formidable memory, Abu Hurayrah set out to
memorize in the four years that he spent with the Prophet, the gems of
wisdom that emanated from his lips. He realized that he had a great gift
and he set about to use it to the full in the service of I slam. He had
free time at his disposal. Unlike many of the Muhajirin he did not busy
himself’ in the marketplaces, with buying and selling. Unlike many of
the Ansar, he had no land to cultivate nor crops to tend. He stayed with
the Prophet in Madinah and went with him on journeys and expeditions.
Many companions were amazed at the number of hadith he had memorized and
often questioned him on when he had heard a certain hadith and under
what circumstances. Once Marwan ibn al-Hakam wanted to test Abu
Hurayrah’s power of memory. He sat with him in one room and behind a
curtain he placed a scribe, unknown to Abu Hurayrah, and ordered him to
write down whatever Abu Hurayrah said. A year later, Marwan called Ab u
Hurayrah again and asked him to recall the same ahadith which the scribe
had recorded. It was found that he had forgotten not a single word. Abu
Hurayrah was concerned to teach and transmit the ahadith he had
memorized and knowledge of Islam in general. It is reported that one day
he passed through the suq of Madinah and naturally saw people engrossed
in the business of buying and selling. “How feeble are you, O people of
Madinah!” he said. “What do you see that is feeble in us, Abu
Hurayrah?” they asked. “The inheritance of the Messenger of God, peace
be on him, is being distributed and you remain here! Won’t you go and
take your portion?” “Where is this, O Abu Hurayrah?” they asked. “In the
Masjid,” he replied.
Quickly they left. Abu Hurayrah waited
until they returned. When they saw him, they said: “O Abu Hurayrah, we
went to the Masjid and entered and we did not see anything being
distributed.”
“Didn’t you see anyone in the Masjid?” he asked.
“O yes, we saw some people performing
Salat, some people reading the Quran and some people discussing about
what is halal and what is haram.”
“Woe unto you,” replied Abu Hurayrah,” that is the inheritance of Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace.”
Abu Hurayrah underwent much hardship and
difficulties as a result of his dedicated search for knowledge. He was
often hungry and destitute. He said about himself: “When I was afflicted
with severe hunger, I would go to a companion’ of the Prophet and asked
him about an ayah of the Quran and (stay with him) learning it so that
he would take me with him to his house and give food. “
One day, my hunger became so severe that I
placed a stone on my stomach. I then sat down in the path of the
companions. Abu Bakr passed by and I asked him about an ayah of the Book
of God. I only asked him so that he would invite me but he didn’t.
“Then Umar ibn al-Khattab passed by me
and I asked him about an ayah but he also did not invite me. Then the
Messenger of God, peace be on him, passed by and realized that I was
hungry and said: “Abu Hurayrah!”
“At your command” I replied and followed
him until we entered his house. He found a bowl of milk and asked his
family: “From where did you get this?”
“Someone sent it to you” they replied.
He then said to me: “O Abu Hurayrah, go
to the Ahl as-Suffah and invite them.” Abu Hurayrah did as he was told
and they all drank from the milk. The time came of course when the
Muslims were blessed with great wealth and material goodness of every
description. Abu Hurayrah eventually got his share of wealth. He had a
comfortable home, a wife and child. But this turn of fortune did not
change his personality. Neither did he forget his days of destitution.
He would “I grew up as an orphan and I emigrated as a poor and indigent
person. I used to take food for my stomach from Busrah bint Ghazwan. I
served people when they returned from journeys and l ed their camels
when they set out. Then God caused me to marry her (Busrah). So praise
be to God who has strengthened his religion and made Abu Hurayrah an
imam.” (This last statement is a reference to the time when he became
governor of Madinah.) Much of Abu Hurayrah’s time would be spent in
spiritual exercises and devotion to God. Qiyam al-Layl staying up for
the night in prayer and devotion – was a regular practice of his family
including his wife and his daughter. He would stay up for a third o f
the night, his wife for another third and his daughter for a third. In
this way, in the house of Abu Hurayrah no hour of the night would pass
without ibadah, dhikr and Salat. During the caliphate of Umar, Umar
appointed him as governor of Bakrain. Umar was very scrupulous about the
type of persons whom he appointed as governors. He was always concerned
that his governors should live simply and frugally and not acquire much
wea lth even though this was through lawful means.
In Bahrain, Abu Hurayrah became quite
rich. Umar heard of this and recalled him to Madinah. Umar thought he
had acquired his wealth through unlawful means and questioned him about
where and how he had acquired such a fortune. Abu Hurayrah replied:
“From b reeding horses and gifts which I received.”
“Hand it over to the treasury of the
Muslims,” ordered Umar. Abu Hurayrah did as he was told and raised his
hands to the heavens and prayed: “O Lord, forgive the Amir al-Muminin.”
Subsequently, Umar asked him to become governor once again but he
declined. Umar asked him why he refused and he said: “So that my honor
would not be besmirched, my wealth taken and my back beaten.” And he
added: “And I fear to judge without knowledge and speak without wisdom.”
Throughout his life Abu Hurayrah remained kind and courteous to his
mother. Whenever he wanted to leave home, he would stand at the door of
her room and say: As-salaamu alaykum, yaa ummataah, wa rahrnatullahi wa
barakatuhu, peace be on you, mother, and th e mercy and blessings of
God.” She would reply: “Wa alayka-s salaam, yaa bunayya, wa rahmatullahi
wa barakatuhu – And on you be peace, my son, and the mercy and
blessings of God.” Often, he would also say: “May God have mercy on you
as you cared for me wh en I was small,” and she would reply: “May God
have mercy on you as you delivered me from error when I was old.” Abu
Hurayrah always encouraged other people to be kind and good to their
parents.
One day he saw two men walking together,
one older than the other. He asked the younger one: “What is this man to
you?” “My father,” the person replied. “Don’t call him by his name.
Don’t walk in front of him and don’t sit before him,” advised Abu
Hurayrah.
Muslims owe a debt of gratitude to Abu
Hurayrah for helping to preserve and transmit the valuable legacy of the
Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. He died in the year 59
AH when he was seventy-eight years old.
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