Abu Hurairah Ad Dawsi Al Yamani

"O Allah...I ask you for knowledge that is never forgotten."  Abu Hurairah

 Abu Hurairah is one of the best known of all the Sahabah. He was from the tribe of Daws which lived deep in the desert. He was known in those days as 'Abd ash-Shams, the "Servant of the Sun."  While living among his people, he heard about Islam and became a Muslim at the hands of his friend at-Tufail ibn 'Amr ad-Dawsi tik-. The two remained with their people, trying to bring them to the way of Allah. Because of this mission, 'Abd ash- Shams didn't come to Madinah until six years after the Hijrah. And when he finally did, 'Abd ash-Shams came with a large group of his tribe. They had left all their belongings behind. 'Abd ash-Shams kept nothing of his material goods and relied solely on his faith. In Madinah, 'Abd ash-Shams lived with the Ahl-as-Suffah, "the People of the Bench." These were very poor men who had been given a place to stay within the masjid of Rasulullah (pbuh) itself.

'Abd ash-Shams loved Madinah and was very eager to meet the Blessed Prophet (pbuh). When he first met Rasulullah (pbuh), the Prophet asked him, "What's your name?"

"Abd ash-Shams," he replied.

 "It is better to be 'Abd ar-Rahman, the Servant of the Merciful," said Rasulullah. It was known that people were asked to change their names if their names had any connotation of idolatry or paganism.

"As you command! I would sacrifice my mother and my father for you, 0 Messenger of Allah!" said the new 'Abd ar-Rahman. This is a phrase that Arabs said when they really loved someone, because it would be unheard of to love anyone more than one's father and mother. People said this to the Prophet very often, and they meant it. So the venerable Sahabi's name was changed to 'Abd ar-Rahman, but this still was not the name by which people commonly called him.

There were many cats living in the Masjid an-Nabawi in those days, and of course there were many kittens as well. They used to hide in the long sleeves of Abd ar-Rahman's jubba (a long robe). In fact he was often seen with kittens all over him! Pretty soon everyone was calling him Abu Hurairah, the "father of a kitten." This name spread so far that it overtook both his other names.

In time, Abu Huraira became very close to the Messenger, and the Prophet gave him his own personal nickname. Instead of calling him Abu Hurairah, the Prophet would call him Abu Hirr (Hirr means a fully grown cat). Having been given this nickname, Abu Hurairah felt very close to Rasulullah and he came to prefer "Abu Hirr" over "Abu Hurairah" because, he would say, "My beloved Rasulullah used to call me by that name."

Abu Hurairah had no wife or child in the lifetime of the Prophet. Living in the Masjid an-Nabawi, he listened to everything that was said, took part in every act of worship, had the Prophet as teacher and Imam, and devoted himself to worship, study, and the service of Rasulullah (pbuh).

The only relative that Abu Hurairah had was his mother, who was very old. She insisted on following the old Arab faith, but Abu Hurairah never stopped talking to her about Islam. He was a dutiful son and he continued to love and serve her. But she kept rejecting his call to Islam and Abu Hurairah's heart was filled with grief.

One day, as he was asking her to believe in Allah and His Messenger, she called the Prophet some bad names that hurt Abu Hurairah deeply.

He went weeping to the Prophet, who asked, "What makes you cry, my Abu Hirr?"

"I am always calling my mother to Islam and she keeps refusing," he replied. "Today, I spoke to her again and she said things to me about you that deeply offended me. O Beloved Messenger, please ask Allah to soften her heart!"

The Prophet was so moved that he made a Du'a for her right there.

What happened next was truly a miracle. As Abu Hurairah told it, "I went home and found the door half-opened and heard water being poured. When I was about to go in, my mother said, "Stay where you are, Abu Hurairah."

She got dressed and told me to come in. I entered and she said, "I testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is His worshipper and messenger..."

Abu Hurairah returned to the Prophet with tears flowing from happiness, just as he had come an hour before crying from sadness. He said, "I bring you good news, O Rasulullah. Allah has responded to your Du'a and guided my mother to Islam..."

Sincere love for the Prophet

 Abu Hurairah's love for the Prophet was part of his very being. He could never get tired of looking upon the nur (light) of the Prophet's face. He used to say, "I never saw anyone more handsome or more radiant than the Prophet. It was as if the sun was in his face..."

He used to thank Allah for allowing him to be a Sahabi of the Messenger. He used to say, "Praise be to Allah Who guided me to Islam...Praise be to Allah Who taught me the Qur'an... Praise be to Allah Who granted me the companionship of Muhanunad..."

The Gift of a Special Memory

 The Sahabi Zaid ibn Thabit once said, "While Abu Hurairah and I were in the Masjid praying and remembering Allah, the Prophet came to us and sat down. Out of respect we kept silent. But he said, 'Go back to what you were doing.'

"Before Abu Hurairah began, I started making a Du'a to which the Prophet kept saying 'Amin.'

"Then Abu Hurairah made a Du'a, saying: 'O Allah, I ask of You what my friend has asked of You, and I ask you for knowledge that is never to be forgotten.'

"The Prophet again said, 'Amin.'

"So I too prayed, 'I also ask you, O Allah, for knowledge never to be forgotten.'

"The Dawsi man has come before you Zaid!' said the Prophet in a jesting manner."

Because of the Prophet's "Amin," Abu Hurairah was able to remember everything he saw and heard for the rest of his life! If someone asked him what was recited in Salah the day before, he remembered. If someone asked exactly what Rasulullah said about anything, he remembered. During the lifetime of the Prophet, he became the reminder of the Muslims. Afterwards, when every word that could be recalled accurately was worth more than gold and diamonds, Abu Hurairah held a treasure which he passed on in the form of thousands of Ahadith.

The Prophet's Inheritance

 Abu Hurairah loved knowledge for himself and he loved it for others. Once he was passing through the markets of Madinah. He was saddened to see people so caught up in worldly affairs, completely absorbed with selling and buying. He stood before them and said, "How foolish you are, you people of Madinah!"

"What makes you say that, Abu Hurairah?" they asked.

"They are handing out the inheritance of the Prophet and you are here?!" said Abu Hurairah. "Why don't you go and take your share?"

"Who and where, O Abu Hurairah?" the people asked.

"In the Masjid an-Nabawi," replied the venerable Sahabi.

All the people in the market rushed to the Masjid and Abu Hurairah stood in the market waiting for them to come back.

When the people came back, they complained to him that they went to the Masjid and found nothing being handed out.

"Didn't you see anybody in the Masjid?" asked Abu Hurairah.

"Yes," they said, "we saw people praying and reciting Qur'an. We saw people reminding each other to do good and avoid sins."

Abu Hurairah glanced at them all and said, "Don't you understand?! Don't you see?! That is the inheritance of our Blessed Messenger!"

Sacrifice and Humility

 Abu Hurairah lived in poverty. He endured hunger and suffering because of his devotion to knowledge and his desire to always be in the presence of Rasulullah. He chose not to take work and to accept whatever food or clothing Allah provided for him through the kindness of other Muslims. He thought that a normal life would stop him from spending all his time listening to and remembering the sayings and doings of Rasulullah.

People tried to take care of him as well as the other homeless men of Ahl-as-Suffah. In the early days, many people were poor in Madinah and often there was very little to eat. The town had nearly doubled in size and those from Makkah had left everything they owned at home. So food, jobs and everything else had to stretch a long way. Many Arabs in those days had fewer luxuries than their neighbors and far fewer than people today.

Because of the scarcity of food, Abu Hurairah was often very hungry. He later said,

"Once I was so hungry that I tied a stone on my stomach to ease its pain. I sat at the entrance of the Masjid. Abu Bakr passed by and I asked him about some verse of the Qur'an, thinking he would take me home to eat, but he didn't.

"Then 'Umar passed by and I asked about some verses, but he didn't invite me either. Then the Prophet passed by. He knew how hungry I was. He said to me, 'Abu Hirr? Come.'

"'Yes, Rasulullah,' I replied, and I followed him. I entered the house with him. He found a cup of milk and asked his wife where it came from.

"So-and-so sent it to you Rasulullah.'

"He turned to me and said, 'Go and call the men of as-Suffah!' I was very curious and wondered what this milk had do with Ahl al-Suffah. I was hoping to get some of it before I went, to give me some strength. But I went and invited Ahl al-Suffah and they came to the Prophet

"He said, 'Take this, Abu Hurairah, and pass it around to them.' I kept giving each one the cup to drink, until every person was full. When they had all taken a drink, I gave the cup back to the Prophet. He raised his head and looked at me, smiling, and said, 'You and I are left.'

'''Yes, Rasulullah,' I replied, but I thought, 'How can this be? There surely can be no milk left.'

'''Drink,' he said, and I drank. Then he said, 'Drink,' and I drank. He kept saying so and I kept following until I said, 'I swear by the One Who sent you with the Truth that I am so full I cannot swallow any more.' So he took the cup and drank the rest."

Such was the miraculous nature of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Soon after that miracle, the treasures from the military expeditions began to pour into Madinah. Abu Hurairah received a stipend and a house. With these he was able to get married and raise a family.

Yet it didn't change a thing in his noble soul. He never forgot his past and would always recall it, saying, "I grew up without a father. I came to Madinah helpless. I worked for Busrah bint Ghazwan just to eat. I used to serve people when they came and bring their horses when they left..."

Many years later, the Muslim ruler Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan assigned Abu Hurairah to look after Madinah. Once, while he was governor, Abu Hurairah  was passing through a narrow alley, carrying a load of firewood on his back. On his way he passed by Tha'labah ibn Malik, and said to him, "O Tha'labah, make way for the governor!"

Tha'labah replied, "May Allah bless you, isn't all that space enough for you?"

"Make way for the governor," said Abu Hurairah with a smile, "and for the heavy bundle of sticks he has on his back!" Though Abu Hurairah was governor of the whole city of Madinah, he was still full of humility, and did not consider it beneath him to carry such a load upon his back.

Devotion to his Lord

 In addition to his knowledge and concern for his community, Abu Hurairah was a pious and humble person who remembered Allah in all his daily actions and thoughts. He used to fast every other day and make Nafil Salah (supererogatory prayers) at every chance. He would pray the first third of the night and then wake up his wife to pray the second third. She would then wake up their daughter to pray the last third of the night.

In those later years, Abu Hurairah had a maid-servant who insulted him by something she did. He raised his hand to hit her, but he stopped himself and said, "Had it not been for fear of the Day of Judgment, I would have retaliated in a way you did to me. But I'll sell you to the One who pays me your price of which I am badly in need. Go, you are free, for the sake of Allah, the Almighty, so that He may free me from the Fire!"

True Generosity

 Abu Hurairah's daughter used to say to him, "O Father, girls tease me. They say, 'Why doesn't your father let you wear gold?"

"0 Daughter," he said, "Tell them: 'My father fears for me the heat of the fire.'"

Abu Hurairah didn't refuse his daughter gold out of stinginess. He did this because he wanted to prevent her from becoming attached to worldly things. He himself was very generous in the way of Allah. Once, one of the Umayyad Khulafa sent a servant to him with one hundred golden dinars. The next day, the Khalifah sent his servant again with the message: "My servant gave you the dinars by mistake; you were not the one meant to have them."

Abu Hurairah answered him, "I spent it all in the way of Allah; I haven't a single one of your dinars left in my house. When my share of the Muslim treasury is due, take your money from it." The Khalifah only did this to test the honesty of Abu Hurairah. He investigated the matter and it was true. All the gold had been given away in one day.

The Dutiful Son

 All his life, Abu Hurairah remained devoted to his mother. Each time he wanted to go out, he stood at her door and said, "As-salamu 'alaiki, O Mother, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu."

And she would answer, "Wa 'alaika assalam, O Son, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu." He would say, "May Allah bless you, for you protected me when I was young." And she would say, "May Allah bless you, for you took care of me when you grew up." Then, when he came back home, he would say the same.

Abu Hurairah always insisted on calling people to love their parents and keep warm, close connections with all their relatives. Once, he saw two men walking, one older than the other. The younger did not appear to be showing proper respect for the elder. Abu Hurairah said to the younger one, "What is the relation of this man to you?"

"He is my father," replied the younger man.

Abu Hurairah then advised him: "Show respect. Don't call him by his first name... Don't walk in front of him... Don't sit in front of him..."

Looking to the Next World

 When Abu Hurairah was dying, he wept. The people present asked him what caused him to cry. He answered them, "I am not crying for your world...I am crying because the trip is too long and the provision is too little...I am now standing at the end of a way which looks onto Heaven or Hell...I don't know in which I will be!"

The Umayyad ruler Marwan visited him at that time and said, "May Allah cure you, Abu Hurairah!"

"O Allah," said Abu Hurairah, "I love to meet You so may You love meeting me as well and do it soon..."

Marwan had hardly left when Abu Hurairah passed into the next life.

May Allah bless Abu Hurairah. He preserved for the Muslims over five thousand three hundred Ahadith of the Prophet (pbuh). May Allah reward him with the best for what he did for Islam and the Muslims.  (Ameen)

Source: Hearts Have Changed   (Stories of the Sahabah)