Abu Dharr
In our ongoing coverage concerning the tension during ‘Uthman’s time in office, the next oppositionist was Abu Dharr. ‘Uthman and his relatives from Bani Umayyah were slowly but surely digressing from the Prophetic standard.
Abu Dharr who hailed from the tribe of Kinanah from which the clan of Quraish descended, was upset about these developments. In his pre-Islamic age, he was a man of solitude, with a tone that was generally positive and restorative. It brought calm, self-awareness and renewal without feeling painful or forced.
One day Abu Dharr went to Makkah and listened to the Prophet (ﷺ) speak. It affected and transformed him into a committed muslim. It wasn’t long after that that Abu Dharr joined the Prophet (ﷺ) in al-Madinah as another one of the muhajireen.
He is counted as one of the sabiqeen (trailblazing) committed muslims. He was close to the Prophet’s heart. The Prophet (ﷺ) lauded him when he said:
«ما أقلّت الغبراء ولا أظلت الخضراء من رجل أصدق لهجة من أبي ذر»
Neither terra firma nor the canopies of the earth have ever accommodated a man whose discourse is more truthful than Abu Dharr.
The Prophet (ﷺ) is also reported to have expressed the following about Abu Dharr:
رحم الله أبا ذر، يمشي وحده، ويموت وحده، ويبعث وحده
May Allah have mercy on Abu Dharr as he walks unaccompanied, and dies abandoned, and is resurrected singularly.
Abu Dharr resided in al-Madinah during the reign of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar and during the first years of ‘Uthman’s rule. After a while Abu Dharr requested ‘Uthman that he would like to join the Islamic forces in al-Sham. Some narrations have it that Abu Dharr joined the military effort in al-Sham during the time when ‘Umar was the ruler.
Periodically, Abu Dharr would go back to al-Hijaz for Hajj responsibilities and to be in the vicinity of the Prophet’s masjid. One day Abu Dharr found out that ‘Uthman was allowing large sums of money to be given to his cousin Marwan ibn al-Hakam. Another such incident was ‘Uthman allotting 300,000 dirhams to al-Harith ibn al-Hakam, Marwan’s brother.
Zaid ibn Thabit al-Ansari similarly received 100,000 dirhams. Abu Dharr stood in steadfast opposition to this financial impropriety. His sarcastic echoing statement was: Pass on “good news” to those who accumulate wealth! Abu Dharr would quote the ayah:
… and for those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend them for the sake of Allah – give them [ironically] the vibrant news of grievous suffering [in the life to come] – (al-Tawbah, 34).
Marwan ibn al-Hakam complained to ‘Uthman about what Abu Dharr was saying publically. It appears that ‘Uthman didn’t take issue with Marwan. ‘Uthman sent someone to advise Abu Dharr to cease and desist from such disparagement. Abu Dharr’s response was: Is ‘Uthman telling me to refrain from quoting and reading out loud Allah’s Book? Shame on whoever abandons Allah’s order. I prefer to gain Allah’s approval if that means ‘Uthman’s dissatisfaction rather than to gain ‘Uthman’s approval at the expense of displeasing Allah.
‘Uthman remained patient with Abu Dharr for a while. But Abu Dharr continued to raise objections because of the way finances were managed during ‘Uthman’s time in office. Abu Dharr pressed on with advocating the shared standard of living set by the Prophet (ﷺ) and the two successors after him.
One day Abu Dharr was in the presence of ‘Uthman and with them was Ka‘b al-Ahbar. The latter was a Yemeni Yahudi who went to al-Madinah after the Prophet (ﷺ) passed away and became a muslim during the time when ‘Umar was the khalifah. Some narrators describe the following incident: ‘Uthman posed the question: Is it admissible for a leader to borrow money from the Bayt al-Mal [the Islamic Treasury] so that when he is able to pay it back he does so? Ka‘b replied: I don’t see any problem with that.
Abu Dharr was incensed and said to Ka‘b: You son of two Yahudis! How dare you teach us about our deen? ‘Uthman was upset with what had just happened. He, then, ordered Abu Dharr to join the muslims who were deployed in al-Sham.
Other narrators give a different perspective. Abu Dharr routinely advised ‘Uthman saying to him in effect: It is not enough for a person to think that if he pays his zakat that he has fulfilled his Islamic financial obligation unless he follows that by additionally feeding the hungry, giving to those in need, and is open-handed towards his nearby residents.
Ka‘b answered that by saying: whoever pays the obligation [of zakat] has done his share. Abu Dharr became angry. He offended Ka‘b verbally and physically. At that point ‘Uthman ordered Abu Dharr to join up with his base camp in al-Sham.
Whatever actually happened, the end result was that Abu Dharr wound up in al-Sham but his placement there did not last too long. He continued speaking out in al-Sham the way he did in al-Madinah. Abu Dharr took issue with Mu‘awiyah.
He objected to Mu‘awiyah saying that money and resources are the property of Allah, as every elementary muslim knows that money and resources are the possession of Allah (سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ), but Mu‘awiyah was expressing a fact he meant to use to relieve himself and others like him from the responsibility of allocating money and resources to those in need.
Instead, Abu Dharr emphasized that since money and resources belong to Allah, they turn out to be the entitlement of the people. Abu Dharr protested Mu‘awiyah’s construction of the Green Palace in Damascus. He said to Mu‘awiyah: if you built this palace using money belonging to muslims then that is betrayal, and if you built it with your own money then that is profligacy/extravagance.
Abu Dharr kept up his campaign by repeating: Woe to the wealthy owing to those who are poor. Many people would attend Abu Dharr’s vocal public protests. They would listen to him and many agreed with him to such a degree that Mu‘awiyah began to feel a potential threat emanating from Abu Dharr’s speeches.
Mu‘awiyah corresponded with ‘Uthman about what to do with Abu Dharr. ‘Uthman replied to Mu‘awiyah directing him to send Abu Dharr back to al-Madinah on the most uncomfortable mount possible. Mu‘awiyah virtually ejected him from al-Sham. All of that did not stifle Abu Dharr.
Upon his return to al-Madinah, Abu Dharr redoubled and reiterated his conviction by satirically saying: Communicate good news to those who are flush with finances! Their share [in the hereafter] shall be blazing irons that will stamp their foreheads, their sides and their backs.
Abu Dharr criticized ‘Uthman because the latter was not scrupulous when it came to the affairs of the Islamic treasury, the distribution of wealth, and the preferential treatment of the moneyed and affluent category of people in virtual disregard of the destitute. ‘Uthman’s administration showed favoritism to the tulaqa’ [those who spent nearly 20 years fighting the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions but were accommodatingly amnestied the day Makkah was liberated].
Most of the Makkan tulaqa’ elites who were now ostensible muslims and who had gained a solid foothold within the administration of ‘Uthman showed no reprieve towards Abu Dharr and his likes and their justice-conscience activism.
Different versions of this history are presented. One of them says that ‘Uthman ordered Abu Dharr to leave al-Madinah and go to wherever he wanted, provided he did not return to al-Sham or to the two centers in ‘Iraq (al-Kufah and al-Basrah) as well as Makkah. Abu Dharr decided to go to a place called al-Rabdhah at a distance of about 200 kms east of al-Madinah.
‘Uthman agreed and so Abu Dharr went and lived there until his death. Others explain it this way: Abu Dharr did not choose to go to al-Rabdhah. Rather, he was forced to go there. In other words he was exiled to al-Rabdhah and it is there that he died as an exile. His wife had a hard time burying him had it not been for people from ‘Iraq who were on their way for Hajj or ‘Umrah who helped her out.
When ‘Uthman learned of his death, he asked Allah (سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) to forgive him and took care of Abu Dharr’s family. ‘Ammar ibn Yasir was one who felt the loss of Abu Dharr and expressed his pity and condolences. This was interpreted by ‘Uthman to mean that ‘Ammar was holding him accountable for what happened to Abu Dharr.
Then ‘Uthman ordered ‘Ammar to be banished to al-Rabdhah. When ‘Ammar prepared to depart from al-Madinah, Banu Makhzum (a very powerful and influential spinoff of Qureish) who were associates of ‘Ammar, were riled. Add to that the fact that Imam ‘Ali was moved and irritated by these developments.
He went to ‘Uthman and blamed him for removing Abu Dharr from al-Madinah and told him to stop bothering ‘Ammar. The two argued till ‘Uthman said to Imam ‘Ali: You are not better than ‘Ammar and you are not less worthy of being exiled [like ‘Ammar]. Then Imam ‘Ali assertively replied: Wish for that if you want.
Subsequently the Muhajireen confronted ‘Uthman and blamed him for what had happened. They said to him: Why is it that every time you are at variance with someone, you expel him. This is unacceptable. At that point ‘Uthman bowed out of confronting both ‘Ammar and Imam ‘Ali.
O you who are confidently committed to Allah! Be on guard and avoid Allah (His retributive justice), and be among those who are true to their faith and word - [al-Tawbah, 119].
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