English translation
[6359] 132 - (2473) It was narrated from 'Abdullâh bin Aş-Şâmit that Abû Dharr said: "We set out from our people Ghifâr, who used to regard the sacred months as permissible.[1] I set out with my brother Unais and our mother, and we stayed with a maternal uncle of ours. Our uncle honoured us and treated us kindly, but his people felt jealous of us, and they said: 'When you are away from your wife, Unais comes into your house (i.e., an accusation of adultery).' Our uncle came and told us of what had been said to him. I said: 'As for your past kindness, you have undone it, and we cannot stay with you after this.' We went to our camels and loaded them up, and our uncle covered himself with his garment and started weeping. We set out and halted at Makkah. Unais made a wager that our herd of camels was better than another similar herd, and they went to a soothsayer who confirmed that the herd of Unais was better, and Unais came to us with our camels and the other herd." He (Abû Dharr) said: "I started to perform prayers, O son of my brother, three years before I met the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ." I said: "To whom?" He said: "To Allâh." I said: "What direction did you face?" He said: "I faced where my Lord directed me to. I used to pray at night until the end of the night, then I fell down (in exhaustion) like a piece of cloth until the sun rose over me. "So Unais said: 'I have an errand in Makkah; stay here.' He went to Makkah, and he came back late. I said: 'What did you do?' He said: 'I met a man in Makkah who follows your religion. He says that Allâh has sent him.' I said: 'What do the people say?' He said: 'They say that he is a poet, or a soothsayer, or a magician.' And Unais was one of the poets. "Unais said: 'I have heard the words of the soothsayers, and he is not a soothsayer. I compared his words to the words of poetry, and no one after me can say that he is a poet. By Allâh, he is telling the truth and they are lying.' "I said: 'Stay here while I go and look." He said: "I came to Makkah and looked for an insignificant man among them. I said: 'Where is this man whom you call Aš-Šâbi'?"[1] He pointed at me and said: 'The Šâbi!' The people of the valley attacked me with clods of earth and bones, until I fell unconscious. I got up whenever I recovered, and it was as if I was a red idol. I went to Zamzam and washed the blood from myself, and I drank some of its water. O son of my brother, I stayed there for thirty, between nights and days, and I had no food but the water of Zamzam, but I grew so fat that I got folds on my stomach and I did not feel any hunger in my stomach. "While the people of Makkah were sleeping deeply one moonlit night, no one was circumambulating the Ka'bah except two of their women, who were calling upon Isâf and Nâ'ilah (two of their idols). They came to me during their circumambulation and I said: 'Marry one of them to the other.' But they did not stop what they were saying. They came to me again and I said: 'They are just pieces of wood like private parts'; and I could not use a metaphor. They turned away from me saying: 'If any of our people were here they would teach you a lesson.' They were met by the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ and Abû Bakr as they were coming down the hill, and he said: 'What is the matter with you?' They (the two women) said: 'The Ṣâbî' between the Ka'bah and its cover.' He said: 'What did he say to you?' They said: 'He said to us a word that we cannot repeat.' The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ came and touched the (Black) Stone, then he circumambulated the Ka'bah, he and his Companion, then he prayed. When he had finished his prayer" - Abû Dharr said - "I was the first one to greet him with the greeting of Islam. I said: 'As-Salâmu 'alaika yâ Rasûlullâh (Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allâh).' He said: Wa 'alaika wa rahmatullâh (and upon you, and the mercy of Allâh).' Then he said: 'Who are you?' I said: 'I am from Ghifâr.' He lifted his hand and placed his fingers on his forehead, and I said to myself: 'He does not like the fact that I am from Ghifâr.' I wanted to take his hand but his Companion stopped me, and he knew him better than I did. Then he raised his head and said: 'How long have you been here?' I said: 'I have been here for thirty, between night and day.' He said: 'Who has been feeding you?' I said: 'I had no food except the water of Zamzam, and I have grown so fat that I have folds on my stomach, and I did not feel any hunger.' He said: 'It is blessed, it serves as food.'" "Abû Bakr said: 'O Messenger of Allâh, give me permission to offer him food tonight.' The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ and Abû Bakr set off, and I went with them. Abû Bakr opened a door and brought us raisins of Aṭ-Ṭâ'if, and that was the first food I ate. I stayed for a while, then I came to the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ and he said: 'I have been shown a land that has palm trees, and I do not think that it is any other than Yathrib. Will you convey a message from me to your people? Perhaps Allâh will benefit them through you and grant you reward through them.' I came to Unais and he said: 'What did you do?' I said: 'What I did is become Muslim and attest to the truth.' He said: 'I have no aversion to your religion; I have also become Muslim and attested to the truth.' We went to our mother and she said: 'I have no aversion to your religion; I have also become Muslim and attested to the truth.' We went to our people Ghifâr, and half of them became Muslim, and they were led in prayer by Aymâ' bin Rahadah Al-Ghifârî, who was their chief. "The other half of them said: 'When the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ comes to Al-Madînah, we will become Muslim.' The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ came to Al-Madînah and the other half became Muslim. (The tribe of) Aslam came and said: 'O Messenger of Allâh, our brothers, we become Muslim on the same basis that they became Muslim.' The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ said: 'May Allâh forgive (Ghafara) Ghifâr and may Allâh keep Aslam safe and sound (Sâlama)."