His (AS) saying: Guidance is known through the righteous. (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 241)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Guidance can be recognized through the righteous.
(We say: That is, the existence of outstanding and exalted human beings within a school is among the signs of the presence of guidance in that school. Or: when the righteous say something, drops of guidance can be gleaned from their words. Or: through keeping company with the righteous, one can find the path of truth. This statement outwardly contradicts what is related from the Commander of the Faithful (AS): do not know the truth by men; rather, first know the truth and then know the men who follow the truth. But upon careful reflection, the two views may be reconciled thus: the criterion of truth is the goodness and ugliness in the words and conduct of persons, which is known by reason. Truth is goodness of conduct and is independent of persons; yet only in persons does it find room to appear. So by reflecting upon people's conduct one can discern their excellence, and by following their conduct one can become aware of finer subtleties of noble character and come to know the path of guidance more fully.)
Narrated by al-Thaqafi through several chains, from Qays ibn Abi Hazim, who said: I came to Ali (AS) asking him to intercede for me with Uthman. He said: 'With the bearer of sins?!' (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 261)
The narrator says: I came to Ali (AS) and asked him to intercede for me with Uthman! He was displeased and said: With one who has committed so many sins?!
From Abd al-Malik, the son of Abu Dharr's brother, who said: Mu'awiya wrote to Uthman: 'Abu Dharr has turned the hearts of the people of Syria and made you hateful to them; they seek rulings from none but him, and none judges among them but he.' So Uthman wrote to Mu'awiya: 'Mount Abu Dharr upon an unruly, aged she-camel with a bare pack-saddle, then send with him someone who will treat him harshly and roughly, until he brings him to me.' He said: So Mu'awiya mounted him upon an unruly she-camel bearing a pack-saddle with nothing on it but a haircloth, then sent with him one who drove him along violently, and I went out with him. The old man had not travelled long before the flesh of his thighs next to the saddle fell away and became ulcerated. When night came, I would take my two cloaks and lay them beneath him, and at dawn I would remove them for fear they would see me and prevent me from doing so — until we reached Medina. Word reached Uthman of the pain and hardship Abu Dharr had suffered, so he kept him waiting a week, and then another, until some twenty nights had passed and Abu Dharr had recovered. Then he sent for him, and he came leaning upon my hands. We entered upon him as he reclined; he sat up straight, and when Abu Dharr drew near him, Uthman recited a verse: 'May God give no delight to the eye of Amr — a greeting of wrath when we meet.' Abu Dharr said to him: 'Why so? By God, God did not name me Amr, nor did my parents name me Amr. I stand upon the covenant on which I parted from the Messenger of God (PBUH); I have neither altered nor changed.' Uthman said to him: 'You lie! You have lied against our Prophet, impugned our religion, departed from our view, and turned the hearts of the Muslims against us.' Then he said to one of his servants: 'Summon Quraysh for me.' His messenger set off, and before long the house was filled with the men of Quraysh. Uthman said to them: 'We have sent for you concerning this lying old man, who has lied against our Prophet, impugned our religion, and embittered the hearts of the Muslims against us. I have resolved to kill him, or crucify him, or banish him from the land.' Some of them said: 'Our view follows yours.' And some said: 'Do not do it, for he is a companion of the Messenger of God (PBUH) and he has a right.' But not one of them discharged the duty that lay upon him. While they were thus, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) came in quietly, leaning upon a staff. He gave the greeting, looked about, and found no seat, so he leaned upon his staff — and I do not know whether he had stayed back deliberately, or whether something else is to be supposed of him. (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 264)
And al-Thaqafi mentioned in his history: Abu Dharr was cast down before Uthman, who said: 'O liar!' Ali (AS) said: 'He is no liar.' He said: 'Yes, by God, he is indeed a liar.' Ali (AS) said: 'He is no liar.' Uthman said: 'Dust in your mouth, O Ali!' Ali (AS) said: 'Rather, dust in your own mouth, O Uthman!' Then Ali (AS) said: 'I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: The green sky has not shaded, nor has the dusty earth borne, anyone more truthful of tongue than Abu Dharr.' He said: 'Even so, by God, I shall surely banish him.' Abu Dharr said: 'Indeed, by God, my beloved friend, upon him be blessings and peace, told me that you would drive me out of the Arabian peninsula.' (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 264)
The narrator says: Mu'awiya wrote to Uthman: If you have need of the people of Syria, summon Abu Dharr to Medina. He is stirring the people up against you and against me, and the people gather round him and incline to his word. Uthman wrote to Mu'awiya: At once seat Abu Dharr upon a camel without a litter and send him off to Medina. When Abu Dharr reached Medina, Uthman did not see him for some days; then he summoned him. Harsh words passed between him and Abu Dharr. Then Uthman grew angry and said to his attendants: Assemble the notables of Quraysh, that we may decide about this old man. The notables of Quraysh all came, but the Commander of the Faithful (AS) had not yet arrived — I do not know whether his late coming was deliberate or whether he was occupied with some matter! Uthman said to the assembled company: Either I shall kill this old man or I shall banish him. Some said: Do whatever you deem fit, for we follow you. Others said: Leave Abu Dharr alone, for he is a companion of the Messenger of God and has the right of companionship. At this moment Ali, with a staff in his hand, entered the gathering quietly, gave the greeting, and received its reply. He glanced around the assembly and saw there was no place to sit, so he leaned upon his staff where he stood and remained standing.
The narrator says: Uthman once more turned his anger upon Abu Dharr and called him a liar! Ali (AS), who was present, said: Abu Dharr does not lie! Uthman flared up and said: By God, he lies. Ali (AS) said: He does not lie. Uthman said: Dust in your mouth, O Ali! Ali (AS) said: Dust in your own mouth! Then he said: I heard from the Messenger of God (PBUH) that God's sky has not shaded anyone more truthful than Abu Dharr, nor has the earth carried his like! Uthman said: Abu Dharr must leave this city. Abu Dharr replied: Yes, I shall go! My beloved, the Messenger of God (PBUH), had told me: one day they will drive you out of my city.
From him, in his history, with his isnad from Abd al-Rahman ibn Ma'mar, from his father, who said: When Abu Dharr was brought from Syria to Uthman, among the reproaches he leveled at him was to say: 'O people, this man claims that he is better than Abu Bakr and Umar.' Abu Dharr said: 'Indeed, I do say this: By God, you saw me as the fourth of four with the Messenger of God (PBUH), when none but we had embraced Islam, and neither Abu Bakr nor Umar had embraced Islam. Those two were given rule, and I was not; and they have died, while I am still alive.' Then Ali (AS) said: 'By God, I saw him, and he was indeed the fourth in Islam.' Uthman rejected this against Ali (AS), and words passed between the two. Uthman said: 'By God, I have resolved to deal with him.' Ali (AS) said: 'And I, by God, shall resolve to deal with you.' Then Uthman rose and entered his house, and the people dispersed. (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 268)
The narrator says: When Abu Dharr was brought under guard from Syria, those who had brought him claimed that Abu Dharr said he was superior to Abu Bakr and Umar! Abu Dharr said: I did not say that! I said: we were four who believed in the Messenger of God at a time when neither Abu Bakr had become Muslim nor Umar. Those two became Muslims afterwards, and both became caliphs, and both died. I became Muslim before them and am still alive! At this point the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Yes, I was witness that Abu Dharr was the fourth Muslim. Uthman cut off Ali's words and said: It was not so! Ali said: It was so — and sharp words passed between the two. Uthman said: By God, I shall kill this old man! Ali answered: By God, if you do that, I shall not leave you alive after it! So Uthman rose and went to his house, and the people dispersed.
From al-Maghrur ibn Suwayd, who said: Uthman was delivering the sermon when Abu Dharr took hold of the door-ring and said: 'I am Abu Dharr; whoever knows me knows me, and whoever does not know me — I am Jundab. I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: The likeness of my Household is the likeness of Noah's ark among his people: whoever stays behind from it perishes, and whoever boards it is saved.' Uthman said to him: 'You lie!' Ali (AS) said to him: 'It was rather for you to say as the righteous servant said: If he is a liar, his lie is upon him; but if he is truthful, some of what he promises you will befall you' [Qur'an 40:28]. He had not yet finished when Uthman said: 'Dust in your mouth!' And Ali (AS) said: 'Rather, dust in your own mouth.' (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 269)
The narrator says: Uthman was delivering the sermon when Abu Dharr grasped the ring of the mosque door and cried out: I am Abu Dharr! Whoever knows me, knows me; and whoever does not know me, let him know! I heard from the Messenger of God (PBUH) that he said: The likeness of my Household is the likeness of the ark of Noah — whoever held fast to it was saved, and whoever turned away from it was drowned. Uthman cut off Abu Dharr's words and said: Liar! Ali (AS), who was present, said: If this righteous servant has spoken the truth, it is greatly to your loss; and if he has lied, you have lost nothing and he has harmed only himself — as God has said concerning the believer of the house of Pharaoh: 'If he is a liar, his lie is upon him; but if he is truthful, some of what he promises you will strike you' [Qur'an 40:28]. That is: if he lies, it will seize his own collar; but if he speaks the truth, your house is gone with the wind! Uthman lashed out at Ali and said: Dust upon your mouth! Ali answered him in turn: Dust will soon be upon your own mouth!
Al-Waqidi mentioned in his history, from Suhban, client of the Aslamis, who said: I saw Abu Dharr on the day he was brought before Uthman, who said: 'Get out from among us, out of our lands!' Abu Dharr said: 'How hateful your neighborhood is to me! Where shall I go?' He said: 'Wherever you wish.' He said: 'Shall I go out to Syria, the land of jihad?' He said: 'I brought you from Syria precisely because you had corrupted it — shall I now return you to it?' He said: 'Then shall I go out to Iraq?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'Why?' He said: 'You would come to a people given to doubts and to impugning the rulers.' He said: 'Then shall I go out to Egypt?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'Where then shall I go?' He said: 'Wherever you wish.' Abu Dharr said: 'Then it is a return to bedouin life after the hijra. Shall I go out to Najd?' Uthman said: 'The farthest bound — far, and farther still.' Abu Dharr said: 'So you have refused me that.' He said: 'Go on in this direction, and do not pass beyond al-Rabadha.' So Abu Dharr went out to al-Rabadha and remained there until he died. (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 271)
The narrator says: In the end, Uthman said to Abu Dharr: Depart from our land! Abu Dharr replied: I hardly relish being your neighbor in any case; where shall I go? Uthman said: Wherever you like. Abu Dharr said: Shall I go to Syria, which is the abode of jihad and of war with the Romans? Uthman said: I recalled you from Syria because you were stirring sedition there; do you now wish to return to that very place? Abu Dharr said: Shall I go to Iraq? Uthman said: No — the people of Iraq are given to doubt and to impugning the caliph. He said: Shall I go to Egypt? He said: No. He said: Shall I go to Najd? Uthman said: No — farther, farther! Then he said: Go in the direction of Najd, but come no nearer to us than al-Rabadha. So Abu Dharr went to al-Rabadha and remained there until he passed to the mercy of God.
(We say: Jundab ibn Junada, known as Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, was among the great companions of the Messenger of God. Abu Dharr was the fourth or fifth person to embrace Islam. Al-Ya'qubi placed his conversion after Ali (AS), Khadija, and Zayd ibn Haritha.
From before the rise of Islam he lived in the region of Marr, eight farsakhs from Mecca; his birthplace, too, was probably there.
Among the notable points in the biography of Abu Dharr is that he is said to have worshipped God even in the age of Jahiliyya, saying that there is no god but the One God. Ibn Sa'd, in the Tabaqat, relates from Abu Dharr: I prayed for three years before I came to the Messenger of God (PBUH), and in prayer I worshipped facing whatever direction God willed. He likewise relates that one day his brother, searching for him, found Abu Dharr standing in a state of humble devotion, absorbed in worship.
When Abu Dharr heard that a prophet had appeared in Mecca, he went there. At that time the Prophet (PBUH) was secretly calling the people to the worship of the One God. In Mecca he met Ali (AS), went with him to the Prophet, and embraced Islam. Upon his return, Abu Dharr recounted the story to his mother and brother, and they too embraced Islam; half of Abu Dharr's tribe believed before the hijra of the Messenger of God (PBUH) to Medina, and after the Prophet migrated to Medina, the rest of his people believed as well.
After the hijra to Medina, Abu Dharr, like a number of other companions of the Prophet, was counted among the devoted soldiers; he had no house or home in Medina and lived in the Prophet's mosque — such men were known as the People of the Suffa.
Abu Dharr took part in most of the battles. In the end, together with Ali (AS) and a small group, he prayed over the body of the Prophet.
After the Prophet (PBUH), Abu Dharr was counted among the true and faithful companions of Ali (AS), and he is regarded as one of the four pillars of Shi'ism (Salman, Miqdad, Abu Dharr, Ammar).
After the death of Abu Bakr, Abu Dharr went to Syria and settled there. In the year 19 AH he took part in the conquest of Egypt under Amr ibn al-As, and later he was present in one of Mu'awiya's campaigns, the battle of Amorium (23 AH). During the caliphate of Uthman he remained in Syria and was present at the conquest of Cyprus at the hands of Mu'awiya (27 or 28 AH).
Abu Dharr was extremely strict regarding how the public treasury was spent. His dispute with Mu'awiya and with the third caliph concerned the manner in which they made use of the treasury. In Uthman's time, he himself and his governors, Mu'awiya among them, spent the revenues of the treasury on useless expenditures and extravagance. Abu Dharr could not tolerate this state of affairs and made sweeping protests against the conduct of Mu'awiya in Damascus and of Uthman in Medina. Among his quarrels with Mu'awiya was Abu Dharr's protest against Mu'awiya's building of the 'Green Palace.' When Abu Dharr saw this palace in Damascus, he said: 'O Mu'awiya, if you have built this house from the wealth of God, it is treachery; and if you have built it from your own wealth, it is extravagance.'
Abu Dharr held that verse 34 of Surat al-Tawba ('...and those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of God — give them tidings of a painful punishment' [Qur'an 9:34]) is not restricted to the People of the Book; rather, all who store up and hide gold and silver and do not spend in the way of God are threatened with divine punishment. He said: what is meant by spending in the way of God is not zakat alone; it has a more general meaning.
Abu Dharr's asceticism and piety led the Prophet to liken him to Jesus (AS). In his worldly life he contented himself with the barest minimum and would not even consent to accept a gift. He was foremost in speaking the truth, as Ali (AS) said: Today there is no one but I and Abu Dharr who, in the way of God, fears not the blame of any reproacher. The Prophet (PBUH) counted him among those for whom Paradise itself longs.
He died at al-Rabadha, in solitude and hardship, beside his wife or his only daughter, in the year 32 AH, and was prepared for burial and interred by a caravan coming from Iraq — and thus the Prophet's promise that Abu Dharr would die alone was fulfilled concerning him. No descendants of Abu Dharr have survived.)
From Abu Ishaq, who said: One day during the caliphate of Uthman, the people raised a clamor after they had prayed the dawn prayer, and they called upon Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. He turned his face toward them, his back to the qibla, then pulled his shirt off from his side and said: '[O company of the companions of Muhammad,] O company of Muslims! I call God to witness, and I call you to witness, that I have deposed Uthman from the caliphate just as I have stripped off this garment of mine.' Then someone answered him from the first row: 'Now? — when you disobeyed before and were among the corrupters?' They looked to see who the man was, and behold, it was Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 281)
The narrator says: As the caliphate of Uthman was heading toward collapse, one day in the mosque of the Messenger of God, after the prayer, a group of people at the back of the mosque raised an outcry. Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, who had played the principal role in handing the caliphate to Uthman, turned toward them and, standing with his back to the qibla, stripped his garment from his body and shouted: O people! I have removed Uthman from the caliphate, just as I have removed this garment from my body. At that moment a voice rose from the first row, reciting: 'Now? — when you rebelled before and were among those who spread corruption?' [Qur'an 10:91] — that is: Now?! When until this moment you were given to disobedience and were sowing corruption?! We looked to see who it was that had recited this verse — and behold, it was Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS).
From Umar ibn Hind, from Ali (AS), that he said: Love of me and love of one who hates me do not come together in a man's heart without one of them uprooting the other. (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 294)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Love for me and love for one who does not love me do not come together in anyone's heart — and if they do come together, it is only for a time, and one of the two loves drives out the other!
The biographers and others have related: The people of Kufa asked Ali (AS) to appoint an imam for them for the tarawih prayer. He forbade them and informed them that it is an innovation and contrary to the Sunna. But they appointed an imam for themselves without his command and gathered for the prayer, so he dispatched al-Husayn (AS) with a whip. When they saw him entering the mosque with the whip, they rushed to the door and cried out: 'Alas for Umar!' (Taqrib al-Ma'arif, vol. 1, p. 347)
The writers of sira have said: The Kufans asked Ali (AS) to appoint an imam for them so that they might pray the tarawih prayer behind him. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) forbade them and told them that the tarawih prayer is an innovation and contrary to the Sunna. A little later, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) learned that they had, without permission, appointed an imam for themselves and were busy performing the tarawih prayer in the mosque. So he sent Husayn (AS) after them with a whip. When they saw Husayn (AS) coming with a whip in his hand, they understood what was afoot; so they locked the door of the mosque so that Husayn (AS) could not enter, and raised the cry: Alas for Umar!
(We say: The tarawih prayer is a twenty-rak'a prayer performed in congregation on the nights of the month of Ramadan, two rak'as at a time, with a brief rest between each pair of rak'as. Recently it has become customary to complete the entire Qur'an in the course of the tarawih prayer. In the time of the Messenger of God (PBUH), the supererogatory prayers of the nights of Ramadan were performed individually. Al-Tabari says that Umar ibn al-Khattab, in the year 14 AH, ordered the people to perform the tarawih prayer in congregation. According to al-Bukhari's report from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd al-Qari, Umar went to the mosque one night and saw the people praying individually, and he ordered the people to follow Ubayy ibn Ka'b and pray in congregation. On another night he went to the mosque, and when he saw the people praying behind one of the reciters, he said: 'Ni'ma al-bid'atu hadhihi' — what a fine innovation this is! According to the sources, Umar appointed men such as Mu'adh ibn al-Harith, Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid, and Sulayman al-Adawi as congregational imams for the tarawih prayer.
Al-Subki says that the tarawih prayer is a recommended innovation and a sunna. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, dividing innovation into the praiseworthy and the blameworthy, considered the tarawih prayer a praiseworthy innovation.
Shaykh al-Tusi relates: When Ali (AS) came to the caliphate, he asked his son Imam Hasan (AS) to forbid the people from performing the tarawih prayer in congregation. On hearing the words of Imam Hasan (AS), the people protested, crying: Alas for Umar! Al-Kulayni adds: Ali (AS) then desisted from this course in order to prevent the disintegration of his army.
By the consensus of the Imami scholars, performing the supererogatory prayers of Ramadan in congregation is an innovation and forbidden.)