A Senior Companion of the Prophet and the first Islamic Socialist par
excellence
A biographical essay by Syed-Mohsin Naquvi March 2006

Birth, Early Life and Origins

Mitaaya qaysar-o-kisra ke istibdaad ko jis ne,
Wo kiya tha? Zor-e-Hyder, faqr-e-Bu Zar, sidq-e-Salmani
The above two lines of poetry have been taken from Allama
Iqbal?s famous revolutionary long-poem Tuloo-e-Islam. In these two
short lines, Iqbal has identified three major elements in the Islamic
spirit that once ruled the world, and in his opinion, it was ready to repeat
that once again, should those elements be revived. Those are: (i) The
spirit of martyrdom personified in Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, (ii) the
socialistic fervor of Abu Zar Ghifari, and (iii) the devotional persistence
of Salman the Persian.
What is very significant in these lines is the fact that
Iqbal has used the names of two great empires (the Roman and the
Persian) of the past to identify oppression and tyranny. Then he quotes the
names of three individuals who, out of the strength of their own
personalities, were able to subdue that tyranny. The message is that it takes
the collective effort of groups and countries to subdue the human
spirit but it takes only one individual?s personal force to break the
tyranny. It is also accurate historically in that, when Islam rose on the
horizon of the world history, it were those two empires at the two ends of
the Arabian peninsula, which were competing which each other. In that
process, they were crushing the human spirit of freedom, liberty and
human rights. Islam came and destroyed both empires by giving people
freedom by liberating them spiritually by the message of Tawheed,
economically by making them self-sufficient, and socially by giving them human
compassion and a value-system.
All reports indicate that Iqbal was much taken by the
socialistic thinking of Abu Zar Ghifari. In fact, at one point, he had
been thinking of establishing an ABU ZAR SOCIETY, a plan that could not
materialize due to his pre-occupation with other things.

Abu Zar?s real name was Jandab bin Janaadah. His
Kunniya was Abu Zar, which is because his eldest son was named Zar (this word
in Arabic means ?fragrance?). By one estimate, Abu Zar was born in 568
A.D., that means he was two years older than the Prophet.
Abu Zar had belonged to an Arab tribe by the name of
GHIFAAR, hence his last name.
Arab historians of the sources as well as Allama Shibli
No?mani and others have written that Abu Zar was most unhappy about the
custom of Idol-worship that was rampant in Arabia of the 7th century.
He had already believed in a Supreme God and he would spend most of his
time reflecting on that.
As news of the Prophet?s mission spread in Arabia, it
also arrived in the tribe of Ghifaar. Abu Zar heard of it. It was
something that he himself had been thinking about. He sent his brother to go to
Hijaz, find out about the new message and report back. His brother did
that. Abu Zar found the news and the report from his brother
encouraging.
He then decided to meet with the Prophet personally. This
was the time when Islam had only collected a handful of converts. He
was first met with Ali bin Abi Talib who introduced him to his own father
Abu Talib. Abu Talib took him to Hamza. After a thorough security
check, Abu Zar was finally introduced to the Prophet. It is said that he
said SALAM to the Prophet. That was long before the Islamic SALAM was
introduced into the early Muslim culture of Arabia. Abu Zar was taken by
the charm, the majesty and the kindness of the Prophet. He said his
Shahadah and accepted Islam, so did his brother. He hung around in Makkah
for a few days. During those few days he made a couple of speeches in
the temple grounds. He was immediately subdued by the infidels and
actually was beaten up badly. Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib came to his rescue
both times and the incidents were reported to the Prophet. The Prophet
called him and advised him to go back to his tribe of Ghifaar and stay
there until he (the Prophet) goes to Yathrib (Madinah) and Muslims had
established themselves. Back home, under the influence of both sons,
their mother also accepted Islam.
Abu Zar has had the reputation of being an outspoken
orator and he always spoke his mind whatever the consequences. He and his
brother began speaking about their new faith among his tribesmen.
Immediately there was resentment against Abu Zar and his brother among the
young men of the tribe. Finally the issue was reported to the chief of
the tribe. Abu Zar had a lot of respect in the tribe. However, when the
chief called him and his brother, they both had to appear before him. He
questioned Abu Zar and his brother about the trouble that both of them
had started. Abu Zar pleaded his case with strength of reason but with
due respect and compassion. The chief reflected on what Abu Zar had
said and after some reflection he announced his own Islam. A great number
of the young men also accepted Islam after that turn of events.
Abu Zar continued to teach Islam to his people.
Apparently, Abu Zar and his tribe lived at a place outside of Makka on the road
which led to Syria. Their sole sustenance was by collecting ransom from
the passing caravans. Sometimes a traveling group would refuse to pay
the ransom. In that case the tribe of Ghifaar would be ready to attack
them and take whatever they could, by force. In that process, horsemen
carried a lot of clout both in their own tribe and as raiders of
caravans. Abu Zar was such a horse-rider. During one such raids, he looted a
heavily laden caravan and collected a lot of booty. However, the women
and children in the caravan were crying and weeping for their loss. Abu
Zar heard that wailing of his victims and went through a great mental
upheaval. He was so touched by the pathos of the situation that he vowed
not to loot anyone again and he turned to helping and taking care of
the weak and the poor.

It was in that frame of mind that Abu Zar accepted Islam.
And it was with that mental condition that he taught Islam to his
people. It was natural that he would be attracted to those pieces of the
Qur?an which speak about kindness and compassion to the poor and the
downtrodden and helping the neighbour, etcetera.
As the Prophet left Makkah on his way to Yathrib for
Hijra, he stopped by at the place of the Ghifaari tribe. Abu Zar met with
him. The Prophet asked Abu Zar to continue working with his tribe. That
shows how confident the Prophet must have felt about Abu Zar?s work.
Abu Zar is reported to be the fourth Muslim in
chronological order. He had the exclusive honour to call the Prophet as YA HABIBI
(my dear friend), while everybody else could only address him as YA
RASOOL ALLAH. Abu Zar finally arrived in Madinah after the Battle of
Ahzab (5th year of Hijra) and spent the rest of the days in the company of
the Prophet.
In Madinah, once Abu Zar fell seriously ill. The Prophet
advised him to go out in the wadi and spend the days where the camel
and sheep were grazing. The Prophet also told him to subsist only on the
milk of goats and sheep. He did that. He was accompanied by his wife in
that expedition. Slowly he recovered and was well again. He had sex
with his wife. But there was no fresh water available for GHUSL. Abu Zar
was perturbed. He returned to Madinah. The Prophet saw his discomfort.
He ordered water for Abu Zar and he did the GHUSL and did his salat. The
Prophet then taught Abu Zar the method of TAYAMMUM for those
situations. Ahmad bin Hanbal reports in his MUSNAD that the verse of TAYMMUM was
revealed after that event.
During those few years in Madinah, Abu Zar became very
friendly with Ali bin Abi Talib. The four people named Salman al-Farsi,
Abu Zar Ghifari, Miqdad bin Aswad and Ammar Yasir were always seen in
the company of Ali bin Talib. They came to be known as the SHI?A.
Hafiz Abu Nu?aym writes in his Hilyat-ul-Awliyya: Abu Zar
dedicated his time in prayers, supplications and worship during his
days in Madinah. He had a very strong personality and by nature he was a
stoic man. Abu Zar is the first person who discussed the philosophy of
existence and annihilation in Islamic theology. Abu Zar would ask
questions of the Prophet on many issues. At the time of the expedition of
Banu Mustalaq, the Prophet had appointed him as the administrator of
Madina.
In the 9th year of Hijra, the Prophet prepared a large
contingent to confront the Romans and moved out towards Tabook. Imam Ali
was appointed the administrator of Madina. Abu Zar also accompanied the
Prophet. However, at that time, he had a very weak and old camel. It
could not keep up with the rest of the group. Finally, when he was left
behind by a great distance, he left the camel, took a back-pack and
decided to walk. Finally, people saw Abu Zar coming and they reported to
the Prophet that Abu Zar was coming on foot. The Prophet looked at him
and said:
?This is Abu Zar, my companion. He is walking alone, he will live
alone, and one day, die alone. A group of strangers from Iraq will take
care of his funeral and bury him. ?

Allama al-Subayti writes that Abu Zar lived a pious life and spent
his days in prayer and worship. His daily meal used to be a handful of
dates. He lived a contented life, always spoke the truth and he was firm
in his faith.
Once someone asked him that he was always seen in one
pair of clothes. Abu Zar replied: Yes, I had another pair of clothes but I
saw some one who needed it more than I did. How could I keep a second
pair of clothes while there was another person who did not have even
one? That one episode speaks volumes of the thinking of Abu Zar.

THE PASSING AWAY OF THE PROPHET AND ABU ZAR?s REACTION

There were some events that took place during the last
illness of the Prophet. Most of those events have been labeled as being
controversial in nature. That is because they reflect badly on those
people who came to rule the Muslim kingdom after the Prophet. Abu Zar was
obviously present at those occasions. We quote below two such events,
because those events have been reported by some of the most authentic
historians and collectors of hadeeth.

1. Ibn al-Wardi writes in his Tareekh: It was while he was ill that
the Prophet prepared an army under the command of Usama bin Zayd and
gave strict orders for them to move immediately (to confront the Romans).

Muhaddith of Delhi writes in his Madarij an-Nuboowah: The next day
the Prophet made a standard by his own hands and gave it to Usama bin
Zayd and said - ?Proceed to the battlefield and do Jihad in Allah?s
way.? Usama came out and gave that standard to Burayda bin al-Khusayb
(making him the standard bearer of that command). They arrived at a place
called Jurf, which is a district just outside of Madinah. And the rest
of the army gathered there. The Prophet had also commanded that all the
companions including Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, S?ad bin Abi Waqas, and
Abu Ubayda should accompany Usama in that command, except Imam Ali. Some
companions found it hard to accept that Usama, a mere slave, had been
given the command over senior members of the community. So they made
remarks about it in public. When all that news reached the Prophet, he
was saddened by it. He came out in spite of his high fever and went up to
the pulpit. He said ? ?O people, what is all this I have been hearing?
You
are complaining about Usama?s command? You made similar remarks about
his father, Zayd, becoming the commander at the time of (the expedition
to) Mawta. Indeed, Usama deserves to be a commander and so did his
father.

It is recorded in Kitab al-Milal wan-Nihal of Shahristani, as well as
in Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan?s Hujaj al-Kiramah: The Prophet ordered his
Companions to prepare for the march under Usama?s command. He also said
? ?May Allah curse those who shy away from Usama?s command.?

2. Tabrani has recorded a report narrated by Umar: While the Prophet
was ill, he asked for pen and paper saying ? ?Let me write something
down for you so that you may not go astray after me.? The women standing
behind the curtain said addressing the Companions ? ?You are all
listening to the Prophet and nobody wants to fulfill his command?? (That
means, no one responded to the Prophet?s desire for writing down and his
command to bring some writing material.)
Umar said to the women ? ?You are like the female companions of
Yusuf. You weep while he is ill, but when he was well you were all pushing
down his neck.? The Prophet heard this and replied ? ?Leave the women
alone, they are better than you lot.?
Bukhari writes in his Saheeh, a report from Sa?eed bin Jubayr:
Abdullah bin Abbas said ? ?Oh Thursday, what a Thursday (it was).? He then
wept with tears so that the sand before him was soaked in his tears. He
then said ? ?When the Prophet?s illness became more severe on a
Thursday, he asked for writing material saying ? ?Let me write something for
you so that you may not go astray after me.? Hearing this, people
disagreed among them and made a lot of noise, eventhough it is not right to
fight in the Porphet?s presence. And some said that he(the Prophet) was
delirious.?
Shahristani writes in his Kitab al-Milal wan-Nihal: The first
disagreement that arose during the time of the Prophet?s illness has been
recorded in Bukhari?s Saheeh with his chain of isnad and it is narrated by
Abdullah bin Abbas. When the last illness of the Prophet became really
bad, he asked for writing material saying ? ?I want to write something
for you so that you may not go wrong after me.? Umar said that the
Prophet had said that under the overwhelming pressure of the illness,
and that the Book of Allah was sufficient. When there was a lot of
confusion and noise around the Prophet, he said ? ?Go away and leave me
alone, it behooves you people not to fight in my presence.? That is why Ibn
Abbas used to say ? ?A great loss! Oh what a great loss. Alas for that
which hindered the writing by the Prophet.?

It is obvious that Abu Zar must have been around when all
this was taking place. However, this author has failed to find any
report that indicates anywhere that Abu Zar had intervened anywhere in any
of those two occasions.

A few days later the Prophet passed away. We had noted
earlier that Abu Zar was a stoic person and his tolerance level for both
physical as well as psychological pain was fairly high. However, when
he heard of the demise of the Prophet he was seen weeping and wailing
and slapping his face out of grief.
As the family members of the Prophet (i.e., Ali, Abbas,
Zubayr, etc.) got busy with the funeral of the Prophet, the leaders and
those who had any political ambition, gathered round at the Saqeefa of
Banu Sa?eda. Usama?s party was called back which had been camping just
outside the city. In a hurriedly held meeting, Abu Bakr was chosen as
the Khaleefa. The party then broke up and re-convened in the Masjid,
where people continued to come and swear allegiance to Abu Bakr. For this
reason, the burial of the Prophet was held back, even though his
remains had been washed and had been wrapped in the shroud. The Prophet
passed away on a Monday. He was finally interred on the following Wednesday.
In spite of that, the leaders who were at Saqeefa, could not be seen at
the burial ceremony of the Prophet.
Abu Zar was an eye-witness to all this. After the burial
he came to Ali and told him about Saqeefa and all that which had
happened after that.
Abu Zar was present at Ghadeer-e-Khum where the Prophet
had made his famous announcement of: man kunto mawalh-o- fa haaza
Ali-ul Mawla. (To whomever I am the Mawla, so is this Ali Mawla). Abu Zar
stood up at the Masjid and protested against Abu Bakr?s appointment as
Khaleefa in a very emotional speech. However, when he returned to Imam
Ali and told him what had been going on and he also saw that Ali himself
was not going to take any action in that matter, he too resigned
himself to a quiescent attitude.
Abu Zar seems to have kept a very low profile during the
reigns of both Abu Bakr and Umar.
Umar was wounded at the hands of Abu Lulu Feroz on the
24th of Zilhijja in the 23rd year of Hijra. On his deathbed he appointed
a shoora of six men to choose a ruler from among themselves. Uthman bin
Affaan was finally chosen to fill that position on the 3rd of Muharram
in the 24th year of Hijra.



ABU ZAR BECOMES ACTIVE AGAINST UTHMAN?S HIGH HANDED POLICIES

Uthman had accepted the position of Khaleefa on the
promise that he would follow the Qur?an, the Prophet?s Sunna and the
traditions established by the Shaykayn. For the first year of his reign,
Uthman faithfully adhered to the promise. Starting from the second year, he
slowly began removing all the governors in the provinces and replacing
them by his own friends and relatives from the tribe of Banu Umayya.
Things moved from good to bad and from bad to worse. Uthman refused to
take advice from his well-wishers such as Ali bin Abi Talib and
Abdur-Rahman bin Awf.

When Uthman began misappropriating the public treasury
for his own use and began distributing it lavishly on his cousins and
in-laws, Abu Zar began reacting to it. Uthman was very displeased about
that. When Abu Zar?s activities became unbearable for him, Uthman
ordered a complete boycott of Abu Zar. No one was allowed to speak to him in
the Masjid, nobody was allowed to visit him or invite him to his place.
Abu Zar?s voice, in spite of all that, was hard to silence. We Give
below a report from Ycaqoobi?s Tareekh Ibn Wadhih

?People reported to cUthman that Abu Zar spoke against him in the
mosque. One day he stopped at the entrance of the mosque and said ? ?O
people, those who know me, know me, but those who don?t, let them tell you
that I am Abu Zar Ghifari, my name is Jandab bin Janada Rabazi. Allah
gave superiority to Adam, Nooh, Aal-e-Ibraheem and Aal-e-Imran. The
Prophet of Islam is the heir to all the glory of the prophets, and Ali bin
Abi Talib is the deputy and the heir to his knowledge and glory. O
perplexed people, if you had placed those after your Prophet whom Allah had
placed first and if you had placed those at the bottom whom Allah had
placed there, and if you had preserved the Khilafa and Imama in the
Ahlul Bayt of your Prophet, you would have received innumerable bounties of
Allah both from above your heads and from below your feet. And no
friend of Allah would have been left wanting and destitute. And nothing of
the prayer and worship of Allah would go to waste. No two people would
have quarelled about Shari?a because they would have found the rulings
from the Ahlul-Bayt according to Qur?an and Sunna. But now, be ready to
taste of what you yourselves have prepared.? He then recited the verse
? saycalamu al-lazeena zalamu ayyi munqalibin yanqaliboon (And those
who have acted unjustly would soon know where the affairs come back to,
Q.26:227). cUthman was also told that Abu Zar had been complaining about
the corruption caused to the Sunna of the Prophet and that of Abu Bakr
and cUmar. When Uthman heard all that, he ordered Abu Zar to be
transported to Mu`awiyya in Syria.?
Allama Subayti has opined that Uthman?s action to banish
Abu Zar to Syria shows two things: First, he was an inept political
ruler and second, he had tried to divert Abu Zar?s critical assertions
about his policies towards Mu?awiyya.

Uthman had thought that Mu?awiyyah, being a very harsh
and cunning ruler, would be able to subdue Abu Zar. However, Abu Zar
proved to be a much stronger personality for Mu?awiyya. I think it will
be beneficial to the readers if we quote some of those reports here.

What Abu Zar saw in Damascus was even worse. People were
building palaces for themselves and living in luxury. He realized that
all that was a far cry from the Islamic heritage that the Prophet of
Islam had given to the community. He built a hut out of blankets on the
outskirts of the city and began living in that with his family.

One day Abu Zar passed by the location where Mu?awiyya
was having his Green Palace built. He went upto Mu?awiyyah and said: ?O
Mu?awiyya, if you are spending Allah?s wealth in this project, you are
being dishonest because you are embezzling Allah?s wealth, if this is
being built of your personal wealth then it is disgusting extravagance.?
Mu?awiyya could not say a word in reply.

Abu Zar then proceeded to the central mosque. He stood
among the people and delivered a speech. He said: ?By Allah, such
innovations are being made current which are neither seen in Qur?an nor in
Hadeeth. By Allah, I see that truth is being obliterated and falsehood is
being revived. Righteous people are being disbelieved and fasiqeen are
being preferred over good people. O people of wealth, be sympathetic to
the poor, give ?good? news to those who have been hoarding gold and
silver and they do not spend it in Allah?s way, their foreheads, backs and
sides would be burnt with those metals that they have been hoarding. O
you who are amassing worldly wealth, don?t you know that once one dies
all connections from the material world are broken. Only three things
remain: Sadaqa Jariyya, fruitful knowledge, and a righteous offspring
who prays fro his/her parents.?

Abu Zar continued: ?The Prophet had said ? Allah asked
me: Do you want Me to make the mountains around Makka into gold? I said:O
Lord, no, all I want is that if I eat one day to my fill, I should
remain hungry the next day. This is the only thing that pleases me. Because
the day I will go hungry, I would call you with humility and ask for
Your bounty, and the day I have my fill, I would sing Your praise.?

Allama Jawd-at-Sahhaar continues the story in Abu Zar?s words:
?O Muslims, you have made silken curtains and brocaded pillows, you
cannot sleep on coarse mats. The Prophet used to sleep on mats woven out
of date-palm leaves. You eat all kinds of delicious foods while the
Prophet did not even eat to his fill out of a loaf of barley bread. O
people of wealth, don?t you know that there does not go by a day when two
angels do not descend and one says? O Allah, give more to the one who
spends in Your way,? and the other says: ?O Allah, destroy the wealth of
the miserly.?

People began to gather round Abu Zar and listen to his
discourses. The poor and the dispossessed were attracted to him and the
rich were scared of him.
A man named Habib bin Muslim Fehri saw all this and said
to himself: This is a big FITNA. He then went up to Mu?awiyya and said:
?If you wish to continue to rule over Syria, do something about Abu
Zar, otherwise he will bring a revolution here.?
Mu?awiyya was greatly perturbed. He considered it one of
his great failures if he could not control one old ?fool? such as Abu
Zar.
First Mu?awiyya tried to silence Abu Zar by bribing him.
He sent three hundred Dinar to Abu Zar. He immediately returned it to
him saying:?I do not need your money.?

Here in Madina, people were getting restless due to
Uthman?s own high-handed policies, particularly his mis-appropriations in
the public treasury. One day, some senior companions got together and
prepared a list of their complaints against the Khaleefa. They chose Ammar
Yasir to take that list to the Khaleefa personally. When Ammar appeared
before Uthman with that list and presented it to him, Uthman became
very angry. He ripped up the paper and ordered his personal guards to beat
up Ammar. Ammar was severaly beaten by the guards, so much so that he
passed out and suffered from hernia.
Before this, Uthman had Abdulla bin Ams?ood beaten in the
same manner and he had suffered with broken ribs. In fact, it was not
long that Abdullah bin Mas?ood succumbed to his injuries and died after
a long illness. All these news when reached Damascus and Abu Zar heard
of it, he was extremely displeased. Now Abu Zar began speaking against
Uthman also, an act he had not done so far in Damascus.
Abu Zar was unhappy about the luxurious living in Syria
anyway. He would recite the following verses of the Qur?an, every now
and then, in the streets of Damascus, inside the mosque and anywhere
there would be people around.
(Q.9:34,35) 34.
O you who believe, many religious leaders and preachers take the
people's money illicitly, and repel from the path of GOD. Those who
hoard the gold and silver, and do not spend them in the cause of GOD,
promise them a painful retribution. 35.
The day will come when their gold and silver will be heated in
the fire of Hell, then used to burn their foreheads, their sides, and
their backs: "This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you
have hoarded."


One day, while speaking on these verses of the Qur?an he
also added a hadeeth of the Prophet: ?Those who are hoarding gold and
silver, plates burnt in Hellfire would be placed on their chests until
they would break through their shoulder blades. (This hadeeth is quoted
by Bukhari in his collection).?

Abu Zar?s speeches caused an uproar in Damascus. The poor
were emboldened against the rich and they would crowd up on the rich
and ask them to share their riches with the poor.(Reported by Tabari).

As Abu Zar was openly criticizing Mu?awiyya by name in
the mosque, one person bent over and whispered in his ear: ?What are you
saying against the ruler? Be afraid of his wrath.? Abu Zar turned to
him and said:? My friend (meaning the Prophet of Islam) had advised me to
speak the truth at all times even if it is bitter, and not to be afraid
of any critic in truth?s path. I pray to Allah: O Allah, I ask your
protection against cowardice, save me from being miserly, I do not wish
for long life, I ask Allah?s forgiveness from this world and the Hellfire
in the other world.?
Then he said: ?People are preparing various kinds of food, then they
take medicine to digest that food (so that they can eat even more). The
Prophet passed on and he never took his fill with two meals in any one
day. When he ate dates he would not take bread that day. The people of
the House of the Prophet never ate barley bread for three contiguous
days, until the Prophet met up with his Lord. Many times months would
change and no fire would burn in his kitchen.?
Someone asked:?How did he then survive?? Abu Zar replied, ?he would
eat dates and then take a drink of water. Man needs only enough food so
that he keeps his strength. Never eat to your fill, because that
creates laziness and lethargy. It destroys your body and brings illness and
disease. Live a moderate life.?

Abu Zar continued with his preaching to the wealthy. Finally, one
day, Mu?awiyya called him. He came. Mu?awiyya sat him down next to
himself. Food was served. The place was filled with all kinds of delicious
dishes. Mu?awiyya invited him to eat. Abu Zar refused. He said: ?I only
eat a handful of wheat (flour) in a week. This is what I used to do
during the time of the Prophet and I will continue with that practice until
I will pass on and meet up with my friend.?
Adressing Mu?awiyya he said: ?You have changed your life style. It
wasn?t like this. You eat bread made of strained flour. You have many
different dishes at a time, you eat all kinds of colourful foods. You
change into a new dress twice-a-day. You were not like that during the time
of the Prophet. During that period you lived like a beggar.? (Quoted
from Saheeh of Muslim).

Mu?awiyya tried all kinds of tricks against Abu Zar but
Abu Zar defeated every one of them. Finally, he banished Abu Zar to the
area of JABAL AAMIL (this is located in present day Lebanon, in that
time the larger country of SHAAM contained all of today?s Syria, Lebanon,
parts of Jordan and all of the country of Israel.)

The people of that area were not very rich but they were nice people
and very hospitable. The time that Abu Zar lived in that area, he
introduced those people to the glory of Ahlul-Bayt. This too was totally
against Mu?awiyya?s policies. Mu?awiyya?s propaganda in that area was that
actually Banu Umayya were the Ahlul-Bayt and their love had been made
wajib on Muslims. When he saw that Abu Zar countered his trick by
glorifying the family of the Prophet, he called him back and then wrote a
letter to Uthman complaining about Abu Zar?s activities.
It would be interesting to quote Mu?awiyya?s letter here, this taken
from the TAREEKH of Aathim Koofi:

?From Mu?awiyya bin Sakhar to Amir-ul-Momineen,
Abu Zar has incited everyone against you in the country of Shaam, he
is washing away your love and respect from people?s hearts. He
remembers Abu Bakr and Umar all the time. He praises the two of them and
describes their good qualities while blaming you for all the ills. He is
saying bad things about you and remembers you in bad words. It is really
inappropriate to leave a person such as Abu Zar in the areas of Iraq,
Egypt and Shaam, because people in these areas are mischief-makers and
prone to trouble and provocation. They join hands with trouble-makers
quickly. We have informed you of the situation. It is upto you to decide
now. Was-Salam.?

Uthman replied as follows: ?We have received your letter
about Abu Zar. As soon as you receive this letter, arrange a fast
camel, put Abu Zar on it, arrange a very harsh camel-driver and send him to
Madina post haste.?

Mas?oodi writes in his Murooj az-Zahb.
Mucawiyya wrote to Uthman that people assembled around Abu Zar
frequently, and that there was all the indication that he would incite people
against him (Uthman) and if he really was interested in political
stability, he should call Abu Zar back to Madina. Uthman wrote back to
Mu?awiyya to send Abu Zar back to Madina. Mu?awiyya prepared a camel for Abu
Zar and mounted it with a saddle which was rough and hard, and ordered
him to be driven back to Madina.
Before Abu Zar was dispatched to Madina, he announced his
departure and a huge crowd came to see him off. He did congregational
prayers and delivered a very emotional but rational speech in which
after praising the Lord and sending blessings unto the Prophet, he reminded
people of their basic Islamic beliefs. This speech is full of
socialistic rhetoric and at tehs ame time, it is political in nature. We skip
the text of the speech in the interest of brevity.
On Mu?awiyya?s orders, Abu Zar was dispatched quickly
without even letting him take his family with him.

Quoting from From Tareekh-e-Ibn Wadhih of Ycaqoobi:
By the time Abu Zar arrived in Madina (riding that camel) the flesh
of both his thighs had been torn. He was presented to Uthman in an open
assembly. Uthman said to him : ?I have been told that you narrate a
hadeeth of the Prophet that when the number of the men of Banu Umayya (in
power) would come upto thirty, they would use Allah?s Kingdom as their
personal property, they would treat the worshippers of Allah as their
personal servants and would corrupt and mis-use Allah?s Law (for their
own advantage).? Abu Zar replied that, yes, he had heard the Prophet
saying all that. Uthman asked the assembly whether or not they all had
heard that hadeeth. He then called Imam Ali and asked him the same
question. Imam Ali confirmed what Abu Zar had said. Uthman then asked for
the evidence to that. Imam Ali said that the clearest evidence to that
was another statement of the Prophet in which he had said ??The skies
have not given shade to, and the earth has not carried any speaker more
truthful and honest than Abu Zar.? Only a few days had gone by after
that event that Uthman sent him a message that by Allah he would be
banished from Madina. Abu Zar (confronted Uthman) and said to him: ?Are you
going to banish me away from the City of the Prophet?? He replied ?
?Yes.? Abu Zar asked ??Are you going to send me off to Makka?? He said
??No.? Abu Zar then asked ? ?To Basra?? He said ?No.? Abu Zar then asked
? ?To Koofa, then?? He said ??No, I am going to throw you out to Rabza,
where you came form and, I wish you would die there.? Uthman then
turned to Marwan and ordered him to escort Abu Zar out of Madina and not to
let anyone else see him off or speak to him. So, Marwan put Abu Zar and
his daughter on a camel and escorted them out of Madina.

Before Uthman finally banished Abu Zar from Madinah, the two of them
clashed publicly on many occasions. Their dialogue is preserved in many
books. Uthman would want Abu Zar to stop his discourses, Abu Zar would
insist that what he was saying was nothing but verses from the Qur?an
and the sayings of the Prophet, and that he was only exhorting people to
keep the true Islamic teachings in view.
One day while Abu Zar was present in the Khaleefa?s presence, some
one brought the wealth left by Abdur-Rhman bin Awf into the Khaleefa?s
court. It was a huge sack full of precious metals, jewels and pearls.
The sack was so big that the man who had brought it was completely
hidden behind it. Also present in the court was a man named K?ab bin
Ahbaar.

Uthman uttered: ?I expect only good for ABdur-Rahman because he was a
hospitable person and he used to pay SADAQA regularly, even though he
has left all this wealth.?
K?ab Ahbaar responded: O Amir-al-Momineen you spoke the truth. He
earned clean wealth, spent clean wealth and left behind clean wealth. May
Allah give him goodness.?
Hearing this, Abu Zar picked up his stick and hit K?ab on the head
saying: ?O you son of a Jewish woman, are you going to teach us our
religion? A person who has left so much wealth, you expect good for him?
And then you expect good reward from Allah for all that? I have heard the
prophet saying with my own ears- I dislike that after me what I leave
behind may even be measured in grains.? Hearing this, Uthman became
angry and toild Abu Zar to go away from his presence. (this report is
taken from Mas?oodi?s Murooj az-Zahb, many similar reports exist in other
books too.)

Let us complete the story of Abu Zar?s last banishment
from Madina with a report from Murooj az-Zahb.
As Abu Zar was being escorted out of Madinah, Ali bin Abi Talib came
to see him off with his sons, his brother cAqeel, Abd Allah bin Jcafar,
and cAmmar Yasir. Marwan tried to stop them saying ? ?Let me tell you,
if you do not already know, that Ameer al-Mo?mineen Uthman has
prohibited everyone to come and see Abu Zar off.? Ali hit the camel Marwan was
riding and said ? ?Get out of my place, may Allah throw you in Hell
fire.? And Ali walked with Abu Zar. He cried and wept saying ? ?O Ahlul
Bayt, may Allah have Mercy upon you. O Abul Hasan, when I see you and
your children, I am reminded of the Prophet of Islam.? When Marwan
returned to Madinah he compalined to Uthman about Imam Ali. Uthman turned to
the people around him and said ??O Muslims, who is going to apologize on
behalf of Ali for what he had done to Marwan? He tried to hinder Marwan
from following my orders and did what Marwan has said. I am going to do
the same to Ali.? When Ali returned to his house after seeing Abu Zar
off, people came to him and said that the Ameer al-Mo?mineen was
furious at him. Ali said ? ?Ghazab al-khayl cala al-lajm.? That night
Ali met with Uthman and they had a conversation. He said to Ali ? ?Why
did you give Marwan cause for complaint, how dare you tried to stop my
messenger and my appointed official?? Ali replied ? ?When Marwan tried
to stop me, I moved him away, I have nothing against you.? Uthman said
? ?Didn?t you know that I had prohibited everyone not to go see Abu Zar
off or speak to him?? Ali said ? ?Do you think I should follow your
orders even if it is against Allah?s Will and the true path? By Allah, I
will never do that.? Uthman said ??You hit his camel.? Ali said ??Here
is my camel, he can take his revenge. However, if Marwan becomes
abusive to me, I will revert those words on you, and that will not be a lie,
it will all be the truth.? Uthman said ? ?If you will be abusive to
Marwan, he would become abusive to you. In my opinion you are not superior
to him.? That enraged Ali and he said angrily ? ?You are saying this
to me, and you are comparing me with Marwan? By Allah I am superior than
you are, my father was superior than your father could ever be, and my
mother was superior than your mother.? That made cUthman even angrier
and his face became all red and then he walked back inside his house,
and Ali too returned home. The next day Uthman complained to his
companions that Ali was speaking ill about him and that he was helping his
opponents like Abu Zar and Ammar Yasir.

THE PASSING AWAY OF ABU ZAR
Ibn Wadhih writes in his Tareekh Ycaqoobi : Abu Zar
stayed in Rabza until the time of his death. During the last moments of his
life, his daughter said to him ?? I am alone in this part of the
country and I am afraid that I will not be able to protect you from the wild
beasts.? Abu Zar replied ? ?Do not be afraid, in a few moments some
believing men would arrive here, do you see someone approaching?? The
daughter replied ??No, I do not see anyone coming.? Abu Zar said ??That
means I have a few more moments to live.? He repeated his question to
the daughter after a while. She said ??Yes, I see some riders
approaching.? Abu Zar said ??Allahu Akbar, Allah and his Prophet are really
truthful. Turn my face towards the Qibla. When these riders arrive here, say
my salam to them. When they are done with my funeral rites, have this
goat slaughtered for them and tell them that I have asked them under
oath not to leave without eating a meal.? With that statement, Abu Zar
breathed his last. When the riders arrived there, who were seven men
and among them were Malik Ashtar and Huzayfa al-Yaman, Abu Zar?s
daughter told them that her father, Abu Zar, the Companion of the Prophet of
Allah, had just died, and he is without anyone to take care of his
funeral. They all wept for Abu Zar. Then they gave him a funeral bath,
enshrouded him, prayed his funeral prayer and buried him. When they were all
done with that, Abu Zar?s daughter told them that before dying he had
left a message for them under oath that they should not leave without
having a meal. They slaughtered the goat, had a meal and then set of
towards Madinah taking Abu Zar?s daughter with them.


ABU ZAR?S THINKING ABOUT WEALTH
Many writers have discussed Abu Zar?s ideas about wealth
and collection of property. Some have gone on to label him as a
communist. However, it is clear that Abu Zar was a devout Muslims and he had
firm belief in Allah and the Prophet of Allah. Obviously, he could not
be a communist in the strictest sense of the term. Communism insists on
separating religion from politics completely, and God has no place in
communism.
Abu Zar?s ideas were also not congruent with those of
Mazdak. Much as he believed and preached the socialistic spirit of Islam,
he was a practicing Muslim.
The next point that we have to discuss is whether Abu Zar
was against hoarding just gold and silver or he was against amassing
all kinds of wealth regardless of its kind and shape.
Allama Manazir Ahsan Geelani insist that Abu Zar was
only against collecting gold and silver. Other historians and Muslims
scholars have taken the line that once all Islamic dues have been paid, a
Muslim can save all that is left.

However, Abu Zar?s actions and speeches point to the
following basic elements, which actually form the bottom line of Islamic
socialism:


If you are rich, then anything that is in excess from your needs,
find people who are in need, dispossessed and starving and fulfill their
legitimate needs. Be kind and compassionate to the less fortunate in
the society
Keep gold, silver and all other precious objects which can make or
break the social and national economy, should always be kept in
circulation.
If you have something which is not of your immediate need, find
someone who needs it immediately and give it to him/her.

The next question is: What was the source of Abu Zar?s
socialist thinking? It is very clear that Abu Zar was an Alim of the
Qur?an and he had taken the teachings of the Prophet of Islam to his heart.
Apart of the verses from Sura Tawba about hoarding that Abu Zar used to
recite frequently, the holy Qur?an is full of verses which exhort the
faithful about INFAAQ, or giving away of your wealth that is dear to
you, and which Allah has given to you out of His bounty.

Therefore, the basic idea that comes out of all this is,
all wealth belongs to Allah. One way to be grateful to your Lord his to
return a part of that bounty that you have received form Him is to
return it to him.
Of course, Allah has no need for our wealth, our food and
our property. Allah has made the poor, the needy and the dispossessed
as the object of that INFAAQ. Thus the faith of TAWHEED has been
connected with the social justice, human compassion and kindness to your
fellow being --- All this is for one purpose, that is, to bring about a
balanced society where all human beings can live with compassion, love
and cooperation.

The Prophet implemented that system by bringing in the
concept of Islamic brotherhood. In a Muslim society everyone looks after
everyone else?s needs, comforts and discomforts.
Abu Zar Ghifari had taken that concept to his heart and
he had become the epitome of that philosophy.


BOOKS FOR FURTHER READING
Abu Dhar al-Ghifari, by Kamal al-Syyed, translated by Jasim
al-Alyawy, Published by: Ansariyan Foundation ,PO Box 37185 / 187, Qum, Iran

Abu Dhar al-Ghifari by Abdullah al-Subayti (Arabic text)

Al-Ishteraki al-Zahid by Adul-Hameed Jawdat-as-Sahhaar (Arabic text)

Hazrat Abu Dhar al-Ghifari by Allama Manazir Ahsan Geelani (urdu
text)