The historians stated: ‘Abu Hurairah preserved for the Ummah of Islaam more than one thousand and six hundred Hadeeth from amongst the Ahaadeeth of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم’.
There is no doubt that you know this sparkling star from amongst the Sahaabah (companions) of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and indeed can there be anyone from the Ummah of Islaam that does not know of Abu Hurairah (ra)? In the times of Jaahilliyah (Pre-Islaam) he was called by the name of Abd Shams and then when Allah سبحانه وتعالى blessed him with Islaam and honored him with the meeting of the Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم he صلى الله عليه وسلم asked him: ‘What is your name’? So he said: ‘Abd Shams’ (Slave of the sun). So he صلى الله عليه وسلم said to him: ‘Rather you are Abdur Rahmaan’. So he said: ‘Yes, Abdur Rahmaan, by my Father and Father O Messenger of Allah’. As for his nickname of Abu Hurairah then the reason for this is that when he was young he had a small cat that he would play with and due to this those of similar age to him would call him Abu Hurairah (The father of the small cat). This then spread and became well known until it overtook his real name. Then when the reasons for this connected to the own reasons of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم himself, he صلى الله عليه وسلم began calling him frequently with the name of ‘Abu Hirr’ (Father of the cat) as a gesture of affection towards him. So he began to prefer Abu Hirr over Abu Hurairah and he said: ‘My beloved the Messenger of Allah called me by it and the Hirr is male whilst the Hurairah is female and the masculine is better (more appropriate) than the female’.
Abu Hurairah became Muslim through the Da’wah of At-Tufail Bin ‘Amr Ad-Dausi and he remained in the land of his people until six years after Hijrah when he was part of a delegation of his people sent to meet the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم in Al-Madinah. From that time on the young man of Ad-Dausi was in the service of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and was in his companionship. So he took the Masjid as his place of residence and the Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم as his teacher and Imaam and this was possible for him as he did not have a wife or children throughout the lifetime of the Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم. He only had an elderly mother who insisted upon polytheism (Shirk) and he would continue to call her to Islaam showing her compassion and dutifulness but she would run from it and block it. So he left her whilst his heart was full of sadness for her. One day he invited her to believe in Allah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and then she responded by saying something against the Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم that saddened him and caused him pain. He then went to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and he was crying. So the Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said to him: ‘What has caused you to cry O Hurairah?’ So he said: I would regularly invite my mother to embrace Islaam but she would refuse. And I invited her again today and she caused me to hear that which I hate in relation to you (i.e. insult). So make Du’aa to Allah for the heart of the mother of Abu Hurairah to be inclined (towards Islaam)’. So the Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم made Du’aa for her. Abu Hurairah said: ‘I went home and found the door closed. I heard the splashing of water and when I tried to enter my mother said, ‘Stay where you are, O Abu Hurairah.’ And after putting on her clothes, she said, ‘Enter!’ I entered and she said, ‘I testify that there is no Allah but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger’.’I returned to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم weeping with joy just as an hour before I had been weeping from sadness and said: ‘I have glad tidings, O Messenger of Allah. Allah has answered your Du’aa and guided the mother of Abu Hurairah to Islaam’.
Abu Hurairah (ra) held immense love for the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and this love ran in his veins. He would never tire from looking at the one whose face appeared to him as having all the radiance and beauty of the sun. He would praise Allah سبحانه وتعالى for all the favours that He had bestowed upon him in terms of companionship to His Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم and the following of His Deen. He would say:
All praise is to Allah who guided Abu Hurairah to Islaam.
All praise is to Allah who taught Abu Hurairah Al-Qur’aan.
All praise to Allah who bestowed the favour of companionship to Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.
And just as Abu Hurairah (ra) was passionate about the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم he was also passionate about attaining knowledge and made this the objective that he aimed for. Zaid Bin Thaabit (ra) said: ‘While I, Abu Hurairah and a companion of mine were in the Masjid praying to Allah Almighty and performing Dhikr to Him, the Messenger of Allah came upon us. He came towards us until he sat among us. We became silent and he said: ‘Carry on with what you were doing’. So my friend and I made a supplication to Allah before Abu Hurairah did and the Prophet began to say Ameen to our Du’aa. Then Abu Hurairah made a supplication saying: ‘O Lord, I ask You for what my two companions have asked and I ask You for knowledge which will not be forgotten.’
“The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ‘Ameen.’ We then said: ‘And we ask Allah for knowledge which will not be forgotten’ so the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied: ‘The Dawsi youth has beaten you to this Du’aa’.
Just as Abu Hurairah (ra) loved knowledge for himself he also loved knowledge for others as well. One day he was passing through the market of Al-Madinah and he was alarmed by how the people busied themselves with the Dunyaa and how they were engrossed in buying and selling, taking and giving. So he stopped by them and said: “What has made you so feeble O people of Madinah!” he said. “What do you see that is feeble in us, Abu Hurairah?” they asked.
“The inheritance of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم is being distributed and you remain here! Won’t you go and take your portion?” “Where is this, O Abu Hurairah?” they asked.”In the Masjid,” he replied. They then left quickly and Abu Hurairah waited for them to return. When they saw him, they said: “O Abu Hurairah, we went to the Masjid and entered and we did not see anything being distributed”. “Didn’t you see anyone in the Masjid?” he asked.”O yes, we saw some people performing Salaah, some people reading the Qur’an and some people discussing the Halaal and the Haraam”. He replied: “Woe unto you! That is the inheritance of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.”
And Abu Hurairah (ra) suffered due to his dedication to seeking knowledge and due to leaving that that would prevent him from attending the knowledge gatherings of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, in a way that others did not suffer in terms of severe hunger and roughness of life.
When I was afflicted with severe hunger, I would go to a companion of the Prophet and asked him about an Aayah of the Qur’aan and (stay with him) learning it so that he would take me with him to his house and give food. One day, my hunger became so severe that I placed a stone on my stomach. I then sat down in the path of the companions. Abu Bakr passed by and I asked him about an ayah of the Book of God. I only asked him so that he would invite me but he didn’t. Then Umar Ibn al-Khattaab passed by me and I asked him about an ayah but he also did not invite me. Then the Messenger of Allah passed by and realized that I was hungry and said: Abu Hurairah! I replied: ‘At your command’: I replied and followed him until we entered his house. He found a bowl of milk and asked his family: “From where did you get this?” “Someone sent it to you” they replied. He then said to me: “O Abu Hurairah, go to the Ahl us-Suffah and invite them.” I said to myself: ‘What benefit will this amount of milk bring to the Ahl us-Suffah?’ And I had been hoping to drink from it for my strength to return. I went to the Ahl us-Suffah and invited them so they all came and sat in the presence of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم who said: ‘Take it O Abu Hurairah and give it to them’. I then began to provide it to the man to drink until it was narrated that all of them had drunk from it. So I took the bowl and gave it to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and then he raised his head smiling and said: ‘Just you and I are remaining’. I replied: That is the truth of Messenger of Allah’. He said: ‘Then drink’ so I drank and then said: ‘Drink’ so I drank (again) and kept on saying: ‘Drink’ so I drank until I said: By the one who has sent you with the truth and I cannot drink anymore and so he صلى الله عليه وسلم took the bowl from me and drank from the remainder.
He did not stay for a long period upon that (deprived) condition until wealth began to come into Al-Madinah due to the spoils of the conquests and so Abu Hurairah (ra) attained wealth, a house and belongings, wife and child. However all of this did not change anything about his noble character and it did not make him forget the days that he had nothing.
I grew up as an orphan and I emigrated as a poor and indigent person. I used to take food for my stomach from Busrah bint Ghazwan. I served people when they returned from journeys and led their camels when they set out. Then Allah caused me to marry her (Busrah). So praise be to Allah who has strengthened his religion and made Abu Hurairah an Imam.” (This last statement is a reference to the time when he became governor of Madinah).
And Abu Hurairah was appointed as the Wali (governor) of Al-Madinah by Mu’aawiyah Bin Abi Sufyaan on more than one occasion but the position of ruling did not change anything from his sublime nature. On one occasion when he was the Wali he was walking upon one of the streets of Al-Madinah and he was carrying firewood upon his back for his family. He passed by Tha’labah Bin Maalik and said to him: Make space on the road for the Ameer O Ibn Maalik. He replied: May Allah’s mercy be upon you, is this space not enough for you? So he said: Make space on the road for the Ameer and the package that is upon his back.
In addition to his great knowledge and high character he was also characterised by his Taqwaa and piety. He used to fast the days and stay up in prayer for a third of the night, he would then wake his wife and stand for a second third of the night and then finally wake his daughter and pray the last third of the night. So the Ibaadah did not stop in his household throughout the night. His daughter on one occasion said to him: O Father the girls reproach me and say: Why does your father not adorn you with gold jewellery?! So he said: O daughter say to them: Because my father fears for me the heat of the flames (of hell). The fact that Abu Hurairah refrained from adorning his daughter with jewellery did not mean that he coveted money and held it close to himself because he used to be free with his hand when spending in the way of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. On one occasion Marwan Bin Al-Hakam sent one hundred Dinars of gold to him and the next day he wrote to him saying: ‘My servant made an error and as a result I gave you the Dinars but I did not intend for you to be the recipient but rather someone else’ and as a result of this error it fell into the hands of Abu Hurairah. He replied and said: ‘I have already spent it all in the way of Allah and not a single Dinar remains of it so when my share is apportioned from the Bait ul-Maal (State treasury) take recompense from it. Marwan had only done this in order to test Abu Hurairah and when he investigated the matter he found that it was true as Abu Hurairah had stated.
Throughout his life Abu Hurayrah remained kind and courteous to his mother. Whenever he wanted to leave home, he would stand at the door of her room and say: “As-salamu alaykum, yaa Ummatah (My mother), wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu.” She would reply: “Wa alayka as-salam, yaa bunayya (My son), wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu”. Often, he would also say: “May Allah have mercy on you as you cared for me when I was small,” and she would reply: “May Allah have mercy on you as you delivered me from error when I was old.” He would do this every time that he would return to his house and Abu Hurayrah always encouraged other people in the strongest of ways to be kind and good to their parents and to keep good ties with relations.
One day he saw two men walking together, one older than the other. He asked the younger one: “What is this man to you?” “My father,” the person replied. “Don’t call him by his name. Don’t walk in front of him and don’t sit before him,” advised Abu Hurairah.
When Abu Hurairah was in his final sickness before death he began to cry and so he was asked: What has caused you to cry O Abu Hurairah? So he replied: As for me then I am not weeping over this Dunyaa but rather I am weeping due to the distance of the journey and the little provisions that I have to take with me. I am standing at the end of the road that will lead me to either Jannah or the fire and I do not know in which of these two places that I will be.
Marwan Bin Al-Hakam visited him and said: May Allah cure you, O Abu Hurairah. So he said: O Allah I love to meet you so please love to meet me and hasten it. Marwan had just about left his house when Abu Hurairah (ra) left this life.
May Allah’s wide mercy be upon Abu Hurairah. He preserved more than one thousand and six hundred Hadeeth of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and may Allah grant him a great reward for his service to Islaam and the Muslims.