Abu Hurairah (also known as
`Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr Al-Azdi ,
Abu Hurayrah, or
Abu Horaira) (603 – 681) was a
companionIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
of the Islamic prophet
MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and the
narratorA narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
of
HadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
most quoted in the
isnad by Sunnis.
Early life
Abu Hurairah was born in Baha,
YemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
into the
Banu DawsThe Banu Daws was one of the tribes of Arabia during Muhammad's era. Located south of Mecca, the tribe numbered among its leadersTufayl ibn Amr, one of Muhammad's companions....
tribe from the region of Tihamah on the coast of the
Red SeaThe Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. His father had died, leaving him with only his mother and no other relatives. His name at birth was
Abd al-Shams (servant of the sun). However, as a child, he had a cat and became known as "Abu Hurairah" (which literally means "Father of the Kitten" or more idiomatically "Of the kitten").
As a young man, he worked for Bushra bint Ghazwan.
In speeches and lectures, in Friday
khutbahs and seminars, in the books of
hadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
and
sirah,
fiqhFiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
and
ibadahThe Arabic word ibadah or ibada, usually translated "worship", is connected with related words literally meaning "slavery", and has connotations of obedience, submission, and humility. In terms of Islam, ibadah is the ultimate obedience, the ultimate submission, and the ultimate humility to Allah ...
, the name Abu Hurairah is mentioned in this fashion:
- "On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him
Radhiallahu 'anhu is an Arabic phrase meaning, "May God Be Pleased With Him." This phrase is usually uttered after a Companion's name. There are grammatical variations used after the names of female companions or when more than one person is mentioned at the same time...
, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peacePeace be upon him is a phrase that practising Muslims often say after saying the name of a prophet of Islam. There are three variants of this phrase in Arabic:...
, said …".
Through this phrase millions of Muslims, from the early history of Islam to the present, have come to be familiar with the name Abu Hurairah.
Conversion
Abu Hurairah embraced Islam through
Tufayl ibn AmrAl-Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi was the chief of the Banu Daws tribe from Tihama in pre-Quranic times. He accepted Islam before the hijra and helped propagate Islam among his fellow tribesmen. During the Riddah wars, he led a contingent of his people against the impostor Mosailima. In the Battle of...
the chieftain of his tribe.
Tufayl had returned to his village after meeting
MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and become a
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
in the early years of his mission. Abu Hurairah was one of the first to respond to his call, unlike the majority of Tufayl's tribesmen.
Abu Hurairah accompanied Tufayl to
MeccaMecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
to meet Muhammad who renamed him
Abd al-Rahman (servant of the Merciful, one of the 99 Names of God). Abu Hurairah then returned to his tribe for several years.
Medina and Mecca
In 629 he went to
MedinaMedina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
with some others from his tribe. Since Muhammad was absent due to the
Battle of KhaybarThe Battle of Khaybar was fought in the year 629 between Muhammad and his followers against the Jews living in the oasis of Khaybar, located from Medina in the north-western part of the Arabian peninsula, in modern-day Saudi Arabia....
, he stayed in the masjid.
He had a wife named Bushra; the proof of this is in Fadi'l Aa'mal.
His mother, who was still a polytheist, was with him. He prayed for her to become a Muslim, but she refused. Sunni sources report:
One day, he again invited his mother to believe in the One GodAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
and His ProphetMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. She answered with some bad words about the ProphetMuslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
. Abu Hurairah went to the Prophet with tears in his eyes. “Why are you crying, Abu Hurairah?” asked the Prophet.
“I always invite my mother to IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and she always refuses,” said Abu Hurairah. “I asked her again today. But she said some things about you that made me sad. Can you pray to Allah for her to turn to Islam?”
The Prophet prayed for Abu Hurairah’s mother to accept Islam. When Abu Hurairah went home, he found the door closed. He heard the splashing of waterGhusl is an Arabic term referring to the full ablution required in Islam for various rituals and prayers. The ablution becomes mandatory for any adult Muslim after having sexual intercourse, any sexual discharge , completion of the menstrual cycle, giving birth, and death by natural causes.Islam...
. He tried to enter the house, but his mother said, “Wait a minute. Don’t come in yet.” Then she got dressed and said, “You can come in now.”
When Abu Hurairah went inside, his mother said, “I declare that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.”The Shahada , means "to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed"/testification; it is the name of the Islamic creed. The shahada is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet...
Abu Hurairah again went to the Prophet crying. But this time his tears were tears of joy. “I have good news, Rasul'Allah,” he said. “Allah has answered your prayer and guided my mother to Islam.”
Abu Hurairah, with other Muslims, suffered from hunger when the Muslims were poor in Medina.
When I was afflicted with severe hunger, I would go to a companion of the Prophet and asked him about an ayahAyah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
of the Qur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
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-Khattab 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!" "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 as-Suffah and invite them." Abu Hurairah did as he was told and they all drank from the milk.
Abu Hurairah then spent one year and ten months with Muhammad in Medina, before the Prophet's death on 8 June 632 in Medina.
Death and legacy
Abu Hurairah died in 681 at the age of 78.
Of the hadith held as authentic by the Sunnis, Abu Hurairah is the most quoted person in men. Next to him come the names of such companions as Abdullah ibn Umar,
Anas ibn MalikAnas bin Malik ibn Nadar al-Khazraji Al-Ansari was a well-known sahabi of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.He was an Ansar of the Banu Khazraj . He is not to be confused with Malik ibn Anas. Anas ibn Malik, the last of the Companions of the Prophet died at al-Basrah in 93 AH aged 103.-Muhammad's...
,
Jabir ibn AbdullahJabir ibn Abdullah is the name of:*Jabir ibn Abd-Allah , a prominent companion of Muhammad and his descendants, the Shi'a Imams*Jaber I Al-Sabah , son of Abdullah bin Sabah...
and Abu Said al-Khudri all of whom transmitted over a thousand sayings of Muhammad.
He is quoted saying:
“I grew up as an orphan. I emigrated as a poor person. I used to serve Gazevan’s daughter, Bushra. I served others when they stopped on the road. I drove the camels on the road. Then Allah made it possible for me to marry Bushra. Praise be to Allah who has strengthened His religion and made me an imam (leader).”
His daughter married
Said ibn Al-MusayyibSaid Ibn Al-Musayyib lived in Medina was among the foremost authorities in hadith, jurisprudence and Quranic interpretation among the Taba'een ....
.
Sunni view
A majority of the Sunni scholars consider Abu Hurairah to be one of the major trustworthy narrators of
HadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
. They believe that he was blessed with an unfailing memory, a miracle from God that was bestowed upon him after
MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
prayed for him. They depict him as a man living an ascetic and humble life, cherishing knowledge and worship. They also disagree with the Shia belief that he harbored any ill will against the
Ahl al-BaytAhl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
.
Shi'a view
Shi'a tradition rejects the authenticity of Abu Hurairah's hadith, seldom accepting only when there are similar hadith narrated by
SahabahIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
(companions) and family of Muhammad who are considered reliable by Shi'a. They consider him an enemy of Imam Ali, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain, due to having been in favor of Mu'awiya according to Shia sources, and thus hold him in low regard.
See also
- Sunni view of the Sahaba
- Dhikr
Dhikr , plural ; ), is an Islamic devotional act, typically involving the repetition of the Names of God, supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Dhikr is usually done individually, but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity...
- Salat
Salah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Islam and of the 7 pillars of Musta'lī Ismailis...
{{POV|date=October 2009}}
{{Muslim scholars-01}}
Abu Hurairah ({{lang-ar|أبو هريرة}}), (also known as `Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr Al-Azdi ({{lang-ar|عبدالرحمن بن صخر الأزدي}}), Abu Hurayrah, or Abu Horaira) (603 – 681) was a companionIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
of the Islamic prophet MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and the narratorA narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
of HadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
most quoted in the isnad by Sunnis.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}
Early life
Abu Hurairah was born in Baha, YemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
into the Banu DawsThe Banu Daws was one of the tribes of Arabia during Muhammad's era. Located south of Mecca, the tribe numbered among its leadersTufayl ibn Amr, one of Muhammad's companions....
tribe from the region of Tihamah on the coast of the Red SeaThe Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. His father had died, leaving him with only his mother and no other relatives. His name at birth was Abd al-Shams (servant of the sun). However, as a child, he had a cat and became known as "Abu Hurairah" (which literally means "Father of the Kitten" or more idiomatically "Of the kitten").
As a young man, he worked for Bushra bint Ghazwan.
In speeches and lectures, in Friday khutbahs and seminars, in the books of hadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
and sirah, fiqhFiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
and ibadahThe Arabic word ibadah or ibada, usually translated "worship", is connected with related words literally meaning "slavery", and has connotations of obedience, submission, and humility. In terms of Islam, ibadah is the ultimate obedience, the ultimate submission, and the ultimate humility to Allah ...
, the name Abu Hurairah is mentioned in this fashion:
- "On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him
Radhiallahu 'anhu is an Arabic phrase meaning, "May God Be Pleased With Him." This phrase is usually uttered after a Companion's name. There are grammatical variations used after the names of female companions or when more than one person is mentioned at the same time...
, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peacePeace be upon him is a phrase that practising Muslims often say after saying the name of a prophet of Islam. There are three variants of this phrase in Arabic:...
, said …".
Through this phrase millions of Muslims, from the early history of Islam to the present, have come to be familiar with the name Abu Hurairah.
Conversion
Abu Hurairah embraced Islam through Tufayl ibn AmrAl-Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi was the chief of the Banu Daws tribe from Tihama in pre-Quranic times. He accepted Islam before the hijra and helped propagate Islam among his fellow tribesmen. During the Riddah wars, he led a contingent of his people against the impostor Mosailima. In the Battle of...
the chieftain of his tribe.
Tufayl had returned to his village after meeting MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and become a MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
in the early years of his mission. Abu Hurairah was one of the first to respond to his call, unlike the majority of Tufayl's tribesmen.
Abu Hurairah accompanied Tufayl to MeccaMecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
to meet Muhammad who renamed him Abd al-Rahman (servant of the Merciful, one of the 99 Names of God). Abu Hurairah then returned to his tribe for several years.
Medina and Mecca
In 629 he went to MedinaMedina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
with some others from his tribe. Since Muhammad was absent due to the Battle of KhaybarThe Battle of Khaybar was fought in the year 629 between Muhammad and his followers against the Jews living in the oasis of Khaybar, located from Medina in the north-western part of the Arabian peninsula, in modern-day Saudi Arabia....
, he stayed in the masjid.
He had a wife named Bushra; the proof of this is in Fadi'l Aa'mal.
His mother, who was still a polytheist, was with him. He prayed for her to become a Muslim, but she refused. Sunni sources report:
One day, he again invited his mother to believe in the One GodAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
and His ProphetMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. She answered with some bad words about the ProphetMuslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
. Abu Hurairah went to the Prophet with tears in his eyes. “Why are you crying, Abu Hurairah?” asked the Prophet.
“I always invite my mother to IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and she always refuses,” said Abu Hurairah. “I asked her again today. But she said some things about you that made me sad. Can you pray to Allah for her to turn to Islam?”
The Prophet prayed for Abu Hurairah’s mother to accept Islam. When Abu Hurairah went home, he found the door closed. He heard the splashing of waterGhusl is an Arabic term referring to the full ablution required in Islam for various rituals and prayers. The ablution becomes mandatory for any adult Muslim after having sexual intercourse, any sexual discharge , completion of the menstrual cycle, giving birth, and death by natural causes.Islam...
. He tried to enter the house, but his mother said, “Wait a minute. Don’t come in yet.” Then she got dressed and said, “You can come in now.”
When Abu Hurairah went inside, his mother said, “I declare that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.”The Shahada , means "to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed"/testification; it is the name of the Islamic creed. The shahada is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet...
Abu Hurairah again went to the Prophet crying. But this time his tears were tears of joy. “I have good news, Rasul'Allah,” he said. “Allah has answered your prayer and guided my mother to Islam.”
Abu Hurairah, with other Muslims, suffered from hunger when the Muslims were poor in Medina.
When I was afflicted with severe hunger, I would go to a companion of the Prophet and asked him about an ayahAyah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
of the Qur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
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-Khattab 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!" "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 as-Suffah and invite them." Abu Hurairah did as he was told and they all drank from the milk.
Abu Hurairah then spent one year and ten months with Muhammad in Medina, before the Prophet's death on 8 June 632 in Medina.
Death and legacy
Abu Hurairah died in 681 at the age of 78.
Of the hadith held as authentic by the Sunnis, Abu Hurairah is the most quoted person in men. Next to him come the names of such companions as Abdullah ibn Umar, Anas ibn MalikAnas bin Malik ibn Nadar al-Khazraji Al-Ansari was a well-known sahabi of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.He was an Ansar of the Banu Khazraj . He is not to be confused with Malik ibn Anas. Anas ibn Malik, the last of the Companions of the Prophet died at al-Basrah in 93 AH aged 103.-Muhammad's...
, Jabir ibn AbdullahJabir ibn Abdullah is the name of:*Jabir ibn Abd-Allah , a prominent companion of Muhammad and his descendants, the Shi'a Imams*Jaber I Al-Sabah , son of Abdullah bin Sabah...
and Abu Said al-Khudri all of whom transmitted over a thousand sayings of Muhammad.
He is quoted saying:
“I grew up as an orphan. I emigrated as a poor person. I used to serve Gazevan’s daughter, Bushra. I served others when they stopped on the road. I drove the camels on the road. Then Allah made it possible for me to marry Bushra. Praise be to Allah who has strengthened His religion and made me an imam (leader).”
His daughter married Said ibn Al-MusayyibSaid Ibn Al-Musayyib lived in Medina was among the foremost authorities in hadith, jurisprudence and Quranic interpretation among the Taba'een ....
.
Sunni view
{{Main|Sunni view of Abu Huraira}}
A majority of the Sunni scholars consider Abu Hurairah to be one of the major trustworthy narrators of HadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
. They believe that he was blessed with an unfailing memory, a miracle from God that was bestowed upon him after MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
prayed for him. They depict him as a man living an ascetic and humble life, cherishing knowledge and worship. They also disagree with the Shia belief that he harbored any ill will against the Ahl al-BaytAhl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
.
Shi'a view
{{Main|Shi'a view of the Sahaba}}
{{Merge to|Shi'a view of the Sahaba|date=August 2010}}
Shi'a tradition rejects the authenticity of Abu Hurairah's hadith, seldom accepting only when there are similar hadith narrated by SahabahIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
(companions) and family of Muhammad who are considered reliable by Shi'a. They consider him an enemy of Imam Ali, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain, due to having been in favor of Mu'awiya according to Shia sources, and thus hold him in low regard.
See also
- Sunni view of the Sahaba
- Dhikr
Dhikr , plural ; ), is an Islamic devotional act, typically involving the repetition of the Names of God, supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Dhikr is usually done individually, but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity...
- Salat
Salah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Islam and of the 7 pillars of Musta'lī Ismailis...
{{POV|date=October 2009}}
{{Muslim scholars-01}}
Abu Hurairah ({{lang-ar|أبو هريرة}}), (also known as `Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr Al-Azdi ({{lang-ar|عبدالرحمن بن صخر الأزدي}}), Abu Hurayrah, or Abu Horaira) (603 – 681) was a companionIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
of the Islamic prophet MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and the narratorA narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
of HadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
most quoted in the isnad by Sunnis.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}
Early life
Abu Hurairah was born in Baha, YemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
into the Banu DawsThe Banu Daws was one of the tribes of Arabia during Muhammad's era. Located south of Mecca, the tribe numbered among its leadersTufayl ibn Amr, one of Muhammad's companions....
tribe from the region of Tihamah on the coast of the Red SeaThe Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. His father had died, leaving him with only his mother and no other relatives. His name at birth was Abd al-Shams (servant of the sun). However, as a child, he had a cat and became known as "Abu Hurairah" (which literally means "Father of the Kitten" or more idiomatically "Of the kitten").
As a young man, he worked for Bushra bint Ghazwan.
In speeches and lectures, in Friday khutbahs and seminars, in the books of hadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
and sirah, fiqhFiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
and ibadahThe Arabic word ibadah or ibada, usually translated "worship", is connected with related words literally meaning "slavery", and has connotations of obedience, submission, and humility. In terms of Islam, ibadah is the ultimate obedience, the ultimate submission, and the ultimate humility to Allah ...
, the name Abu Hurairah is mentioned in this fashion:
- "On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him
Radhiallahu 'anhu is an Arabic phrase meaning, "May God Be Pleased With Him." This phrase is usually uttered after a Companion's name. There are grammatical variations used after the names of female companions or when more than one person is mentioned at the same time...
, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peacePeace be upon him is a phrase that practising Muslims often say after saying the name of a prophet of Islam. There are three variants of this phrase in Arabic:...
, said …".
Through this phrase millions of Muslims, from the early history of Islam to the present, have come to be familiar with the name Abu Hurairah.
Conversion
Abu Hurairah embraced Islam through Tufayl ibn AmrAl-Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi was the chief of the Banu Daws tribe from Tihama in pre-Quranic times. He accepted Islam before the hijra and helped propagate Islam among his fellow tribesmen. During the Riddah wars, he led a contingent of his people against the impostor Mosailima. In the Battle of...
the chieftain of his tribe.
Tufayl had returned to his village after meeting MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and become a MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
in the early years of his mission. Abu Hurairah was one of the first to respond to his call, unlike the majority of Tufayl's tribesmen.
Abu Hurairah accompanied Tufayl to MeccaMecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
to meet Muhammad who renamed him Abd al-Rahman (servant of the Merciful, one of the 99 Names of God). Abu Hurairah then returned to his tribe for several years.
Medina and Mecca
In 629 he went to MedinaMedina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
with some others from his tribe. Since Muhammad was absent due to the Battle of KhaybarThe Battle of Khaybar was fought in the year 629 between Muhammad and his followers against the Jews living in the oasis of Khaybar, located from Medina in the north-western part of the Arabian peninsula, in modern-day Saudi Arabia....
, he stayed in the masjid.
He had a wife named Bushra; the proof of this is in Fadi'l Aa'mal.
His mother, who was still a polytheist, was with him. He prayed for her to become a Muslim, but she refused. Sunni sources report:
One day, he again invited his mother to believe in the One GodAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
and His ProphetMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. She answered with some bad words about the ProphetMuslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
. Abu Hurairah went to the Prophet with tears in his eyes. “Why are you crying, Abu Hurairah?” asked the Prophet.
“I always invite my mother to IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and she always refuses,” said Abu Hurairah. “I asked her again today. But she said some things about you that made me sad. Can you pray to Allah for her to turn to Islam?”
The Prophet prayed for Abu Hurairah’s mother to accept Islam. When Abu Hurairah went home, he found the door closed. He heard the splashing of waterGhusl is an Arabic term referring to the full ablution required in Islam for various rituals and prayers. The ablution becomes mandatory for any adult Muslim after having sexual intercourse, any sexual discharge , completion of the menstrual cycle, giving birth, and death by natural causes.Islam...
. He tried to enter the house, but his mother said, “Wait a minute. Don’t come in yet.” Then she got dressed and said, “You can come in now.”
When Abu Hurairah went inside, his mother said, “I declare that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.”The Shahada , means "to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed"/testification; it is the name of the Islamic creed. The shahada is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet...
Abu Hurairah again went to the Prophet crying. But this time his tears were tears of joy. “I have good news, Rasul'Allah,” he said. “Allah has answered your prayer and guided my mother to Islam.”
Abu Hurairah, with other Muslims, suffered from hunger when the Muslims were poor in Medina.
When I was afflicted with severe hunger, I would go to a companion of the Prophet and asked him about an ayahAyah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
of the Qur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
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-Khattab 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!" "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 as-Suffah and invite them." Abu Hurairah did as he was told and they all drank from the milk.
Abu Hurairah then spent one year and ten months with Muhammad in Medina, before the Prophet's death on 8 June 632 in Medina.
Death and legacy
Abu Hurairah died in 681 at the age of 78.
Of the hadith held as authentic by the Sunnis, Abu Hurairah is the most quoted person in men. Next to him come the names of such companions as Abdullah ibn Umar, Anas ibn MalikAnas bin Malik ibn Nadar al-Khazraji Al-Ansari was a well-known sahabi of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.He was an Ansar of the Banu Khazraj . He is not to be confused with Malik ibn Anas. Anas ibn Malik, the last of the Companions of the Prophet died at al-Basrah in 93 AH aged 103.-Muhammad's...
, Jabir ibn AbdullahJabir ibn Abdullah is the name of:*Jabir ibn Abd-Allah , a prominent companion of Muhammad and his descendants, the Shi'a Imams*Jaber I Al-Sabah , son of Abdullah bin Sabah...
and Abu Said al-Khudri all of whom transmitted over a thousand sayings of Muhammad.
He is quoted saying:
“I grew up as an orphan. I emigrated as a poor person. I used to serve Gazevan’s daughter, Bushra. I served others when they stopped on the road. I drove the camels on the road. Then Allah made it possible for me to marry Bushra. Praise be to Allah who has strengthened His religion and made me an imam (leader).”
His daughter married Said ibn Al-MusayyibSaid Ibn Al-Musayyib lived in Medina was among the foremost authorities in hadith, jurisprudence and Quranic interpretation among the Taba'een ....
.
Sunni view
{{Main|Sunni view of Abu Huraira}}
A majority of the Sunni scholars consider Abu Hurairah to be one of the major trustworthy narrators of HadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
. They believe that he was blessed with an unfailing memory, a miracle from God that was bestowed upon him after MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
prayed for him. They depict him as a man living an ascetic and humble life, cherishing knowledge and worship. They also disagree with the Shia belief that he harbored any ill will against the Ahl al-BaytAhl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
.
Shi'a view
{{Main|Shi'a view of the Sahaba}}
{{Merge to|Shi'a view of the Sahaba|date=August 2010}}
Shi'a tradition rejects the authenticity of Abu Hurairah's hadith, seldom accepting only when there are similar hadith narrated by SahabahIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
(companions) and family of Muhammad who are considered reliable by Shi'a. They consider him an enemy of Imam Ali, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain, due to having been in favor of Mu'awiya according to Shia sources, and thus hold him in low regard.
See also
- Sunni view of the Sahaba
- Dhikr
Dhikr , plural ; ), is an Islamic devotional act, typically involving the repetition of the Names of God, supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Dhikr is usually done individually, but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity...
- Salat
Salah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Islam and of the 7 pillars of Musta'lī Ismailis...
- {{transl
Sabr or Sabur is the Islamic virtue of "patience" or "endurance". Sabr is characterized as being one of the two parts of faith . Its practice challenges, and to remain spiritually steadfast.-Etymology:...
- Quran
- Al-Asr
Sūrat al-‘Aṣr is the 103rd sūrah of the Qur’ān. It contains three āyāt, and is believed to be an early Meccan sura . Surat al-‘Asr is the second shortest sura, after al-Kawthar...
- Sadaqah
or Saddka is an Islamic term that means "voluntary charity".This concept encompasses any act of giving out of compassion, love, friendship or generosity.-Hadith on Sadaqah/Saddka:...
External links
{{Sahaba}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2010}}
{{Persondata
|name= Abu Hurairah
|alternative names=
|short description=
|date of birth= 603
|place of birth=
|date of death= 681
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Hurairah}}