He was one of the first eight persons to accept Islam. He was one of the ten persons
(al-asharatu-l mubashshirin) who were assured of entering Paradise. He was one of
the six persons chosen by Umar to form the council of shura to choose the Khalifah
after his death.
His name in Jahiliyyah days was Abu Amr. But when he accepted Islam the noble Prophet
called him Abdur-Rahman - the servant of the Beneficent God.
Abdur-Rahman became a Muslim before the Prophet entered the house of al-Arqam. In
fact it is said that he accepted Islam only two days after Abu Bakr as-Siddiq did
so.
Abdur-Rahman did not escape the punishment which the early Muslims suffered at the
hands of the Quraysh. He bore this punishment with steadfastness as they did. He
remained firm as they did. And when they were compelled to leave Makkah for Abyssinia
because of the continuous and unbearable persecution, Abdur-Rahman also went. He
returned to Makkah when it was rumored that conditions for the Muslims had improved
but, when these rumors proved to be false, he left again for Abyssinia on a second
hijrah. From Makkah once again he made the hijrah to Madinah.
Soon after arriving in Madinah, the Prophet in his unique manner began pairing off
the Muhajirin and the Ansar. This established a firm bond of brotherhood and was
meant to strengthen social cohesion and ease the destitution of the Muhajirin. Abdur-Rahman
was linked by the Prophet with Sad ibn ar-Rabi'ah. Sad in the spirit of generosity
and magnanimity with which the Ansar greeted the Muhajirin, said to Abdur-Rahman:
"My brother! Among the people of Madinah I have the most wealth. I have two orchards
and I have two wives. See which of the two orchards you like and I shall vacate
it for you and which of my two wives is pleasing to you and I will divorce her for
you."
Abdur-Rahman must have been embarrassed and said in reply: "May God bless you in
your family and your wealth. But just show me where the suq is.."
Abdur-Rahman went to the market-place and began trading with whatever little resources
he had. He bought and sold and his profits grew rapidly. Soon he was sufficiently
well off and was able to get married. He went to the noble Prophet with the scent
of perfume lingering over him.
"Mahyarn, O Abdur-Rahman!" exclaimed the Prophet - "mahyam" being a word of Yemeni
origin which indicates pleasant surprise.
"I have got married," replied Abdur-Rahman. "And what did you give your wife as
mahr?" "The weight of a nuwat in gold."
"You must have a walimah (wedding feast) even if it is with a single sheep. And
may Allah bless you in your wealth," said the Prophet with obvious pleasure and
encouragement.
Thereafter Abdur-Rahman grew so accustomed to business success that he said if he
lifted a stone he expected to find gold or silver under it!
Abdur-Rahman distinguished himself in both the battles of Badr and Uhud. At Uhud
he remained firm throughout and suffered more than twenty wounds some of them deep
and severe. Even so, his physical jihad was matched by his jihad with his wealth.
Once the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was preparing to despatch
an expeditionary force. He summoned his companions and said:
"Contribute sadaqah for I want to despatch an expedition." Abdur-Rahman went to
his house and quickly returned. "O Messenger of God," he said, "I have four thousand
(dinars). I give two thousand as a qard to my Lord and two thousand I leave for
my family."
When the Prophet decided to send an expedition to distant Tabuk - this was the last
ghazwah of his life that he mounted - his need for finance and material was not
greater than his need for men for the Byzantine forces were a numerous and well-equipped
foe. That year in Madinah was one of drought and hardship. The journey to Tabuk
was long, more that a thousand kilometers. Provisions were in short supply. Transport
was at a premium so much so that a group of Muslims came to the Prophet pleading
to go with him but he had to turn them away because he could find no transport for
them.
These men were sad and dejected and came to be known as the Bakka'in or the Weepers
and the army itself was called the Army of Hardship ('Usrah). Thereupon the Prophet
called upon his companions to give generously for the war effort in the path of
God and assured them they would be rewarded. The Muslims' response to the Prophet's
call was immediate and generous. In the fore front of those who responded was Abdur-Rahman
ibn Awf. He donated two hundred awqiyyah of gold whereupon Umar ibn al-Khattab said
to the Prophet:
"I have (now) seen Abdur-Rahman committing a wrong. He has not left anything for
his family."
"Have you left anything for your family, Abdur-Rahman?" asked the Prophet.
"Yes," replied Abdur-Rahman. "I have left for them more than what I give and better."
"How much?" enquired the Prophet.
"What God and His Messenger have promised of sustenance, goodness and reward," replied
Abdur-Rahman.
The Muslim army eventually left for Tabuk. There Abdur-Rahman was blessed with an
honor which was not conferred on anyone till then. The time of Salat came and the
Prophet, peace be on him, was not there at the time. The Muslims chose Abdur-Rahman
as their imam. The first rakat of the Salat was almost completed when the Prophet,
may God bless him and grant him peace, joined the worshippers and performed the
Salat behind Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf. Could there be a greater honor conferred on anyone
than to have been the imam of the most honored of God's creation, the imam of the
Prophets, the imam of Muhammad, the Messenger of God!
When the Prophet, peace be on him, passed away, Abdur-Rahman took on the responsibility
of looking after the needs of his family, the Ummahaat al-Muminin. He would go with
them wherever they wanted to and he even performed Hajj with them to ensure that
all their needs were met. This is a sign of the trust and confidence which he enjoyed
on the part of the Prophet's family.
Abdur-Rahman's support for the Muslims and the Prophet's wives in particular was
well-known. Once he sold a piece of land for forty thousand dinars and he distributed
the entire amount among the Banu Zahrah (the relatives of the Prophet's mother Aminah),
the poor among the Muslims and the Prophet's wives. When Aishah, may God be pleased
with her, received some of this money she asked:
"Who has sent this money?" and was told it was Abdur-Rahman, whereupon she said:
"The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: No one will
feel compassion towards you after I die except the sabirin (those who are patient
and resolute)."
The prayer of the noble Prophet that Allah should bestow barakah on the wealth of
Abdur-Rahman appeared to be with Abdur-Rahman throughout his life. He became the
richest man among the companions of the Prophet. His business transactions invariably
met with success and his wealth continued to grow. His trading caravans to and from
Madinah grew larger and larger bringing to the people of Madinah wheat, flour, butter,
cloths, utensils, perfume and whatever else was needed and exporting whatever surplus
produce they had.
One day, a loud rumbling sound was heard coming from beyond the boundaries of Madinah
normally a calm and peaceful city. The rumbling sound gradually increased in volume.
In addition, clouds of dust and sand were stirred up and blown in the wind. The
people of Madinah soon realized that a mighty caravan was entering the city. They
stood in amazement as seven hundred camels laden with goods moved into the city
and crowded the streets. There was much shouting and excitement as people called
to one another to come out and witness the sight and see what goods and sustenance
the camel caravan had brought.
Aishah, may God be pleased with her, heard the commotion and asked: "What is this
that's happening in Madinah?" and she was told: "It is the caravan of Abdur-Rahman
ibn Awf which has come from Syria bearing his merchandise." "A caravan making all
this commotion?" she asked in disbelief." "Yes, O Umm al-Muminin. There are seven
hundred camels."
Aishah shook her head and gazed in the distance as if she was trying to recall some
scene or utterance of the past and then she said:
"I have heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say:
I have seen Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf entering Paradise creeping."
Why creeping? Why should he not enter Paradise leaping and at a quick pace with
the early companions of the Prophet?
Some friends of his related to Abdur-Rahman the hadith which Aishah had mentioned.
He remembered that he had heard the hadith more than once from the Prophet and he
hurried to the house of Aishah and said to her: "Yaa Ammah! Have you heard that
from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace?" "Yes," she replied.
"You have reminded me of a hadith which I have never forgotten," he is also reported
to have said. He was so over-joyed and added:
"If I could I would certainly like to enter Paradise standing. I swear to you, yaa
Ammah, that this entire caravan with all its merchandise, I will giver sabilillah."
And so he did. In a great festival of charity and righteousness, he distributed
all that the massive caravan had brought to the people of Madinah and surrounding
areas.
This is just one incident which showed what type of man Abdur-Rahman was. He earned
much wealth but he never remained attached to it for its own sake and he did not
allow it to corrupt him.
Abdur-Rahman's generosity did not stop there. He continued giving with both his
hands, secretly and openly. Some of the figures mentioned are truly astounding:
forty thousand dirhams of silver, forty thousand dinars of gold, two hundred awqiyyah
of gold, five hundred horses to mujahidin setting out in the path of God and one
thousand five hundred camels to another group of mujahidin, four hundred dinars
of gold to the survivors of Badr and a large legacy to the Ummahaat al Muminin and
the catalogue goes on. On account of this fabulous generosity, Aishah said:
"May God give him to drink from the water of Salsabil (a spring in Paradise)." All
this wealth did not corrupt Abdur-Rahman and did not change him. When he was among
his workers and assistants, people could not distinguish him from them. One day
food was brought to him with which to end a fast. He looked at the food and said:
"Musab ibn Umayr has been killed. He was better than me. We did not find anything
of his to shroud him with except what covered his head but left his legs uncovered.
. Then God endowed us with the (bounties of) the world... I really fear that our
reward has been bestowed on us early (in this world)." He began to cry and sob and
could not eat.
May Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf be granted felicity among "those who spend their substance
in the cause of God and follow up not their gifts with reminders of their generosity
or with injury. For them their reward is with their Lord, on them shall be no fear
nor shall they grieve". (The Quran, Surah al-Baqarah, 2: 262).