Abu Huraira (May Allah Be Pleased with Him)
Abu Huraira, a distinguished companion, scholar, and jurist, was renowned for his deep scholarship and was among the eminent reciters of the Hijaz. He was born in the 19th year before the Hijrah, and he is well-known for his close association with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Abu Huraira memorized and narrated a significant number of hadiths and was assigned various tasks by the Prophet, including the responsibility of safeguarding the Ramadan Zakat funds and serving as a muezzin sent to Bahrain with the governor, Al-Alaa bin Al-Hadhrami.
His Name and Title
His full name is Abu Huraira Al-Dawsi Al-Yamani, Abdul-Rahman bin Sakhr. He belonged to the Dawsi tribe, which is part of the greater Al-Azd tribe, one of the most prominent and revered tribes in Arabia, tracing its lineage back to Al-Azd bin Al-Ghawth of the Qahtani Arabs. There are several opinions regarding his name and that of his father, with the most accepted being Abdul-Rahman bin Sakhr. Other names mentioned include Abdul-Rahman bin Ghanm, Abdul-Shams, Abdullah, Sakin, Amir, and others. Before embracing Islam, he was known as Abdul-Shams and carried the nickname Abu Al-Aswad. Upon his conversion to Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) renamed him Abdullah and bestowed upon him the nickname Abu Huraira.
He acquired the nickname Abu Huraira due to a small cat (huraira) he found and carried in his sleeve. Alternatively, it is said he tended his family’s sheep and had a little kitten he played with, which he would place on a tree when night fell. His family affectionately referenced him by this name, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) would sometimes call him Abu Hir.
His Conversion and Migration to Medina
Abu Huraira accepted Islam between the events of Hudaybiyyah and Khaybar and migrated to Medina in the seventh year after Hijrah. His conversion occurred through the companion Al-Tufail bin Amr Al-Dawsi, who, after embracing Islam, invited his people to do the same, including Abu Huraira. They both migrated together to Medina to meet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and publicly announce their faith.
After embracing Islam, Abu Huraira freed a slave in the presence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He devoted his life to serving the Prophet and his family, accompanying him day and night, entering his home, performing Hajj, and participating in campaigns by his side, thereby gaining extensive knowledge from him.
Upon arriving in Medina, he resided in the suffah (a place for the needy and companions near the mosque), and he maintained a close relationship with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He often endured hunger so as not to miss any part of the Prophet’s teachings. Known for his devotion, Abu Huraira was deeply engaged in prayer, fasting, and remembrance of Allah, often spending nights in prayer. He and his wife would seek to pray a third of the night, waking each other to ensure they all prayed, and he was reported to have recited up to twelve thousand times daily, stating, “I glorify Allah as much as my sins demand.” He would also fast on Mondays and Thursdays, stating these were days when deeds are presented to Allah.
His Knowledge and Memorization
Abu Huraira was a bastion of knowledge and a prominent figure among the scholars of jurisprudence, making him a principal reference for the companions regarding hadith. His narrations from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) exceed over five thousand three hundred hadiths, with some memorized directly from the Prophet, while others were conveyed through companions such as Abu Bakr, Umar, and Ubayy bin Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with them). In the early days of his Islam, Abu Huraira faced difficulties in retaining the hadiths he memorized, which he confided to the Prophet. In response, the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for him, granting him the remarkable ability to remember and not forget, as documented by Al-Bukhari. He narrated that he once told the Prophet, “O Messenger of Allah, I hear many hadiths from you that I forget.” The Prophet instructed him to spread his cloak, which he did, and then the Prophet filled it with his hands, saying, “Now gather it.” After doing so, he reported that he never forgot anything thereafter.
Abu Huraira is renowned for being the most diligent and fastest among the companions in preserving and narrating hadith, which can be attributed to the time he spent with the Prophet during the brief period of approximately four years. He accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) in various settings, gaining access to teachings and discussions that others may not have heard, as the emigrants were busy with trade, and the Ansar were preoccupied with their personal affairs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) acknowledged Abu Huraira’s eagerness for knowledge and his boldness in asking questions that others might hesitate to pose. For instance, he once inquired about who would benefit most from the Prophet’s intercession on the Day of Judgment, to which the Prophet replied, “I thought, Abu Huraira, that no one would ask me this hadith before you, given your eagerness for knowledge.”
His peers, along with later generations, recognized his knowledge and memorization. Prominent companions such as Umar, Uthman, Ali, Talha, and Zubair frequently sought his counsel due to his close connection with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Abdullah bin Umar once remarked, “O Abu Huraira, you were the most devoted to the Messenger of Allah and the most knowledgeable among us of his hadith,” while approximately eight hundred men transmitted hadiths from him, including the compilers of the six authentic hadith collections: Imam Bukhari, Muslim, Al-Nasa’i, Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, as well as Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Musnad and Malik ibn Anas in his Muwatta.
Death of Abu Huraira
As Abu Huraira approached death, he suffered from severe fever. His companions visited him and prayed for his recovery, but he yearned for an audience with his Lord. While lying on his deathbed, he continued to advise people, encouraging them towards good and warning them against the allure of worldly life. At his moment of passing, he advised, “Do not raise a tent over me nor follow me with incense; hasten to bury me.”
Abu Huraira passed away in Medina at the age of seventy-eight, most commonly reported to be in the year fifty-seven of the Hijrah, although some sources suggest fifty-eight or fifty-nine, among other opinions. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Baqi.