Abu Hurayrah, the noble Companion Abd Al-Rahman ibn Sakhr al-Dawsi al-Yamani, the first from the Daws tribe to embrace Islam. He is among the most prolific narrators of Hadith and one of the most renowned Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). His name during the pre-Islamic era was Abd Shams ibn Sakhr. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) renamed him Abd Al-Rahman. He was given the kunya Abu Hurayrah because he once found a kitten and carried it in his sleeve, so he was called Abu Hurayrah (the father of the kitten). Abu Hurayrah was a poor man among the People of the Suffah, who experienced hunger and hardship. The Suffah was a shaded area in the mosque that served as a refuge for strangers and the poor among the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—those who had no homes. Abu Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—was among them and was their leader.
Embracing Islam
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) embraced Islam at the hands of Al-Tufayl ibn Amr Al-Dawsi, a man renowned for his honor and generosity and one of the leading figures of Yemen. When Al-Tufayl came to Mecca after the Prophethood of Muhammad (ﷺ), Quraysh attempted to dissuade him from Islam. However, when he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) praying in the Kaabah, he was deeply impressed. He then went with the noble Prophet to his home, where the Prophet presented Islam to him and recited the Qur’an to him, then he embraced Islam. He then returned to his people to call them to Islam. Abu Hurayrah was among those who embraced Islam with him and joined the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and this occurred before the Prophet’s migration. He migrated to Madinah at the age of twenty-eight, along with a group from his people of the Daws tribe of Yemen. They arrived in Madinah while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had gone out to Khaibar. Abu Hurayrah then joined the Prophet (ﷺ) and reached him in Khaibar in the first year of the seventh Hijrah.
Abu Hurayrah’s knowledge
Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – was among the leading scholars of Islamic jurisprudence. His narrations from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) exceed five thousand three hundred Hadiths. Some of these Hadiths he memorized directly from the Prophet (ﷺ) and transmitted firsthand, while others he narrated through some of the senior Companions. He was among the most devoted preservers of the Hadith, indeed the most knowledgeable among the Companions. He was even accused of narrating too much, to which he responded in his defense, explaining the reason for his abundant memorization: ”You say that Abu Hurayrah narrates excessively from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and you wonder why the Muhājirūn and Ansār do not narrate as much as Abu Hurayrah. Know that my brothers among the Muhājirūn were occupied with trade in the markets, and my brothers among the Ansār were busy with their wealth. I, a poor man from among the People of the Suffah, devoted myself to the Prophet (ﷺ) to fill my stomach, so I was present when they were absent, and attentive when they forgot.”
The senior Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—praised his exceptional memory and knowledge. Ibn Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—used to say: ‘O Abu Hurayrah, you were the one among us who stayed closest to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the most knowledgeable of us regarding his Hadith,’ as narrated by Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak. Talhah ibn Ubayd Allah also said: ‘I have no doubt that Abu Hurayrah heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) what we did not hear.’
Abu Hurayrah passed away in 58 AH, leaving behind a profound legacy of knowledge and Hadith. May Allah grant us reverent fear of You, beneficial knowledge, and sincerity in acting upon that knowledge. Make us among those who hear the truth and follow it, and gather us with Your righteous servants.
