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The Islam of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari: his quest for Prophet Mohamed, Ali guiding him in secret, his public proclamation in the midst of Quraysh, al-Abbas’s protection, the thirty days nourished on Zamzam and the conversion of the Ghifar, from al-Boukhari, Mouslim and al-Bayhaqi.
Updated on 07 September 2026 at 11:07 PM
The hafiz al-Bayhaqi related, through a long chain going back to Malik ibn Marthad, from his father, from Abu Dharr: “I was the fourth of Islam: three men had embraced Islam before me, and I was the fourth. I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: Peace upon you, O Messenger of Allah: I testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. And I saw the joy upon the face of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” This is an abridged text.
al-Boukhari related, in a chapter titled “The Islam of Abu Dharr”, from Ibn Abbas: when the mission of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reached Abu Dharr, he said to his brother: “Ride to this valley and learn for me about this man who claims to be a prophet to whom news comes from the sky, and listen to his speech, then come back to me.” The brother set out, reached him, heard his speech, then returned to Abu Dharr and said: “I saw him commanding the noblest of morals, with speech that is not poetry.” Abu Dharr said: “You have not cured me of what I wanted.” He took provisions, loaded a waterskin of water, arrived at Mecca and came to the mosque, seeking the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) without knowing him, disliking to ask about him.
A part of the night surprised him lying down: Ali saw him, recognized a stranger and, having seen him, followed him; neither of the two questioned his companion. In the morning, he carried his waterskin and provisions to the mosque, and remained that day without the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) seeing him, then returned to his bed. Ali passed by and said: “Is it not yet time for a man to know where he lodges?” He stood him up, took him along, neither questioning the other. On the third day, Ali returned likewise and sat with him, and said: “Will you not tell me what brings you?” He said: “If you give me pledge and covenant to guide me, I shall tell you.” He did so, and he informed him. Ali said: “It is the truth: he is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). When morning comes, follow me: if I see something I fear for you, I will stop as though pouring water; if I go on, follow me until my entrance.” He did so, and followed him until he entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with him: he heard his speech and embraced Islam on the spot.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him: “Return to your people and inform them, until my order reaches you.” He said: “By Him who sent you with the truth, I shall cry aloud between their two slopes.” He went out, came to the mosque and cried at the top of his voice: “I testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” They fell upon him and beat him until they knocked him down. al-Abbas came, threw himself upon him and said: “Woe to you! Know you not that he is of Ghifar, and that your trade route passes toward Syria?” He saved him from them. The next day he did the like: they beat him and rushed at him, and al-Abbas again threw himself upon him : such is al-Boukhari’s wording.
Abu Dharr’s Islam is related in detail in the Sahih of Mouslim and elsewhere. Imam Ahmad related, from Abdallah ibn as-Samit, that Abu Dharr said: “We left our people of Ghifar : who used to profane the sacred month:, I, my brother Unays and our mother, until we settled with a wealthy, esteemed maternal uncle. He honored us and was good to us, but his people envied us and said to him: when you go out from your family, Unays supplants you with them. Our uncle came and conveyed to us that talk. I said to him: the good that has passed, you have sullied: no more common life between us after that. We drew near our tents and camped apart, and our uncle folded his garment and went away. We set out until we reached the territory of Mecca. Unays quarreled with a man over a striation of the ground and the like: we went to the diviner, Unays drew lots and brought back our two tents. I had prayed, O son of my brother, three years before meeting the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). : To whom did you pray? : To Allah. : Where did you face? : Wherever Allah faced me. : And I prayed the evening prayer until the end of the night: then I was lifted as though flying, until the sun overcame me.”
Unays said: “I have an affair in Mecca: attend to us until my return.” He left, was slow in returning to me, then came to me. I said: “What kept you?” He said: “I met a man who claims Allah sent him upon your religion.” I said: “What do the people say of him?” He said: “They say he is a poet and a sorcerer.” Unays was a poet. He said: “I heard the diviners: he says nothing like their words; I set his speech against the finest verses: by Allah, no tongue could join it as poetry. By Allah, he is truthful, and they are liars.” I said to him: “Will you suffice me, that I may go?” He said: “Yes. And if you go to Mecca, beware: they have taken him in dislike and raged against him.” So I went until I arrived at Mecca: I weakened a man among them and asked: “Where is this man you call the Spirit?” He pointed to me: “The Spirit.” The people of the valley fell upon me from every side, with blows and violence, until I fell unconscious. When I came to, I was like a red idol. I came to Zamzam, drank of its water and washed the blood from me, then entered between the Kaaba and its covering: I remained there, O son of my brother, thirty days and nights, with no food but the water of Zamzam. I grew fat until the folds of my belly cracked, and I felt on my liver no pinch of hunger.
One moonlit night, at al-Adha, sleep seized the people of Mecca: none circled the House but two women. They came upon me between the Kaaba and its covering : they were Isaf and Na’ila. I said: “Marry one of you to the other.” That did not stop them; they were like wood, save that I was not wood. They went away wailing: “Would that one of ours were here!” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr faced them, descending from the mountain, and he asked: “What is the matter with you?” They said: “The Spirit is between the Kaaba and its covering. : What did he say to you? : He said to us a word that fills the mouth.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came with his companion until he touched the Stone and circled the House, then he prayed. I came to him, the first to greet him with the greeting of the people of Islam. He said: “Upon you and the mercy of Allah: from where are you?” I said: “From Ghifar.” He passed his hand upon his forehead.
I said to myself: he disliked that I be affiliated with Ghifar. I wished to take his hand, but his companion pushed me away, knowing him better than I. He said: “Since when have you been here?” I said: “Thirty nights and days. : Who fed you? : I had no food but the water of Zamzam: I grew fat, the folds of my belly cracked, and I felt on my liver no pinch of hunger.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “It is blessed: it is sufficient food.” Abu Bakr said: “Permit me, O Messenger of Allah, to feed him tonight.” He consented. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went out and I went with them both, until Abu Bakr opened a door and began taking for us some raisins of Taif: that was the first food I ate there, and I stayed some while. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I have been directed toward a land of palm trees: I think it to be none but Yathrib. Will you be my reporter to your people? Perhaps Allah will profit them by you and reward you among them.”
I went until I joined my brother Unays, who said: “What do you say?” I answered: “I testify that I have embraced Islam and confirmed.” He said: “No reluctance from me toward your religion: I have embraced Islam and confirmed.” Then we came to our mother, who said: “No reluctance from me toward your religion: I have embraced Islam and confirmed.” We set out until we came to our people of Ghifar: a part of them embraced Islam before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived at Medina; their imam was Khufaf ibn Ima ibn Rahada al-Ghifari, their chief at that time; and the rest said: when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) comes, we shall believe. He came, and the rest believed. Then came Aslam, and they said: “O Messenger of Allah, our brothers have embraced Islam upon what we embraced Islam upon.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Ghifar: may Allah forgive it; Aslam: may Allah keep it safe.” Mouslim related it, from Hudba ibn Khalid, from Sulayman ibn al-Mughira, similarly. His story of Islam is related also in another way, with strange additions: Allah is most knowing. As for the Islam of Salman al-Farisi, it has been treated in the book of the good tidings, concerning his mission (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).