Abu Dharr al-Ghifari

Abu Dharr
أَبُو ذَرّ
Title
  • Al-Ghifari
    (ٱلْغِفَارِيّ)
  • Al-Kinani
    (ٱلْكِنَانِيّ)
Personal
Born
Jundab ibn Junādah
(جُنْدَب ٱبْن جُنَادَة)

Hejaz, Arabia
Died31 Hijri, Dhul Qadah / 652 CE
Al-Rabadha, Rashidun Caliphate
Resting placeAl-Rabadha, Hejaz (present day Saudi Arabia)
ReligionIslam
ChildrenDharr (daughter)
Parents
  • Junādah (father)
  • Ramlah (mother)
Known forcompanion of Muhammad
RelationsBanu Ghifar (tribe)

Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari Al-Kinani (أَبُو ذَرّ ٱلْغِفَارِيّ ٱلْكِنَانِيّ, ʾAbū Ḏarr al-Ghifārīy al-Kinānīy), also spelled Abu Tharr or Abu Zar, born Jundab ibn Junādah (جُنْدَب ٱبْن جُنَادَة), was the fourth or fifth person converting to Islam, and a member of the Muhajirun.[1] He belonged to the Banu Ghifar, the Kinanah tribe. His date of birth is unknown. He died in 652 CE, at Al-Rabadha, in the desert east of Medina.

Abu Dharr is remembered for his strict piety and also his opposition to Muawiyah during the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan. He is venerated by Shia Muslims as one of The Four Companions, early Muslims who were followers (Shia) of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

He was regarded by many, including Ali Shariati, Muhammad Sharqawi and Sami Ayad Hanna, as a principal antecedent of Islamic socialism,[2][3][4][5][6] or the first Islamic socialist. He protested against the accumulation of wealth by the ruling class during 'Uthmān's caliphate and urged the equitable redistribution of wealth.

  1. ^ The Mirror of all the Prophets as Shown by The Hadith of Similitude
  2. ^ Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World. New York: Oxford University Press. 1995. p. 19. ISBN 0-19-506613-8. OCLC 94030758.
  3. ^ "Abu Dharr al-Ghifari". Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  4. ^ And Once Again Abu Dharr. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  5. ^ Hanna, Sami A.; George H. Gardner (1969). Arab Socialism: A Documentary Survey. Leiden: E.J. Brill. pp. 273–274. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  6. ^ Hanna, Sami A. (1969). "al-Takaful al-Ijtimai and Islamic Socialism". The Muslim World. 59 (3–4): 275–286. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.1969.tb02639.x. Archived from the original on 2010-09-13.