Part Six
man. Only coercion remained. He wrote to 'Uthman: If you need Damascus,
take Abu Dharr away from here because complexes are swelling, the heads
of wounds have opened up and an explosion is near. 'Uthman ordered him to
be sent to Madinah.
They placed him in a wooden packsaddle on a camel's back and engaged
several savage slaves to take him back to Madinah. Mu'awiyah ordered that
no stops be made along the way, from Damascus
to Madinah.
The rider nears Madinah, tired and wounded; beside the city, he saw 'Ali
on Mt. Sala' and beside him, 'Uthman and several other people. From a
distance he cried out, "I give glad tidings to Madinah of a great and
endless rebellion."
The Caliph ordered no one to follow a religious edict from Abu Dharr but
religious edicts were issued, one after another, by Abu Dharr. That which
he had seen in Damascus, had made him more anxious and more brazen in
struggle. 'Abd al-Rahman 'Awf, the head of the caliphate council of 'Umar,
died and his heritage, which was an abundance of gold and silver, was piled
up before 'Uthman. Abu Dharr heard that 'Uthman had said, "Abd al-Rahman is
blessed by God that he lived well and when he died he left behind all of
this wealth."
Abu Dharr agitated and enflamed, invaded 'Uthman's house alone. On the way,
he found a camel's bone. He picked it up and took it. He cried out to
'Uthman, "You say that God has blessed a man who has died and left all of
this gold and silver behind?"
'Uthman, softly, replied, "Abu Dharr, does a person who has paid his zakat
have other [religious] obligations, as
well?"
Abu Dharr recited the verse of kinz and said, "The problem here is not
zakat; the problem is with anyone who hoards gold and silver and does
not give it upon the Way of God."
Ka'b al-Ahbar, a clergyman, formerly Jewish, who was sitting beside
'Uthman, said, "This verse relates to the 'people of the Book' (Jews
and Christians); it does not relate to
Muslims."
Abu Dharr cried out at him, "Son of a Jew! You want to teach our religion
to us? May your mother mourn for you!" 'Uthman said, "If a man has paid
his zakat and builds a palace, one brick of gold and one brick of silver
there is no blame." Then he turned to Ka'b and asked him his opinion and
Ka'b expressed the opinion that, "Yes, your majesty. That's the way it
is!" Abu Dharr attacked him.
Ka'b, out of fear, hid behind 'Uthman and placed himself in the refuge of
the Caliph. The scene is complete! The scene of the drama of all of
history! On one side, gold, coercion and the ruling religion in the
visages of 'Abd al-Rahman, 'Uthman and Ka'b al Ahbar, and how exact and
accurate! The principle, gold, coercion its supporter and religion, hidden
behind coercion, its justifier. Confronting it, Abu Dharr, the sacrifice
of exploitation, despotism and deception, the manifestation of the religion
condemned by history and the oppressed class of history, God and the
people!
Abu Dharr, alone, disarmed, oppressed, with all of this, responsible and
an assailant, takes Ka'b from the refuge of coercion, and with the camel's
bone, pounded him so hard on the head that blood began to flow.
'Uthman said, "How tiresome you have become,
Abu Dharr; leave us."
Abu Dharr said, "I am fed up with seeing
you. Where should I go?"
"To Rabadah."
Marwan Hakam, an exile of the Prophet, was assigned to exile Abu Dharr.
'Ali heard of the affair. He moaned. He took Hasan, Husayn and 'Aqil and
they came to see him off. Marwan stood before 'Ali, "The Caliph has
prohibited the seeing-off of Abu Dharr." 'Ali, with a whip, by-passed
him, and went with Abu Dharr till Rabadhah.
Raba&ah, a burning wilderness without water or cultivation, along the way
of pilgrims; which, other than at the time of the hajj, becomes empty and
silent. There he set up his torn tent and he met his needs with the few
goats he had.
Months passed. Poverty was increasing and hunger, more brazen. One by one,
his goats died and he and his family faced death in the loneliness of the
wilderness.
His daughter died. He bore it patiently and considered it to have been
upon the Way of God. A little later, the wolf of hunger attacked his son.
He sensed responsibility. He went to Madinah and sought his wages, which
had been cut off, from 'Uthman. 'Uthman did not answer him. He returned
empty handed. His son's corpse was cold. He buried him with his own hands.
Abu Dharr and Umm Dharr remained alone. Poverty, hunger and decrepitude
had greatly weakened Abu Dharr's body. One day he felt he had come to the
end of his strength. Hunger bothered him. He said to Umm Dharr, "Arise.
Perhaps in this wilderness we will find some blades of grass to quiet our
hunger a bit. Woman and man, for a great distance, from the parameters of
the tent, searched and found nothing. Upon their return, Abu Dharr lost
his strength. The sign of death showed itself in his face. Umm Dharr
understood and, anxiouslv, asked, "What
is happening to you, Abu Dharr?"
"Separation is near! Leave my corpse on the way and ask wayfarers to help
you bury me."
"The hajjis have gone and there are no wayfarers." "It can't be. Get up
and go on the hill. Some people will come for my death."
Umm Dharr, from the top of the hill, saw three riders who were riding at a
distance. She signaled to them. They came
close.
"May God bless you. A man is dying here. Help me bury him and receive your
reward from God."
"Who is he?"
"Abu Dharr."
"The friend of the Prophet?"
"Yea."
"May my mother and father be sacrificed
for you O Abu Dharr! "
They stood before him. He was still alive. He requested of them, "Any of
you who are messengers of the government, spies or military personnel, do
not bury me. If my wife or I had a cloth for my shroud, there would be no
need."
Only a youth from among the Helpers who had a non-government profession
said, "I have this cloth with me which my mother wove." Abu Dharr prayed
for him and said, "Shroud me with that."
His mind at rest, everything was coming to an end. He closed his eyes and
never opened them again. The wayfarers buried him under the hot sands of
Rabadah. The young Helper stood beside his grave, whispering under his
breath, "The Prophet of God stated it well!"
He walks alone, dies alone and will be resurrected alone!
"When?"
"On the arising of the Day of Resurrection."
"And, also, in the arising of every era
and in the midst of every
generation."
And now, once again it is Abu Dharr who, among all of the visages buried
in this shoreless cemetery of history, in our age and among us, will be
resurrected alone."