Abu Dharr said...

Abu Dharr said, "I bear witness to the fact that the Prophet of Allah said: "He who is made somebody's master or guardian, will be made to stop on the bridge of Hell. He will get salvation if he is virtuous, but if he is wicked, the bridge will crack and fall and that man will fall into Hell. Abu Dharr had extreme love for the Prophet. This love increased more after the death of the Prophet and he used to weep bitterly. During his stay in Syria, people pressed Bilal for the prayer call.

Bilal said, "I have given up calling to prayer after the Prophet. Neither I can recite "azan" (prayer call) now, nor can I tolerate it”. Bilal was however, prevailed upon and with great difficulty he was made to agree to it. Bilal stood for the prayer call and started reciting the "azan" with his strong and loud voice which once resounded in the streets of Medina during the days of the Prophet. Abu Dharr inclined his head forward. Tears started rolling down his cheeks.

His imagination took him back to Medina and he saw the Prophet with his inward eyes, surrounded by his companions. He recalled the past and started crying loudly with tears flowing from his eyes”[^3]. Abu Dharr lived for about ten years outside Medina (in Syria) and returned to Medina after he got the information that Umar had been assassinated. Abul Fida writes in his history that a man named Abu Lulu attacked Umar on Zil Hijjah 24, 23 A.H.

Tarikh Kamil ibn Athir gives out that when Umar was wounded a physician of the tribe of Bani Harith was sent for. He gave date-wine to Umar. It passed out unchanged. Then he was given milk to drink, it also passed out similarly. Seeing this, the physician said, "O Commander of the Faithful! Make whatever will you like to". It is narrated from Abu Majliz in Kanzul Ummal that Umar asked the people, "Whom do you want to make your caliph after me?" One of them said, "Zubayr bin al-'Awam".

Umar said, "Will you make that man your caliph who is miser and discourteous?" Another man said, "We will make Talha our Caliph". Umar said, "Would you like to have that man your Caliph who mortgaged with a Jewess the land granted by the Messenger of Allah?" Hearing this yet another man said, "We will make Ali our Caliph". Umar said, "By my life!

You will not make Ali your caliph and if by Allah, you make Ali your caliph he will not refrain from keeping you on the right path even if you are unhappy". When Walid bin Uqbah heard it he said, "I know who will be the caliph after you".