Advices of Abu ad-Darda

Abū ad-Dardāʾ al-Anṣārī al-Khazrajī (رضي الله عنه)

The name of Abū ad-Dardāʾ (may Allāh be pleased with him) was ʿUwaymir ibn Zayd ibn Qays — and it is also reported that his name was ʿUwaymir ibn ʿĀmir. He embraced Islam on the day of Badr and participated in the Battle of Uḥud and all subsequent battles.

During the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allāh be pleased with him), Abū ad-Dardāʾ was granted a monthly stipend of four hundred (dirhams), as the Companions’ stipends were distributed according to their precedence in Islam. Those who had taken part in the two great battles of Badr were each given four hundred per month — and ʿUmar included Abū ad-Dardāʾ among them, recognizing his early service and dedication.

Imām adh-Dhahabī said in his biography of Abū ad-Dardāʾ:

“Abū ad-Dardāʾ was an Imām to be followed, the judge of Damascus, the wise man of this Ummah, and the foremost of the Qurʾān reciters of Damascus.”