Abu-d Dardaa

Early in the morning, Abu-d Dardaa awoke and went straight to his idol which he kept in the best part of his house. He  greeted it and made obeisance to it. Then he anointed it with the best perfume from his large shop and put on it a new  raiment of beautiful silk which a merchant had brought to him the day before from Yemen. 

When the sun was high in the sky he left his house for his shop. On that day the streets and alleys of Yathrib were crowded  with the followers of Muhammad returning from Badr. With them were several prisoners of war. Abu-d Dardaa surveyed the  crowds and then went up to a Khazraji youth and asked about the fate of Abdullah ibn Rawahah. 

“He was put through the most severe tests in the battle,” “but he emerged safely…” 

Abu-d Dardaa was clearly anxious about his close friend, Abdullah ibn Rawahah. Everyone in Yathrib knew the bond of  brotherhood which existed between the two men from the days of Jahiliyyah, before the coming of Islam to Yathrib. When  Islam came to the city, Ibn Rawahah embraced it but Abu-d Dardaa rejected it. This however did not rupture the relationship  between the two. Abdullah kept on visiting Abu-d Dardaa and tried to make him! see the virtues, the benefits and the  excellence of Islam. But with every passing day, while Abu-d Dardaa remained a mushrik, Abdullah felt more sad and  concerned. 

Abu-d Dardaa arrived at his shop and sat cross-legged on a high chair. He began trading-buying and selling and giving  instructions to his assistants unaware of what was going on at his house. For at that very time, Abdullah ibn Rawahah had  gone to the house determined on a course of action. There, he saw that the main gate was open. Umm ad-Dardaa was in  the courtyard and he said to her: 

“As-salaamu alayki – Peace be unto you, servant of God.” 

“Wa alayka-s salaam – And unto you be peace, O brother of Abu-d Dardaa.” 

“Where is Abu-d Dardaa?” he asked. “He has gone to his shop. It won’t be tong before he returns.” “Would you allow me to  come in?” “Make yourself at home,” she said and went about busying herself with her household chores and looking after  her children.