Abdur Rahman bin Awf
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Abdel Rahman bin Awf, (Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن عوف) (died 652[citation needed]) was one of the Sahaba.
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[edit] Name
His name has also by as Abdel Rahman Ibn Awf, Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Awf, Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf and Abdel-Rahman ibn Awf.
[edit] Conversion to Islam
He was one of the first eight people to accept Islam. He was one of the ten people (al-asharatu-l mubashshirin) who were assured of entering Paradise. He was one of the six people chosen by Umar to form the council of shura to choose the Khalifah after his death. His name in Jahiliyyah days was Abu Amr. But when he accepted Islam the Prophet called him Abdur-Rahman - the servant of the Most Beneficent.
[edit] Abd al-Rahman and Umayah
Abd al-Rahman was friends with Umayyah ibn Khalaf, a stern opponent of Islam. When Abd al-Rahman emigrated to Medina, the two formed a written agreement, according to which Abd-al-Rahman was to protect Umayah's property and family in Medina, while Umayyah would protect Abd-al-Rahman's in Mecca. When Abd al-Rahman wanted to sign the document, Umayyah protested, saying "I do not know Ar-Rahman" and requested that the pre-Islamic name "Abdu Amr" should be used, to which Ad al-Rahman yielded. [1]
The two met again in the Battle of Badr:
[edit] Contributions to Islam
One day, a loud rumbling sound was heard coming from beyond the boundaries of Madinah normally a calm and peaceful city.The rumbling sound gradually increased in volume. In addition, clouds of dust and sand were stirred up and blown in the wind. The people of Madinah soon realized that a mighty caravan was entering the city. They stood in amazement as seven hundred camels laden with goods moved into the city and crowded the streets. There was much seven hundred camels." Aishah shook her head and gazed in the distance as if she was trying to recall some scene or utterance of the past and then she said: "I have heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: I have seen Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl entering Paradise leaping and of the Prophet? Some friends of his related to Abdur-Rahman the hadith which Aishah had mentioned. He remembered that he had heard the hadith more than have never forgotten," he is also reported to have said. He was so over-joyed and added: "If I could I would certainly like to enter Paradise standing. I swear to you, yaa Ammah, that this entire caravan with all its merchandise, I will giver sabilillah." And so he did. In a great festival of charity and righteousness, he distributed all that the massive caravan had brought to the people of Madinah and surrounding areas. This is just one incident which showed what type of man Abdur-Rahman was. He earned much wealth but he never remained attached to it for its own sake and he did not allow it to corrupt him. Abdur-setting out in the path of God and one thousand five hundred camels to another group of mujahidin, four hundred dinars of gold to the survivors of Badr and a large legacy to the Ummahaat al Muminin and the catalogue goes on
[edit] Role in successions to the Caliphate
In 634 CE, the dying Caliph Abu Bakr called in Abd al-Rahman (along with Uthman) and informed him of his designation of Umar ibn al-Khattab as successor. (See Hadith of the succession to Abu Bakr.
In 644, the dying Umar nominated a board of six members who were required to elect one of themselves as the next caliph. The group consisted of Sad Ibn Abi Waqqas, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Talha ibn Ubayd Allah, Ali ibn Abi Talib and Uthman ibn Affan. Uthman was chosen as the third caliph [3].
[edit] Sunni view
Sunnis regard him as one of The Ten Promised Paradise.
[edit] Shi'a view
Ali Asgher Razwy, a 20th century Shi'a Twelver Islamic scholar states:
| “ | Umar, on his deathbed, had appointed six Muhajireen as members of a panel which was to choose one out of themselves as the future khalifa of the Muslims. They were Ali ibn Abi Talib, Uthman, Talha, Zubayr, Abdur Rahman bin Auf and Saad bin Abi Waqqas. Except Ali, all other members of the panel were capitalists, or rather, neo-capitalists. When they came from Makkah, they were penniless and homeless but within twelve years, i.e., from the death of Muhammad Mustafa in 632 to the death of Umar in 644, each of them, except Ali, had become rich like Croesus. Between these two dates, they had accumulated immense wealth, and had become the richest men of their times.
A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims on Al-Islam.org [1] |
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Sahih al-Bukhari 3:38:498
- ^ USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts
- ^ Masudul Hasan, Hadrat Ali, Islamic Publications Ltd. Lahore
