When Muʿāwiyah had performed the dawn prayer, he summoned his courier and said, “Go to Abu Dharr and say: ‘Save my skin from Muʿāwiyah’s punishment; I was the one who erred.’”

The man went, and Abu Dharr told him, “My boy, go back and say to him: ‘Abu Dharr says, By Allah, not a single dinar of that money remains with us this morning. Give us three days and we shall collect your dinars for you.’”

When Muʿāwiyah saw that Abu Dharr’s words were borne out by his actions, he wrote to ʿUthmān:

“To proceed: If Syria or its people mean anything to you, then send for Abu Dharr, for he has unsettled the people’s hearts.”

So ʿUthmān wrote to him, “Come to me,” and he came. (1)

Ibn Lahīʿah reported, from ʿUbayd Allah ibn al-Mughīrah, from Yaʿlā ibn Shaddād, who said: Shaddād ibn Aws related:

“Abu Dharr would hear a hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that contained a strict ruling. He would then go out to his people and convey it to them. Later the Messenger of Allah would grant a concession regarding that same matter, but Abu Dharr would not hear of the concession, so he continued to cling to the stringent ruling.” (2)

ʿĀṣim ibn Kulayb reported, from Abu al-Juwayriyah, from Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhanī, who said:

“I was with ʿUthmān when Abu Dharr arrived. The moment ʿUthmān saw him he said, ‘Welcome, my brother!’

Abu Dharr replied, ‘Welcome, my brother. You have indeed been stern with us in this order of yours; yet, by Allah, had you commanded me to crawl, I would have crawled as far as I could. I once accompanied the Prophet ﷺ toward the orchard of such-and-such a clan, and he said to me, “Woe to you after I am gone!”

I began to weep and asked, “O Messenger of Allah, will I really remain after you?”

He said, “Yes. When you see buildings rising upon Mount Salʿ, then head for the West—the land of Quḍāʿah.”’