the enemy. So-and-so charged forward and struck with his spear, saying, “Take it from me—I am the Ghifari youth!” Then he asked, “What do you think of his words?” The man replied, “I see nothing but that his reward has been nullified.” Another person heard this and said, “I see no objection to it.” They argued until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was informed. He said, “Glory be to Allah! There is no harm in it; he will receive reward and be praised.”

I saw Abū al-Dardāʾ delighted at that; he kept lifting his head toward the narrator and asking, “Did you really hear that from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?” Each time he answered, “Yes,” and Abū al-Dardāʾ repeated the question so often that I thought he would sink to his knees.

On another day he passed by us, and Abū al-Dardāʾ said, “Give us a word that will benefit us and not harm you.” He replied, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The one who spends on horses (for Allah’s cause) is like a man who keeps his hand outstretched in charity, never closing it.’ ”

He passed by us yet another day, and Abū al-Dardāʾ said, “A word that will benefit us and not harm you.” He answered, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘What an excellent man Khuraym al-Asadī would be were it not for the length of his forelock and the way his lower garment trails.’ ”

When Khuraym heard that, he hurried, took a blade, cut his forelock back to his ears, and raised his lower garment to mid-calf.

Still later he came by, and Abū al-Dardāʾ said, “A word that will benefit us and not harm you.” He said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘You are going to meet your brothers, so tidy your mounts and tidy your clothes, so that you stand out like a beauty mark among the people. Indeed, Allah does not love indecency or coarse behavior.’ ”