English Translation

Abu Khalifah informed us, Ali ibn al-Madini narrated to us, Yahya ibn Sulaym narrated to us, Abdullah ibn Uthman ibn Khuthaym narrated to me from Mujahid from Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar from his father from Umm Dharr who said: When death came to Abu Dharr, I wept. He said: "What makes you weep?" I said: "How can I not weep when you are dying in a desert of the earth and I have no cloth large enough to shroud you nor hands to bury you?" He said: "Receive good tidings and do not weep, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: 'No two Muslim parents have two or three children die and they are patient and seek reward except that they will never see the Fire.' And I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say to a group of which I was one: 'One of you will die in a desert of the earth and be witnessed by a band of believers.' And there is none of that group except that he died in a village with a congregation. So I am that man. By Allah, I have not lied nor have I been lied to. So watch the road." I said: "How can I when the pilgrims have gone and the roads are cut off?" He said: "Go and watch." She said: So I would run to the sand dune and watch, then return and nurse him. While he and I were like that, I saw men on their mounts like vultures, their camels galloping with them. She said: They hastened to me when they stopped before me and said: "O maidservant of Allah, what is the matter with you?" I said: "A man from the Muslims is dying - will you shroud him?" They said: "And who is he?" She said: "Abu Dharr." They said: "The Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?" I said: "Yes." They offered their fathers and mothers as ransom for him and hastened to him until they entered upon him. He said to them: "Receive good tidings, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say to a group of which I was one: 'One of you will die in a desert of the earth and be witnessed by a band of believers.' And there is none of that group except that he has died in a congregation. By Allah, I have not lied nor have I been lied to. If I had a cloth large enough to shroud me or my wife, I would not be shrouded except in a cloth belonging to me or her. I adjure you by Allah that no man among you who was a commander, or a chief, or a courier, or an appointed leader should shroud me." There was none of that group except that he had engaged in some of what he said, except a young man from the Ansar. He said: "I will shroud you, O uncle. I will shroud you in this cloak of mine and in two garments in my bag spun by my mother." He said: "You then - shroud me." So the Ansari shrouded him among the group who attended and stood over him and buried him, in a group all of them Yemeni.