Umm al-Darda

Abu Darda was a well-known companion of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). After his death, Awn ibn Abdullah ibn Utbah visited his wife, Umm al-Darda, and asked her, “What was Abu al-Darda’s most virtuous practice?” According to another report, he asked, “What did Abu al-Darda do most often?” Umm al-Darda replied, “Constant reflection and drawing lessons from the events of life.”

One example of his practice of drawing lessons is the following incident.

Once, a bullock cart passed by Abu Darda. It was being drawn by two oxen—one of them sat down in the middle of the way, while the other remained standing. The cart driver, in anger, struck the animal to make them move.

On seeing this, Abu Darda remarked that there was indeed a lesson (nasihat) in this scene. It was a reminder that even ordinary events of daily life can carry deep meaning if one reflects upon them.

From this incident, he drew a moral lesson for the Hereafter: those who fail to perform their duty are punished in this world, and similarly, those who disobey the commandments of God will face punishment in the Hereafter from God.

Similarly, throughout the entire history of Islam, the believer’s home remained the primary centre of religious training, and women naturally played a fundamental role in these centres. After the Prophet of Islam, the continuity of Islamic life and tradition was largely sustained through these two institutions: internally, the home, and externally, the mosque.