The Merchant Who Chose the Halqa
Abu al-Darda’ was one of Medina’s successful merchant companions. His conversion was gradual — he fully committed after witnessing the early battles. Over time, he sold his properties and devoted himself entirely to learning and teaching.
His most famous saying about the priorities of a scholar: “I wonder at a man who is careful about his food — that it not harm his body — but is not equally careful about the ‘ilm he absorbs through his ears.”
The Damascus School
Abu al-Darda’ served as qadi (judge) of Damascus after the Muslim conquest. He established what historians consider one of the first systematic schools of Islamic learning — a halqa (circle) where he taught hadiths and jurisprudence to Damascene students.
Mu’awiya, as governor of Syria, attempted to redirect his talents toward administrative service. Abu al-Darda’ reportedly declined: “I will not abandon teaching the hadith of the Prophet to serve the needs of governors.”
Sayings on Knowledge and the Heart
His collected wisdom includes:
- “Learn before you are prevented from learning.” (i.e., by age or death)
- “The scholars are the heirs of the prophets; they bequeath knowledge, not gold and silver.” — This is one of the most cited hadiths on the dignity of learning; it appears in Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
- “The greatest of cowardice: the cowardice of a scholar who holds back his knowledge from those who need it.”
See also: Seerah Abu Bakr, Seerah Umar Ibn Khattab, Sunna Al Nabawi, Quran Sciences, Sabr, Ihsan