Abu Dharr lags behind and follows on foot
تخلف أبي ذر ولحاقه ماشياً
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AH
Man after man fell behind the Prophet on the march, and he would say: leave him; if there is good in him, God will bring him up to you. Then Abu Dharr was reported to have fallen behind, his camel slowing him, so he took his baggage on his back and set out on foot following the Prophet's tracks. When a watcher saw him the Prophet said: let it be Abu Dharr; and it was he. The Prophet prayed for him and said that he walks alone, dies alone and is raised alone.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Summary
Man after man fell behind the Prophet on the march, and he would say: leave him; if there is good in him, God will bring him up to you. Then Abu Dharr was reported to have fallen behind, his camel slowing him, so he took his baggage on his back and set out on foot following the Prophet's tracks. When a watcher saw him the Prophet said: let it be Abu Dharr; and it was he. The Prophet prayed for him and said that he walks alone, dies alone and is raised alone. 1
The account
The Prophet went on marching and man after man fell behind; they would say: Messenger of God, so-and-so has fallen behind, and he would answer: leave him — if there is good in him God will bring him up to you, and if not, God has relieved you of him. 1
Until it was said: Abu Dharr has fallen behind, his camel slowing him; he said: leave him. Abu Dharr blamed his camel, and when it kept slowing he took his baggage, carried it on his back and set out on foot following the Prophet's tracks. 1
A watcher of the Muslims looked and said: this man is walking the road alone; the Prophet said: let it be Abu Dharr. When the people looked closely they said: by God, it is Abu Dharr. 1
The Prophet prayed mercy for him and said that he walks alone, dies alone and is raised alone. 1
Markers of weakness and doubt
- The phrase "let it be Abu Dharr" is an imperative in form but a prayer in meaning, according to the editors' footnote (note on p. 167).
Connections
- Occurred at
- Tabuk
- Had participant
- MuhammadAbu Dharr al-Ghifari
- Part of
- The expedition to Tabuk
People and things also explored
Abu Khaythama catches up with the ProphetThe burial of Dhu al-Bijadayn at TabukA group of hypocrites mock the army, then excuse themselvesThe Prophet's prayer places between Medina and TabukThe stay at Tabuk and the return to MedinaThe Prophet's she-camel strays and Zayd ibn al-Lusayt's remarkThe treaty with Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, lord of AylaThe treaty with Ukaydir
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/167
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Abu Dharr lags behind and follows on foot”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/abu-dharr-lags-behind-on-the-march/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.