Compilation and Verification by: Aboo Sahl Al-Athari
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Our Shaykh, Abū Nāsir (hafidhahullāh) messaged me:
"Please work on this information and let the world read about the tremendous wealth left behind by Abdulrahman bin Awf - radiya Allahu anhu."
Then I submitted this:
ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) was one of the earliest Muslims in Makkah, even before ʿUmar Radiyallāhu 'anhu. He was the eighth person to accept Islam, one of the ten companions promised al-Jannah; a noble fighter in the Battle of Badr; he witnessed all the battles with the Prophet (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam), and was one of the first shūrā committee members in Islam.
His Virtues
Being among the participants of Badr made him one of the people of Paradise, the Prophet (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam) then said: "Do whatever you wish, for I have already forgiven you." (Sahīh Al Bukharī, 4890)
The Prophet sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam specifically said about him: ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (radiyallāhu 'anhu) is in Paradise." (Sahīh Sunan at-Tirmidhī, 3447)
Our mother, ʿĀ’ishah (radiyallāhu 'anha) reported: "The Messenger of Allāh (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam) said: 'None will show kindness to you after me except the patient ones. May Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, give Ibn ʿAwf Radiyallāhu 'anhu to drink from the Salsabīl of Paradise.'" (Sunan at-Tirmidhī, 3749; Hasan)
Umm Salamah (radiyallāhu 'anha) reported a similar thing: "I heard the Messenger of Allāh sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam saying to his wives: 'Indeed, the one who will show affection and kindness to you after me is surely the truthful and righteous one. O Allāh, give ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) to drink from the Salsabīl of Paradise.'" (Musnad Aḥmad, 6/99; 300)
Source of His Wealth
Despite this, he was a successful trader—stupendously rich, a mind-blowing and unmatchable spender. He got most of his wealth through trading, and more importantly, he was blessed by the Prophet (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam).
Anas ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu 'anhu) mentioned: When ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) came to Madinah, the Prophet (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam) established a bond of brotherhood between him and Saʿd ibn Ar-Rabīʿ (Radiyallāhu 'anhu). Saʿd said to him: "Come, I will divide my wealth with you in half, and I have two wives—look at whichever of them you like, and I will divorce her. Once her ʿiddah is over, you may marry her."
ʿAbdur-Raḥmān replied: "May Allāh bless your family and your wealth. Just show me the way to the market."
So they showed him the market, and that very day he returned with some profit—some dried curd (aqiṭ) and clarified butter that he had gained. (Sahīh At-Tirmidhī, 1933)
Anas ibn Mālik (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) also reported: The Prophet (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam) saw a yellowish mark on ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf Radiyallāhu 'anhu, so he said: "What is this?" He replied, "O Messenger of Allāh, I have married a woman for the weight of a date stone in gold."
The Prophet (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam) said: "May Allāh bless you. Hold a walīmah (wedding feast), even if with just a sheep." (Sahīh Muslim, 1427)
So, when scholars describe his success in trade, they say:
إنه لو رفع حجرا لرجا أن يصيب تحته ذهبا
"If he were to lift a stone, he would hope to find gold beneath it."
(Al-Muntakhab, no. 1333; Sahīh)
These show his strong reliance on Allāh (tawakkul), optimism, and hardworking nature.
His Estate and Spendings
When righteous people possess wealth, they don't merely gather it from lawful sources; rather, they also spend it on their families and in charity. Unlike many others distracted by wealth, it becomes a means of attaining eternal bliss (al-Jannah). That was why the Prophet (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam) said:
نِعمَ المالُ الصَّالحُ للرَّجلِ الصَّالحِ
"How excellent is good wealth for a righteous man."
(Sahīh al-Adab al-Mufrad, 229)
ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) spent a huge amount of wealth on his family, the Prophet’s family, and others.
It was reported that when he died, they dug from his estate with axes until hands became blistered, and each wife received eighty thousand (dirham). Rather, one of them was reconciled (given a settlement) because he divorced her during his illness for a sum of over eighty thousand. (Muʿjam aṣ-Ṣaḥābah, vol. 4, p. 411)
Abū Ṣāliḥ said: "ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) died and left behind three wives. Each of them received eighty thousand—eighty thousand."
Abū Yaqdhān said: "He freed thirty slaves in one day and bequeathed one-sixteenth of his wealth to Abū Bakrah (Radiyallāhu 'anhu)..." (Ansāb al-Ashrāf, vol. 10, p. 39)
Our mother, ʿĀ’ishah (Radiyallāhu 'anha) said: "The Prophet (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam) used to say, 'Indeed, your matter (O wives) is something that concerns me after me (i.e., after my death), and none will be patient with you except those who are truly patient.'"
Then ʿĀ’ishah (Radiyallāhu 'anha) used to say: "May Allāh give your father to drink from Salsabīl of Paradise"—meaning ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (Radiyallāhu 'anhu), who had given the Prophet’s wives wealth said to have been sold for forty thousand. (Sunan at-Tirmidhī, 3749)
ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) bequeathed in his will to those who remained alive among those who had witnessed the Battle of Badr, four hundred dinars for each man—and they were one hundred. So they took it. And ʿUthmān (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) was among those who took it, and he was the ruler. So he ordered that one thousand horses be provided in the path of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic.
Az-Zuhrī (Rahimahullāh) said: “Ibn ʿAwf (Radiyallāhu 'anhu) gave half of his wealth in charity during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allāh (sallallāh 'alayhi wa sallam)—four thousand (dirhams); then he gave forty thousand dinars in charity, and he supplied five hundred horses in the path of Allāh; then he also supplied five hundred camels in the path of Allāh. Most of his wealth came from trade.” (Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, vol. 1, p. 81)
May Allaah be pleased with the son of Awf in the Jannah.
Abū Sahl Al-Atharī is a prolific and experienced writer on Islamic ethics and knowledge. Visit his gallery here.
