Ab
Dharr al-Ghif
ri
(d. 652/3 CE (AH 31/2)).
Close companion of the Prophet Mu
ammad. The Prophet named him ‘the shining truth’ because of his unswerving belief in the oneness of
All
h
.
Traditions state that his character bore great similarity to that of ‘Isa/Jesus. Abu Dharr held a ‘communistic’ interpretation of Islam, and was ultimately banished to the desert village of al-Rabadha. Thus ended a phase in the struggle between the idealists and the pragmatists in early Islam.