Tamim al-Dari

Tamim bin Aws bin Kharidjah bin Sawad al-Dari was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Originally a Christian, al-Dari belonged to the Bani al-Dar — a clan of the Lakhm. He lived in southern Palestine and his first contact with Muhammad was in 628 CE leading ten others from Banu al-Dar. Previously Muhammad granted Bani al-Dar revenues of conquered land after the Muslim victory at the Battle of Khaybar. Al-Dari confronted Muhammad to receive the revenues and after meeting him, al-Dari embraced Islam and settled in Medina.Houtsma, Martijn. Arnold, T.W. (1993)." [http://books.google.com/books?id=ro--tXw_hxMC&pg=PA648&lpg=PA648&dq=Tamim-al+Dari&source=web&ots=VsBO_1pbuB&sig=T_MwiXiqRFOOOM2RCXRPVvWME5k&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result#PPA648,M1 E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936] " BRILL, pp.646-648. ISBN 9004097961.]

After his conversion, al-Dari became an adviser of Muhammad particularly on public worship. His advice included the introduction of oil lamps in mosques. In addition to being an adviser, he is traditionally considered to be the first narrator of Islamic religious stories. Many of his stories included ones on the end of the world, beasts and the coming of the Antichrist.

Al-Dari's wife in Palestine, had thought he was dead after disappearing to Medina and remarried. Al-Dari informed Muhammad that his wife remarried and before he died, he told al-Dari that it was her choice to who she wanted to marry. It was not until Ali became caliph that his wife returned to him.

Prior to Muhammad's death, al-Dari was granted a large fief for control of Hebron, Beit Einun and the surrounding area, although at that time Palestine was still under Byzantine control. The deed was written up by Ali and when the caliph Umar and his Rashidun army conquered Palestine, al-Dari gained his land. Since, he had only one daughter and no sons, after al-Dari's death, the heirs of the Hebron fiefdom would be the descendants of his brother Nu'aim. Originally, al-Dari's role as the ruler of the fiefdom was to collect land taxes. He was forbidden to enslave any of the locals or sell their property. [Gil, Moshe. (1997). [http://books.google.com/books?id=M0wUKoMJeccC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=Tamim-al+Dari&source=web&ots=CHW_56eL7w&sig=-KBdnHFUTpaovlOzS3cKNmIdRP4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PPA130,M1 A History of Palestine, 634-1099] Cambridge University Press, pp.129-130.] In 655 CE, al-Dari left Medina to reside in his native Palestine and died there in 661. According to tradition, he is buried in the town of Bayt Jibrin, destroyed by Israel in 1948. [Sharon, Moshe (1997): " [http://books.google.com/books?id=EPFDU8POrXIC Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae] " pp.140-141. ISBN 9004110836]

ee also

*List of Sahaba

References