The genealogy of this figure is as follows: Abdurrahman b. Awf b. Abdi Awf b. Abdilharith b. Zuhra b. Kilab b. Murra, Abu Muhammad al-Qurashi al-Zuhri. In the earliest days of Islam, he became Muslim through the guidance of Abu Bakr. He first emigrated to Abyssinia and then to Medina. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) made him the brother of Sa'd b. Rabi'. Abdurrahman participated in the Battle of Badr and subsequent expeditions. When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him to the Banu Kalb tribe, he let the end of his turban hang between his shoulders as a sign of leadership. Abdurrahman was one of the ten Companions (ṣaḥāba) given the glad tidings of Paradise, one of the first eight to embrace Islam, a member of the six-person council (shūrā) appointed to choose the caliph after ʿUmar, and later, one of the three selected by this council. He was also the one who nominated ʿUthmān as caliph. In one battle, he had a dispute with Khālid b. al-Walīd, who spoke harshly to him. When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) learned of this, he said: "Do not revile my Companions. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if one of you were to spend gold equal to Mount Uhud in the way of Allah, it would not amount to a handful or even half a handful spent by one of them in the way of Allah."
Maʿmar narrated from Zuhri as follows: "Abdurrahman b. Awf gave half of his wealth, 4,000 dinars, as charity in the way of Allah during the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) time. Then he gave 40,000 dinars as charity. Then he gave 500 horses for the way of Allah. Then again, he gave 500 mounts for the way of Allah. He had acquired all his wealth through trade."
According to a hadith narrated from Anas b. Malik in the work "Musnad" by ʿAbd b. Ḥamīd, when Abdurrahman b. Awf emigrated, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) made him the brother of ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān. ʿUthmān said to him:
- I have two gardens. Take whichever you wish for yourself, it is yours. To this, Abdurrahman replied: May Allah bless both your gardens for you. I did not become Muslim for this. Show me the market. ʿUthmān showed him the market. He then began to buy and sell clarified butter and leather there. He engaged in trade, earned profits, and accumulated wealth. He married. Then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hold a wedding feast, even if with only a single sheep. May Allah bless you." Abdurrahman's wealth increased so much that a caravan of 700 mounts carrying wheat, flour, and foodstuffs arrived. When the caravan arrived, there was commotion in Medina. ʿĀʾisha asked:
- What is this commotion? She was told that Abdurrahman b. Awf's caravan of 700 mounts carrying wheat, flour, and foodstuffs had arrived. She then said: I heard the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Abdurrahman b. Awf will enter Paradise crawling." When Abdurrahman heard this, he came to ʿĀʾisha and said: "Mother, bear witness. All my mounts in this caravan, along with their loads, saddles, and packs, are charity in the way of Allah."
Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal narrated from Anas as follows:
"Once, while ʿĀʾisha was at home, she heard a commotion in Medina. She asked: 'What is this noise?' They said: 'The caravan of Abdurrahman b. Awf has arrived from Syria. It brought everything. The caravan consisted of seven hundred mounts. Medina shook from the noise.' Upon this, ʿĀʾisha said: I heard the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'I saw Abdurrahman b. Awf entering Paradise crawling.'"
When Abdurrahman b. Awf heard this, he said: "If I could, I would enter Paradise standing upright," and distributed all the mounts in his caravan, along with their packs, saddles, and loads, as charity in the way of Allah. In the hadith narrated by ʿAbd b. Ḥamīd, it is stated: "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) made Abdurrahman b. Awf the brother of ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān." However, this is a clear error contrary to the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, for according to the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) made Abdurrahman b. Awf the brother of Sa'd b. Rabi' al-Ansari.
According to an authentic hadith, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) once performed the second rakʿa of the morning prayer behind Abdurrahman and followed him. This is a great distinction. No one has any doubt about this. It is an indisputable fact.
When Abdurrahman was about to die, he bequeathed that 400 dinars from his wealth be given to every fighter who had participated in the Battle of Badr and was still alive at that time. There were 100 such Companions (ṣaḥāba) alive then. They each received their 400 dinars. Even ʿUthmān and ʿAlī received theirs. At that time, ʿAlī said: "Go, O son of Awf, you have surpassed the rotten and invalid in your wealth. You have earned the pure and sound." Abdurrahman b. Awf also bequeathed a large amount of wealth to each of the Mothers of the Believers, that is, the wives of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). So much so that ʿĀʾisha, because of this bequest, said: "May Allah give him to drink from the water of the Salsabil spring."
He freed the majority of his slaves, granting them liberty. Even after this, he left behind a great deal of wealth. Among his possessions was a large mass of gold that could only be broken with axes. The hands of the men who broke it became calloused from wielding the axes. He left behind 100 horses and 3,000 sheep. The sheep were grazed in the Baqi' area. He had four wives. Each received a quarter of one-eighth of the inheritance, which amounted to 80,000 dinars. When he died, his funeral prayer was led by ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān. Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas also attended his funeral. He was buried in the Baqi' cemetery. He was seventy-five years old at his death. He had a fair complexion with a rosy hue, a handsome face, delicate skin, large eyes, and long eyelashes. The tip of his nose was high, his head was large, his palms were big, and his fingers were thick. He did not pluck or dye the white hairs in his hair and beard. May Allah be pleased with him.