Abu Talhah Dawud Burbank and his Wife have Died

[Abu.Qayla.Rasheed.B]

Anas ibn Malik said, while we were sitting with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the Masjid a man entered upon a camel so he made it kneel in the Masjid and then he tied it. Then the man said, “Which one of you is Muhammad the Prophet?” (He asked this question) while the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was reclining amongst us. We said, “This white man reclining.” …the hadith. Collected in Al Bukari in the book of knowledge.

When I met Abu Talha and his son Sa’d for the first time May 2011 during Umrah, this hadith came to mind.

The friendly, personable way he interacted with me, I thought to myself for a minute, maybe he has mistaken me for someone else, someone he already knows; but this is just how he was. It was as though he didn’t know he was Abu Talha, and how much we looked up to him. I can’t explain it, truly a ‘had to be there’ moment.

Then I understood the response of Hasan Somoli and Abdul Jaleel Meekins when I asked them concerning Abu Talha on two separate occasions, they both replied with the exact same answer. “My brother; he is just different.”

May Allah have mercy upon him and his wife, and protect their family.

Rasheed Barbee
Durham, North Carolina