Through the remarkable life of Darryl “Dhafir Nabawi” Wayne Roberts, discover an intimate journey into Islamic spirituality, the nature of sainthood, and the enduring relationship between the human soul and the Divine.
Remembering the Friends of God examines the timeless concept of sainthood (Wilaya) through the life and enduring legacy of Darryl Wayne Roberts, affectionately remembered as Uncle Darryl and known as Dhafir Nabawi.
Born in 1960, Darryl lived a life of exceptional promise and profound adversity, including nearly two decades of incarceration. For his nephew, Ata Nabawi, Darryl's life and passing became the catalyst for an extraordinary spiritual inquiry. Through family memory, deeply personal dreams, and the study of revelation, he explored the nature of the soul, the purpose of existence, and those whom the Qur'an calls the Friends of God.
Drawing on the Qur'an, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and the masters of Tasawwuf, it is a deeply human story about memory, love, suffering and redemption, and the possibility of discovering divine wisdom in unexpected places.
Three threads woven into one book: a life remembered, a search for truth, and a living tradition of divine friendship.
The golden boy of 115th Street. His promise, his trials, and a legacy that lives on in those he guided.
Darryl's Story II · The QuestHow a nephew's grief, dreams and questions became a journey through revelation toward the knowledge of God.
The Author's Journey III · The TraditionFrom Owais al-Qarni to Rabi'a al-Adawiyya: the Islamic understanding of Wilaya and divine nearness.
Sainthood in IslamThe book introduces readers, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, to the spiritual sciences that give Darryl's story its deeper meaning.
Organized around the Hadith of Gabriel, Tasawwuf is the science of the heart: sincerity, remembrance, and the purification of the self that crowns outward practice and inward faith.
“To worship Allah as though you see Him; for although you do not see Him, He sees you.”Hadith of Jibril · Sahih MuslimContinue Reading
Who are the Awliya Allah? The Qur'an and the celebrated Hadith of Divine Friendship describe a servant who draws near to God until God becomes the hearing with which he hears and the sight with which he sees.
“Whoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I have declared war upon him.”Hadith Qudsi · Sahih al-Bukhari 6502Continue Reading
On dhikr, the remembrance of God, and how it transforms the heart, steadies the soul, and draws the servant into nearness.
On the covenant between the soul and its Lord, and the promises that shape a human life long before it begins.
On death, the life of the soul beyond it, and the kingdom that does not pass away.
Some lives are remembered for what they achieved. Others are remembered for what they awakened in us.