'They are people with high status prestige' (qasida 15:48)

This is the motto of this section, which is for talking about the companions and beloved ones to our prophet Mohammad [PPBUH].

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Salman al-Farsi [AAH]

The truth seeker

Salman al-Farsi [AAH] is nicknamed as Abo-Abdallah. He is from Asbahan, from a village called Gi. It was also told that he is from Ramhermes. He travel seeking the religion with some people, but they betrayed him and sold him to a Jew man. He converted to Islam on the arrival of the Prophet [PPBUH] to Medina. Then he was contracted for himself and the Prophet [PPBUH] helped him to satisfy the contract in order to be freed. The slavery prevented him from being in the conquests of Badr and Ohod. The first conquest for him was al-Khandaq, but after that he was in all conquests, until Omar appointed him on charge of al-Mada'en, the capital of Fares.

Abdallah ibn Abbas [AAH] said:

Salman said to me: I was a Farsi man from the people of Asbahan, from a village there called Gi. My father was the Dahqan [merchant] of the village, and I was the most beloved creature to him. My love in his heart grew until he locked me up in his house as he would do with a girl. I worked hard for Magosia [Farsi religion] until I became the Cutton of the fire [its keeper and servant], the one who keeps it glowing all the time. My father had a great estate, and one day he was busy in a building he had, so he said to me: «O, son! I am busy with my building today, so go and see my estate». And he told me to do something he wanted there. I went out for his estate, and I passed a church of the Christians and heard their voices praying in there. I did not know about them because of being locked up in the house of my father. So when I heard their voices, I went in to see what they were doing. When I saw them I liked their prayers and wanted to do what they were doing. I said: I swear, this is better than what we have. I could not leave them until it was sunset and I did not go to my father's estate. I asked them where I can embrace this religion, and they said in ash-Sham. Then I went back to my father, while he had sent for me and left his work. When he saw me, he said: «O, son! where have you been? Did I not send you for something?». I said: «O, father! I passed by some people who were praying in their church, and I liked what I saw of their religion, and I stayed with them until sunset». My father said: «O, son! this religion is no good, but yours and your father's is better». I said: «No. I swear it is better than ours». My father was afraid for me, so he tied my leg and locked me in his home. I sent to the Christians and said to them: «If any Christian traders come to you from ash-Sham, you should tell me». When some Christian traders came from ash-Sham they told me, and I told them to tell me again after they finish and become ready to go back. When the traders wanted to go back, I took the chain off my leg and went out with them. When we came to ash-Sham, I said who is the best man of this religion? and they told me it was the bishop in the church. I came to the bishop and said: «I wanted to embrace this religion, and I want to be with you in the church to serve you, learn from you, and pray with you». He told me to come inside and I did, but I found him to be a bad man. He used to tell them and urge them to give alms, but when they collect something to him, he would take keep it to himself instead of giving it to the poor and needy, until he collected seven big jars of gold. I hated him very much for what I saw him did. Then he died, and the Christians gathered to bury him, but I told them what he did and I showed them where he hid his treasure. So they got out of there seven big jars filled with gold and silver. When they saw that they decided not to bury him, instead they crucified and stoned him. Then they got another man to take his place. I never saw anyone who is better with the five prayers than this new man. He was most ascetic of the worldly life, most wanting to the hereafter, most persistent on work, day and night. So I loved him more than I ever loved anyone, and I stayed with him for quite some time, until he died. When he was about to die, I told him that I loved him more than anyone and I lived with him, then I asked him to recommend me to someone else and to order me! He said: «O, son! I swear to Allah I do not know anyone today who does what I used to do, people have changed and died. But there is a man in Mawsel, who just like me, so go to him». So when he dies and got buried, I went to the man in Mawsel. I told him what the Shami one told me, that the Shami one told me to come to him, and what the Shami one said to me about him being just like the Shami one. He told me to stay with him, so I stayed and found him to be as good as his friend was. Then death came to him, so I said to him: You remember the man who recommended you to me and ordered me to come to you, and now you are about to meet you creator. So who do do you recommend me to? and what do you order me to do? He said: «O, son! I swear that I do not know of anyone left on what we do, to order you to go to, but one man in Aamourya. So if you like you can go to him. He is like us». So as soon as he died and was buried, I went to the man of Aamourya. I told him my story, and told me to stay with him. I found him to be just like his friends and with the same guidance. At that time, I had earn some caws and a lamb. Then it was time for him to die, so I said to him: «I was with a man who recommended me to the other, then to the other, then to the other, then to you», and I named them to him, then I said: «So who do you recommend me to? and what do you order me to?» He said: «Lo, my son! I swear I do not know of anyone who is as we were, to order you to go to! But you are in a time of a prophet who is being sent with the religion of Ibrahim. He comes out in the Arab land migrating to an area between two volcanic stony areas. Between them, there is palm trees with distinguished marks. He eats the present, he does not eat alms, and he has the prophecy stamp between his shoulders. So if you can go to this land, then do». Then he died and was buried, so I stayed at Aamourya for some time. Then some traders from Kalb - an Arabic tribe - passed by me, so I told them to carry me to the Arab land for my caws and my lamb. They agreed and I gave it to them. So they carried me with them until we came to the valley of the villages, but then they betrayed me and sold me to a man from the Jew. So I stayed with him and I saw the palm trees and hopped it would be the land that my friend described to me, but I did not have the right to make sure. While I was at his house, a cousin of his came to him from Medina, from bani Qurayzah, and he bought me and took me to Medina. As soon as I saw Medina, I recognized it from the description of my friend. Then Allah sent His Messenger [PPBUH], and He stayed in Maccah as long as Allah wanted Him to. I did not hear anything about him with the slavery I am in. Then the Prophet migrated to Medina. I swear that I was up a palm doing some work for my master and he was sitting, when a cousin of his came to him and said: «May Allah fight those people of Qaylah - he meant the Ansar. They are gathered in Qiba' now to a man who came to them from Maccah and clamed to be a prophet». When I heard that, a quiver took me so that I though I would fall over my master. I got down of the palm and kept saying to him: «What do you say?». My master got angry and punched me a hard punch, and said: «What do you care about that, go to your work». I said to him: «Nothing but I wanted to be sure of what he said». I had something collect with me, so I took it to the Messenger of Allah in Qiba' and entered to him and said: «I was told that you are a virtuous man and you have a company of strangers in need. And I had something for alms, so I thought you deserve it more than anyone else». I put what I had closer to Him. The Messenger of Allah told his companions to eat, but he did not any of it. I said to myself that this is one. I went back and collected something. The Messenger of Allah came to Medina. I came back to Him with what I had collected and I said to him: «I saw that you do not eat the alms, so here is a present to honor you». The Messenger of Allah ate from it and told his companions to eat too. I said to myself: Those are two. Then I came to the Prophet [PPBUH], while he was in Baqei al-Gharqad. He had followed a funeral of his companions. He had two shawls on his shoulders. He was sitting among his companions, so I greeted him and turned around him to see his back, trying to see the prophecy stamp that my friend told me about. When the Prophet [PPBUH] saw that I went to His back, He knew that I am seeking to acertain something that was described to me.  So He let His cloth off His back, and I saw the stamp and I recognized it, so I fell on Him kissing Him and weeping. The Messenger of Allah then told me to turn to His front, and I told Him my story, as I am telling it to you now. He liked me to tell it to His companions.

Ibn Abbas continued: Then Salman was occupied with the slavery until he missed Badr and Ohod with the Prophet [PPBUH]. Salman continued:

Then the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] told me to make a contract on myself with my owner, so I made a contract with him to vitalize three hundred palms in their holes in the land and forty ounces. The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said to his companions:(Help your brother), so they helped me with the palms: a man with thirty shoots, another with twenty, another with fifteen, another with ten, and everyone as much as he had, until I got three hundred shoots. The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] then said to me: (Now Salman, go an make holes for it, and when finish I will put it in its holes with my hand). I.e. He told Salman to prepare for implanting it, but He saved the implanting for Himself. So I went and made the holes in the land for the implanting with my bodies, until I finished. I went to Him and told Him, so the Messenger of Allah went out with me to the holes and we kept giving him the shoots and He implanted them with His own hands. I swear, by Him who has my soul in His hands, that not one of them, the shoots, died. So I paid the palms, but I still had to pay the money. Then the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] came with something, the size of an egg of a hen, from gold of metals, and He said: (What did the Farsi contractor did?). So they called me to Him. He said to me: (Take this, Salman, and pay what you have to pay). I said: «What can this do for what I have to pay? O Messenger of Allah!» He said: (Take it, and Allah will make it pay for you). I took it to them and I swear, by Him who has my soul in His hands, that I weighed from it for them forty ounces, I fulfilled their rights, and I was freed. I then witnessed, with the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH], the conquest of al-Khandaq, and I did not miss any other event with Him.

Narrated by Imam Ahmed.

Edited by Samir Gamal

Translated by Lamia'

Whoever wants to read more about the great companions, can browse the companions pages in al-Ahbab site.

Editors Team