Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 15837

Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) states: I was one of the people of Jayy, and my kinsfolk used to worship horses. I knew that there was no reality to this. It was said to me: "The religion you are seeking is in the west." I set out from there and came to Mosul. I asked about the most excellent person there, and I was directed to a man who lived in a church. I came to him and told him: "I am a man from Jayy, and I have come to seek knowledge, so that I may acquire knowledge from you. So take me in with you; I will serve you and stay with you, and you will teach me some of the knowledge that Allah Almighty has granted you." He said: "Very well." I stayed with him. Just as he himself used vinegar, olive oil and grain, so he would give me the same. I remained with him continuously until the time of his death drew near. Then I sat at his head and began to weep. He asked: "Why are you weeping?" I said: "By Allah, what makes me weep is that I set out from my land to seek knowledge, and Allah Almighty granted me your company; you taught me and treated me well. Now death is coming to you, and I do not know where I will go." He said: "I have a brother in al-Jazirah, at such and such a place; he too is upon the truth. Go to him, convey my greetings of peace to him, and tell him that I instructed you to go to him; and I instruct you to stay with him." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When that man passed away, I set out from there until I came to the man whose description he had given me. I told him about the situation, conveyed to him the greetings of his companion, and told him that he had passed away and had instructed me to stay with you. So this second person also took me in with him and gave me the same kind of provisions as the first person used to give. I stayed with him for as long as Allah willed. When the time of his death drew near, I sat at his head and began to weep. He asked: "Why are you weeping?" I said: "I set out from my land in search of good. Allah Almighty granted me the company of so-and-so; he treated me well and taught me. When the time of his death drew near, he instructed me to come to you. You took me in, your company too was excellent, and you taught me. Now death is coming to you, and I do not know where I should go." He said: "I have a maternal uncle who lives near Rome (the Byzantine lands); he is upon the truth. Go to him, convey my greetings of peace to him and stay with him, for he is upon the truth." When that man passed away, I set out from there and came to that person. I told him about my situation and about the bequest of the other person. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: He took me in with him and provided me with the same provisions that he himself received. When the time of his death drew near, I sat at his head and began to weep. He asked: "Why are you weeping?" I told him my story. I said to him: "Allah Almighty granted me your company, and you kept me in a fine manner. Now death is coming to you, and I do not know where I should go." He said: "There is no longer anyone left, to my knowledge, on the face of the earth who follows the religion of Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him). However, this is a time in which the emergence of a prophet has drawn near, or he will already have emerged in the region of Tihamah. Go to the road; ask about him from everyone who passes by you. When you receive the news that he has emerged, go to him, for he is the prophet about whom Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) gave glad tidings. His distinctive sign will be that between his two shoulders will be the Seal of Prophethood, and he will eat a gift but will not eat charity." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: Whoever passed by me, I would ask him about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Once some people of Makkah passed by me; I asked them about this, and they said: "Yes, a man has appeared among us who claims that he is a prophet." I said to some of them: "Would you be interested in my becoming the slave of one of you, on the condition that you let me ride behind you on the mount and give me a piece of bread to eat? Then when you reach your land, if that person wishes to sell me, let him sell me, and if he wishes to keep me as his slave, let him keep me as his slave." One of them said: "I am ready to do so." So I became his slave until that man came to Makkah. He assigned me to work in one of his orchards along with other Abyssinian slaves. I would go out and ask questions. I met a woman who was from my land (that is, Persia). I asked that woman, and it turned out that her household had become Muslims. That woman said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions sit in the Hatim at the time when the sparrow cries out in Makkah, until, when the dawn becomes bright, they disperse." I went to the orchard, and during the night I kept going in and out. The Abyssinians asked me: "What is your problem?" I said: "My stomach is not well." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I did this so that when I went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) they would not notice my absence. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: When the time came about which the woman had told me that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions sit at that time, I set out until I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sitting in the ihtiba' posture, with his companions around him. I came to him from behind. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) realised my intention; he undid his sitting in the hubwah posture, and I saw the Seal of Prophethood between his two shoulders. I said: "Allahu akbar! This is one sign." Then I went back. When the next night came, I picked out good-quality dates and took them to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I placed them before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is this?" I said: "This is a gift." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate of them and said to those present: "You eat too." I said: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Almighty and that you are the Messenger of Allah" (perhaps the text here is not complete). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me about my situation, and I told him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go and purchase your own freedom." I went to my master. I said: "I want to purchase myself." He said: "Very well. Plant a hundred palm trees for me; when they have sprouted, bring me gold equal to the weight of a date-stone." I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about this. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Purchase yourself on the basis of what he has demanded from you, and bring me a bucket of water from the well with which you water that palm orchard." The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated for me, and then I watered those palms. By Allah, the hundred palm trees grew; every single one of them sprouted. I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him that the palm trees had sprouted. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me a piece of gold. I took it and placed it in one pan of the scale, and in the other pan was placed a date-stone. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: By Allah, the pan with the gold did not rise from the ground (that is, it remained heavier). The narrator states: Then I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared me free.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abdullah bin Abd al-Quddus al-Tamimi, whom Imam Ahmad and the majority declared da'if (weak), while Ibn Hibban declared him thiqah (trustworthy) and said: "He sometimes narrates gharib (unusual) reports." The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).