Reports on Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him)

Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) states: I was a Persian man, a resident of a village of Isfahan called Jayy. My father was the dihqan (chief landholder) of his village, and of all the creation of Allah I was the most beloved to him. He kept on loving me, until he would confine me at home just as a girl is kept. I devoted myself fully to the worship of Magianism, until I tended the fire which they had kindled, and I did not let it go out for even a moment. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: My father had a great deal of land. Once he was busy with some building work, and he said to me: "O my son, today I am busy with this building of mine and could not go to my land, so go and inspect it." He instructed me about some work concerning that land. Then he said to me: "Come back on time, for if you are late in coming, my attention will be taken away from everything." I set out intending to go to his land. I passed by a church of the Christians and I heard those people; they were praying in that church. I did not know what the state of people was, because my father kept me shut up at home. When I passed by them and heard their voices, I went right inside the church to see what they were doing. When I saw those people, their manner of worship pleased me and I felt drawn to their way. I thought: "By Allah, this religion is better than the religion we are following." By Allah, I did not leave those people until the sun set; I could not go to my father's land. I asked those people: "Where is the origin of this religion?" They said: "It is in Syria." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: When I returned to my father, he had already sent people to search for me and had become detached from every kind of work. When I came to him, he said: "O my son, where had you gone? Did I not instruct you?" I said: "O my father, I passed by some people who were praying in their place of worship, and what I saw of their religion pleased me. By Allah, I stayed with those people continuously until the sun set." My father said: "O my son, there is no good in that religion; your religion and the religion of your forefathers is better than it." I said: "No, by Allah, it is better than our religion." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: My father became fearful about me; he put a fetter on my foot and confined me at home. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: I sent a message to those Christians and said to them: "When Christian merchants come to you from Syria, inform me about them." When some merchants from Syria, who were Christians, came to them, they informed me about it. I said: "When those people have completed their business and intend to return to their land, let me know." When those people intended to return to their land and they informed me about it, I removed the fetter from my foot and set out with those people, until I came to Syria. When I came to Syria, I asked: "Who is the most excellent person in this religion?" The people said: "There is a bishop in the church." I came to him and said: "I have a desire for this religion, and I want to stay with you, serve you in this place of worship of yours, acquire knowledge from you and pray with you." He said: "Come in." I went in with him. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: He was an evil man. He would order people to give charity and encourage them to give it, and when those people collected wealth before him, he would store it away as treasure for himself; he gave nothing to the poor, until he had gathered seven jars of gold and silver. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When I saw him doing this, I came to hate him intensely. Then he died, and the Christians gathered around him to bury him. I said to those people: "This was an evil man. He used to order you to give charity and encourage you to give it, and when you collected various things before him and brought them to him, he would store them away as treasure for himself and give nothing of it to the poor." Those people asked: "How do you know this?" I said: "I will tell you about his treasure." Those people said: "Tell us." I showed those people the place of that treasure, and they took out from there seven jars filled with gold and silver. When those people saw this, they said: "By Allah, we will never bury him." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: Then those people crucified that man, pelted him with stones, and then brought another man and installed him in his place. The narrator states: Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) related: I have rarely seen anyone who prayed better than this (second) man, who was more detached from the world than him, who had more longing for the Hereafter than him, or who was more diligent by night and by day than him. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I came to love him intensely, with a love I had not had for the one before him. I stayed with him for a period of time. Then the time of his death drew near, and I said to him: "O so-and-so, I have been with you, and I love you so much that I have not loved anyone as much before you. Now the time of your death has drawn near, and you are seeing the command of Allah. So to whom do you direct me, and what do you instruct me?" He said: "O my son, by Allah, today I do not know of anyone who follows the religion I am following. People have fallen into ruin; they have altered the rulings of the religion and abandoned most of its rulings, except for one person; he is in Mosul, he is so-and-so, and he follows what I follow. Go and join him." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: When that man died and was buried, I went to the man of Mosul. I said: "So-and-so instructed me at the time of his death to go and join you, and he told me that you too follow his religion." That man said: "Stay with me." So I stayed with that man and found him to be an excellent man. I remained with him continuously until the time of his death drew near. Then I said to him: "So-and-so had instructed me to come to you and had said that I should join you. Now the time of your death has drawn near, as you see. So to whom do you direct me, and what do you command me?" He said: "O my son, by Allah, I do not know of anyone who follows a religion like the one we follow, except for one man who lives in Nasibin; he is so-and-so. Go and join him." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When that man died and was buried, I went and joined the man of Nasibin. I came to him and told him about my situation and about what my companion had instructed me. He said: "Stay with me." I stayed with him and found him (righteous) like his two previous companions. I stayed with him; he was an excellent person. By Allah, I remained with him continuously until the time of his death also drew near. When his final hour drew near, I said: "O so-and-so, so-and-so instructed me to go to so-and-so, and then that so-and-so instructed me about you. So now to whom do you direct me, and what do you instruct me?" He said: "O my son, I do not know of anyone who follows our religion and to whom I could direct you to go, except for one man who lives at Ammuriyah. He follows what we follow. If you wish, go to him, for he holds to our religion." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When he passed away and was buried, I came to the man of Ammuriyah and told him about my situation. He said: "Stay with me." I stayed with that man; he was a man who followed the way of the others (that is, of the earlier righteous men). During this time I also worked for wages, until I had gathered some goats and some cows. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: When his final hour drew near, I said to him: "O so-and-so, I was first with so-and-so; he instructed me to go to so-and-so, then he instructed me to go to so-and-so, then he instructed me to go to so-and-so, and then so-and-so sent me to you. So now to whom do you direct me, and what do you instruct me?" He said: "O my son, by Allah, I do not know of anyone to whom I could direct you to go. But the time of a prophet has drawn near to you. He will be sent with the religion of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and will emerge in the land of the Arabs. His emigration will be to a land with stony ground on both sides and palm groves in between. He will have distinctive signs which will not remain hidden: he will eat a gift but will not eat charity, and between his two shoulders will be the Seal of Prophethood. If you are able to reach those lands, then do so." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: Then he passed away and was buried, and I stayed at Ammuriyah for as long as Allah willed. Then some merchants of the tribe of Kalb passed by me from there. I said to them: "Take me with you to the land of the Arabs, and I will give you these cows and these goats of mine." They said: "Very well, hand them over." They took me along until they brought me to Wadi al-Qura; there they wronged me and sold me to a Jewish man. I stayed with him, and I saw palm trees there, and I hoped that perhaps this was the town whose description my man had given me, but I was not yet certain about it. One day I was sitting with that Jew when his cousin came to him; he had come from Madinah and belonged to Banu Qurayzah. He bought me from that Jew and took me to Madinah. By Allah, when I saw that place I knew that it had the very description my companion had given. I settled there. Allah Almighty sent His Messenger; he stayed in Makkah, and because I was a slave, I could not hear any mention of him. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) emigrated and came to Madinah. By Allah, once I was working in my master's palm grove and my master was sitting, when his cousin came, stopped by him and said: "O so-and-so, may Allah Almighty destroy Banu Qaylah! By Allah, those people have now gathered around a man who has come from Makkah today and claims that he is a prophet." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When I heard this, a trembling came over me, until I thought I might fall on top of my master. I came down from the tree and asked his cousin: "What are you saying? What are you saying?" My master became angry; he struck me hard with his hand and then said: "What have you to do with this? Go and do your work!" Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: "Nothing; I only meant to verify what he said." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I had something which I had saved up. When evening came, I took it and went with it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he was at Quba' at that time. I presented myself before him and said to him: "I have learned that you are a righteous man and that with you are some companions who are strangers and in need. This little thing is charity from me; I think that you people are more entitled to it than others." I placed it before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: "Eat." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) held back his hand and did not eat of it. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I thought to myself: "This is one sign that has appeared." Then I went back from him. Then I gathered something, and in the meantime the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) moved to Madinah. Then I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "I have seen that you do not eat charity, so this is a gift which I present out of respect for you." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate of it, and he ordered his companions, and they also ate with him. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I thought to myself: "These are two signs." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Then I presented myself before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he was at that time at Baqi' al-Gharqad, having come to the funeral of one of his companions. He had two sheets on his body and was sitting among his companions. I greeted him and then went round behind him to examine his back, to see whether I could see the Seal of Prophethood whose description my companion had given. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) noticed that I had come round behind him, he realised what I wanted to find out. The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed the sheet from his back, and I saw the Seal of Prophethood and recognised the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I bent over it, kissed the Seal of Prophethood and began to weep. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Come round to the front." I came round to the front and related my whole story before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), O Ibn Abbas, just as I am now relating it to you. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) liked that his companions should also hear it. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) remained occupied because of being a slave, and he could not take part with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the battles of Badr and Uhud. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O Salman, make a contract of manumission (mukatabah)." So I made an agreement with my master that I would plant three hundred palm trees for him and pay forty uqiyah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: "Help your brother." So those people helped me with palm saplings: one man brought thirty saplings, one man brought twenty saplings, one man brought fifteen saplings, one man brought ten; each man helped me according to what he could afford. When three hundred saplings had been gathered, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Salman, go and dig the ground for them. When you have finished, come to me, and I will plant them in the ground with my own hand." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I dug the ground for them, and my companions also helped me. When I had finished this work, I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went there with me. We kept handing the saplings to him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept planting them in the ground with his blessed hand. By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Salman, not a single one of those saplings perished. I delivered all the palm trees, but the payment of money still remained due from me. Then gold like a hen's egg, from one of the mines, came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What has become of the Persian who made the manumission contract?" I was called and brought to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Salman, take this and pay off what is due from you." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, how will what is due from me be paid off with this?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Take it; Allah Almighty will surely pay it off on your behalf with it." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I took it and weighed out for them from it, and by the One in whose Hand is the soul of Salman, it came to forty uqiyah. I paid them their full due and became free. Then I took part with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Battle of the Trench, and after that I did not stay behind from any battle in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took part.

In one narration there are these words: Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: When I said: "O Messenger of Allah, how will this pay off what is due from me?" the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took it and turned it over on his tongue (perhaps meaning that he applied his blessed saliva to it). Then he said: "Take it and pay them in full from it." I took it and paid them in full from it, which was forty uqiyah. Imam Ahmad recorded all these narrations, and Imam al-Tabarani recorded similar narrations in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir with various chains. The narrators of the first chain of Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Tabarani are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Muhammad bin Ishaq, and he has explicitly stated that he heard it; while in the second narration, Imam Ahmad is alone in recording its narrators, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Amr bin Abi Qurrah al-Kindi, and he is thiqah (trustworthy); and
Imam al-Bazzar also recorded it.

Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) states: I was from among the sons of the Asawirah of Persia (a particular group is meant). The narrator says: After this he mentioned the whole hadith. He states: Then I set off, passing through various regions, until I passed by some Bedouins. They enslaved me and sold me, until a woman bought me. I heard those people mentioning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Livelihood was hard to come by in those days. I said to that woman: "Give me a day off." The woman said: "Very well." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I went, gathered firewood, sold it, then prepared food and brought it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I placed it before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He asked: "What is this?" I said: "This is charity." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: "Eat." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not eat of it himself. I thought: "This is one of his distinctive signs." Then as long a period passed as Allah willed. Then I said to my mistress: "Give me a day off." The woman said: "Very well." Then I went, gathered firewood, sold it at a higher price than before, and prepared food with it. I brought that food to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he was at that time sitting among his companions. I placed that food before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He asked: "What is this?" I said: "This is a gift." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stretched out his hand and said to his companions: "You too take, with the name of Allah." I stood up, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed his sheet, and there was the Seal of Prophethood. I said: "I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is the reason for this?" So I told him about that man. Then I asked him: "O Messenger of Allah, will that man enter Paradise? He had told me that you are a prophet." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None but a Muslim soul will enter Paradise."

Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) states: Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had arrived in Madinah. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) brought a tray on which there were dates. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) placed it before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Salman, what is this?" He said: "This is charity for you and for your companions." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Take it away, for we do not eat charity." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) took it away. Then the next day he brought similar things and placed them before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is this, O Salman?" Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "This is a gift for you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: "Stretch out your hands." The narrator says: Then Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) looked at the Seal of Prophethood of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which was on his back, and he believed in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He was owned by the Jews. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bought him for such and such a number of dirhams, and on the condition that he would plant palm trees and Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) would keep working in that orchard until the fruit of those trees became fit to eat. The narrator states: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) planted the palm trees himself, except for one sapling, which Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had planted. That year all those trees bore fruit, except one tree which did not. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Who planted this?" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, I planted it." The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pulled it out and then planted it himself, and that same year it too bore fruit.
Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

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).

Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: I was a resident of Jayy, which is in the region of Isfahan. Once Allah Almighty put this question into my heart: who created the heavens and the earth? I went to a man who rarely mixed with people. I asked him: "Which religion is most excellent?" He said: "What have you to do with this matter? Do you want some religion other than your own?" I said: "No, but I want to know who created the heavens and the earth, and which religion is most excellent." He said: "Only a monk who is in Mosul has knowledge of this." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I went to him and stayed with him. He was a man who was detached from the world; he would fast by day and stand in worship by night. I too began to worship as he worshipped. I stayed with him for three years. Then he was about to pass away, and I said: "To whom do you bequeath me to go?" He said: "Among the people of the East I do not know of anyone who follows the religion I follow. You must go to a monk who is beyond al-Jazirah; convey my greetings of peace to him." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I came to him, conveyed the greetings to him, and told him that that person had passed away. Then I stayed with this second monk for three years. Then he was about to pass away, and I said: "To whom do you direct me to go?" He said: "Among the people of the earth I do not know of anyone who follows the religion I follow, except for one monk who is in Ammuriyah; he is an old man. I do not know whether you will be able to reach him or not." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I went to him and stayed with him. He was a man who had many comforts. When the time of his death drew near, I said to him: "Where do you direct me to go?" He said: "I do not know of anyone among the people of the earth who follows the religion I follow. But if you reach a time in which you hear of a person who has emerged from the House of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), though I do not think that you will reach him, and I had hoped that if I found his time I too would go to him; then if you are able to go to him, do so, for that will be the true religion. His distinctive sign is that the people of his nation will say: 'He is a sorcerer, he is a madman, he is a soothsayer'; he will eat a gift but will not eat charity; and near his shoulder will be the Seal of Prophethood." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: While I was still there, some riders came there from the direction of Madinah. I asked them: "Where are you from?" They said: "We are from the people of Madinah. We are merchants and earn our livelihood through trade. But from among the people of the House of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) a man has emerged; he has come to us, and his people are fighting him. We fear that he may obstruct our trade, but he has now become the ruler of Madinah." I asked: "What do people say about him?" They said: "People say: 'He is a sorcerer, he is a madman, he is a soothsayer.'" I thought: "This is one sign." I said: "Show me your master (of the caravan)." Then I came to him and said: "Will you take me with you to Madinah?" He asked: "What will you give me?" I said: "I have nothing to give you, except that I will become your slave." He let me ride with him. When I came to Madinah, he set me to work in a palm orchard. I would haul water just as a camel hauls water, until because of this the skin of my back and chest became sore. I found no one there who could understand my speech, until an old Persian woman came; she had come to draw water. I talked with her, and she understood my speech. I asked her: "Where is that man who has emerged? Will you guide me to him?" The woman replied: "He will pass by you in the morning, when he has offered the dawn prayer at the start of the day." I went out from there and gathered dates. When morning came, I came and presented the dates before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is this? Is it charity or a gift?" I indicated that it was charity. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Take them to these people." His companions were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at that time. Those people ate it, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not eat. I thought: "This is one sign." The next day I brought dates. 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 it and invited his companions, and they also ate it. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) noticed that I wanted to see the Seal of Prophethood; he realised it and removed his sheet. I kissed the Seal of Prophethood and clung to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is the matter with you?" He asked me, and I told him about my whole situation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You made it a condition with them that you would be their slave, so now purchase yourself from them." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bought Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) on the condition that Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) would plant three hundred palm trees for those people and give forty uqiyah of gold, and then he would be counted free. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Plant the trees." He planted the trees. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go and lower the bucket into the well; then do not pull it up until it comes up by itself." When that bucket filled, it would come up by itself, and then the palm trees would be watered. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) kept doing so, and the palm trees sprouted very quickly. They said: "Subhan Allah! We have not seen anyone like this slave; this slave has a special standing." Then the people gathered around him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him a piece of gold which was of forty uqiyah.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it, and its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Salamah al-Ijli states: My sister's son, whose name was Qudamah, came from the countryside. My nephew said to me: "I wish to meet Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) and greet him." So we went to Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) and found him at al-Mada'in. In those days he was (the amir) over twenty thousand (people). We found him on a cot, weaving a mat. We greeted him, and I said: "O Abu Abdullah, this is my nephew; he has come to me from the countryside, and he wished to greet you." He said: "And upon him be peace, and may the mercy of Allah Almighty descend." I said: "He says that he loves you." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "May Allah Almighty love him." The narrator says: We went on talking in this way, and we said: "O Abu Abdullah, will you not tell us about your origin and where you come from?" He said: "As for my origin and where I come from, I am from Ramhurmuz. We were a Magian people. A Christian man from the people of al-Jazirah passed by us; he stayed among us and built a place of worship among us. I was a student of Persian, and in the school with me there was a boy who used to come every day having been beaten, and he would be weeping; his parents would have beaten him. One day I asked him: 'Why are you weeping?' He said: 'My parents have beaten me.' I asked: 'Why did they beat you?' He said: 'I went to the man of this church, and when my parents learned of it, they beat me. But if you went to that man and listened to what he says, you would hear amazing things.' I said: 'Take me with you.' Then we came to that priest. He told us about the beginning of creation, the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the earth, and about Paradise and Hell. He told us things that were amazing. I began to go back and forth to that priest along with that boy. The other boys of the school found out about us, and they too began to come with us. When the people of the village saw this situation, they came to that priest and said to him: 'O man, you came and stayed in our neighbourhood, and we found nothing but good in your neighbourliness. But now we see that our children have begun to go back and forth to you, and we fear that you will put us to trial. Leave our land.' He said: 'Very well.' That priest said to the boy who used to go to him: 'You come with me too.' He said: 'I cannot do that, because I know that my parents will be harsh with me.'" Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "I said: 'But I will come with you.' I was an orphan boy; I had no father. I set out with him. We kept travelling on foot over the mountains of Ramhurmuz, relying on Allah and eating the fruit of the trees, until we reached al-Jazirah. From there we came to Nasibin. My companion said to me: 'O Salman, there are some people here who are the great worshippers of the face of the earth, and I wish to meet them.'" Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "We came to some people on a Sunday; those people had gathered. My companion greeted them, and those people welcomed him. Those people asked: 'Where have you been absent?' He told them: 'I was with brothers of mine in the direction of Persia.' Then we talked as we talked. Then my companion said to me: 'O Salman, get up and let us go.' I said: 'No, let me stay with these people.' He said: 'You will not have the strength that these people have. These people fast from one Sunday to the next Sunday and do not sleep at night.' And among them was a person who was a prince; he had left kingship and entered into worship." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "I stayed among those people. When evening came, those people began to go one by one to their particular cave in which they lived. When evening came, that person who was a prince asked: 'What is the matter with this boy? They have neglected him; one of you should take him along.' Those people said: 'You keep him with you.' He said to me: 'O Salman, come.' He took me with him until he came to the cave in which he lived. He said: 'O Salman, this is bread and this is a relish. When you are hungry, eat; when you feel full of energy, fast; worship as much as you see fit; and when you are tired, sleep.' Then he stood up to pray. That was the only thing he said to me, and after that he did not look at me. For seven days I was distressed, as no one spoke to me during that time, until, when Sunday came, he came to me and took me to the place where those people used to gather. Those people gathered every Sunday and broke their fast on Sunday; during this time they met one another and greeted one another, and then until the next Sunday they paid no attention to one another." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "When we came back to our dwelling, that person said to me the same thing he had said the first time: 'This is bread and this is relish. When you are hungry, eat; when you feel full of energy, fast; worship as much as you see fit; and when you are tired, sleep.' Then he became occupied in his prayer. He paid no attention to me and did not speak with me until the next Sunday came. Distress came over me again, and I thought that I should run away. Then I thought that I should be patient for two or three Sundays. When Sunday came, we came to those people again; they all broke their fast and gathered. That person said to them: 'Now I want to go to Bayt al-Maqdis.' Those people asked him: 'Why do you want to go there?' He said: 'I have not been there.' Those people said: 'We fear that some situation will arise there such that someone else will join you, and we wish to remain with you.' He said: 'But I want to go there.' When I heard him mention this, I was happy. I thought: 'Now we will travel and meet people.' The distress I had been feeling went away. Then we set out from there, I and that person. He would fast from one Sunday to the next Sunday, pray voluntary prayers the whole night, and walk on foot during the day. Whenever we halted somewhere, he would stand up and begin to pray. This remained his practice until we reached Bayt al-Maqdis. At the gate of the city there was a crippled man who begged from people. He said: 'Give me something.' My companion said: 'I have nothing with me.' We entered Bayt al-Maqdis. When the people of Bayt al-Maqdis saw him, they were delighted at his arrival. He said to those people: 'This is my young companion; accept my exhortation to treat him well.' Those people took me with them and fed me bread and meat. Then that man entered into prayer and did not come back to me until the next Sunday came. Then he said to me: 'O Salman, I want to sleep for a little while. When the shadow reaches such and such a place, wake me up.' He laid down his head and slept. When the shadow reached the place he had mentioned, I did not wake him out of sympathy for him, because I had seen him worship intensely and endure hardship. When he woke up, he was very alarmed. He said: 'O Salman, did I not tell you to wake me up when the shadow reached such and such a place?' I said: 'Yes, but I did not wake you out of sympathy for you, because I had seen your practice.' He said: 'Woe to you, O Salman! I dislike that any part of time should pass me by in which I have not done good for the sake of Allah Almighty.' Then he said to me: 'O Salman, know that the most excellent religion today is Christianity.' I asked: 'Will there be, after today, a religion more excellent than Christianity?' This was a question that just came onto my tongue. He replied: 'Yes. Soon a prophet will be sent who will eat a gift but will not eat charity, and between his two shoulders will be the Seal of Prophethood. If you are able to reach him, follow him and affirm him.' I asked: 'Even if he instructs me to abandon Christianity?' He replied: 'Yes, because he will truly be the Prophet of Allah. He will command only what is true and say only what is true. By Allah, if I could reach him and he then instructed me to enter the fire, I would enter it.'" Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "Then we came out of Bayt al-Maqdis and passed by that same crippled man. The cripple said to him: 'When you went in, you gave me nothing then either; now you are going out, so give me something now.' That worshipper looked here and there and saw no one. He said: 'Give me your hand.' The crippled man stretched out his hand, and that worshipper said: 'Stand up by the leave of Allah.' And that crippled man stood up completely well. Then that man set off towards his home, and I kept looking at him for a long time, amazed at what I had seen. My companion went off walking with quick steps, and I followed him. Then I met some Bedouin riders of the tribe of Kalb; they captured me, mounted me on a camel and bound me with ropes. Then, passing through the hands of various buyers, I reached Madinah. A man from the Ansar bought me. He placed me in a palm orchard, and I stayed right there." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "There I learned the work of weaving mats. I would buy the raw material for one dirham, work on it and then sell it for two dirhams; then with one dirham I would buy raw material, and I would spend one dirham. I like to eat from the earnings of my own hand." The narrator says: Although at that time he was (the amir) over twenty thousand (people). Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) states: "We received the news, while we were in Madinah, that a man had appeared (in Makkah) who says that Allah Almighty has sent him. As long a period passed as Allah willed. Then he emigrated and came to us. When he came to us, I thought: 'By Allah, I will certainly test him.' I went to the market and bought camel meat for one dirham. Then I cooked it, then prepared tharid in a bowl, then lifted it, carried it on my shoulder and placed it before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'What is this? Is it charity or a gift?' I said: 'Rather, it is charity.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: 'Eat with the name of Allah.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself held back; he did not eat of it. Then some days passed. I bought camel meat for one dirham, prepared tharid in the same way, carried it and placed it before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'What is this? Is it a gift or charity?' I said: 'No, rather it is a gift.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: 'Eat with the name of Allah,' and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself also ate with them. I thought: 'By Allah, he eats a gift but does not eat charity.' Then I looked, and I saw the Seal of Prophethood between his two shoulders, like the egg of a pigeon. So I accepted Islam. One day I said to him: 'O Messenger of Allah, what kind of people are the Christians?' He said: 'There is no good in them.'" Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "I loved those people very much, because I had seen their intense worship. Some days later I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again: 'O Messenger of Allah, what kind of people are the Christians?' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'There is no good in them, nor in anyone who loves them.' I thought to myself: 'By Allah, I do love them.'" The narrator says: This was in the days when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sending out military expeditions and had drawn the sword; one expedition would be coming and another going, and drops of blood would be dripping from the sword. "I thought: 'If it becomes known that I love the Christians, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will send for me and have my neck struck.' Thinking this, I sat at home. One day the messenger came to me and said: 'O Salman, answer the summons.' I asked: 'Who has summoned me?' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).' I thought: 'By Allah, this is the very situation I was trying to avoid.' I said: 'Very well, you go, and I will follow you.' He said: 'No, by Allah, not until you come.' I was thinking to myself that if he went, I would run away. Then he took me along, and I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When he saw me, he smiled and said to me: 'O Salman, receive the glad tidings: Allah Almighty has granted you relief.' Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited these verses: 'Those to whom We gave the Book before it, they believe in it. And when it is recited to them, they say: We believe in it; it is the truth from our Lord; indeed we were Muslims before it.' (Then further on Allah, the Exalted, says:) 'These are the ones who will be given their reward twice (that is, double) for their patience; they repel evil with good and spend from what We have provided them. And when they hear idle talk, they turn away from it and say: For us are our deeds and for you are your deeds; peace be upon you; we do not seek the ignorant.' I said: 'By the One who sent you with the truth, I heard that (devoted monk) say: If I reach his time and he instructs me to enter the fire, I will go into the fire, because he is truly a prophet; he will say only what is true and command only what is true.'"

In an abridged narration there are these words: The narrator states: Then Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "You will surely find the most intense of people in enmity towards the believers to be the Jews and those who associated partners (with Allah)." This verse continues up to: "overflowing with tears." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent for me and said: "O Salman, those companions of yours are the ones whom Allah Almighty has mentioned."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Salamah al-Ijli, and Ibn Hibban declared him thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyidah Umm al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with her) states: Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) came to my home and greeted me. He was wearing a Qatawani cloak, which he had draped over himself as an upper wrap. I placed a cushion before him, but he paid no attention to the cushion; he folded up his cloak and sat on it. He said: "It is enough for a person to have as much space as he sits on." Then he praised Allah for a while, then said the takbir, then sent blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he asked: "Where is your husband?" He was asking about Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: "He is in the mosque." Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) went to him. Then both gentlemen came, and in the meantime, on the way, Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) had bought meat for one dirham, which was hanging in his hand. He said: "O Umm al-Darda', bake bread and prepare food." We did so. Then we brought the food to Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You eat along with Umm al-Darda', for I am fasting." Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will not eat until you eat." So Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) broke his fast and ate with him. When the hour came in which Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray voluntary prayers, he got up to pray, but Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) made him sit down. Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Are you stopping me from the worship of my Lord?" Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Your eye has a right over you, and your wife has a right over you." So Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) held him back, until, when the time of true dawn drew near, the two of them got up and offered some rak'ahs, then they offered the witr, then they went for the dawn prayer. Then they mentioned their matter before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What a man Salman is! May his mother lose him! He has been filled with knowledge."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, al-Hasan bin Jabalah, and I do not know him; the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) states: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raise his gaze and look towards the sky. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is the matter?" He said: "I have seen an angel ascending with the deeds of Salman."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Nur bin Abdullah al-Misma'i, and he is kadhdhab (a liar).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The wide-eyed houris long for three people: Ali, Ammar and Salman." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Imam al-Tirmidhi recorded from this Companion
this narration: "Paradise longs for three people."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Abu Rabi'ah al-Iyadi, and Imam al-Tirmidhi declared the hadith narrated by him to be hasan (good).

Buqayrah, the wife of Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him), states: When the time of death of Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) drew near, he called me. He was at that time in his upper room, which had four doors. He said: "O Buqayrah, open these doors. Today I see visitors, and I do not know through which of these doors they will come in to me." Then he called for some musk and said: "Mix it with water in a bowl." I did so. Then he said: "Sprinkle it for me, then go down and stay down below. Soon you will find my nearness on my bed in darkness." She says: When (later) I looked in, his soul had been taken at that very place, on his bed.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it through al-Jazl from Sayyidah Buqayrah (may Allah be pleased with her), and I do not know either of them; the remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih.