Abu al-Bakhtari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that al-Ash'ath bin Qays and Jarir bin Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him). They entered upon him in a hut in a corner of al-Mada'in, greeted him with salam and welcomed him, then asked: Are you Salman al-Farisi? He said: Yes. They asked: Are you the Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: I do not know. At this they became doubtful and said: Perhaps he is not the one we are looking for. Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said to them: I am the very man you are looking for. I have seen the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and sat with him, but his true Companion is only the one who enters Paradise with him. What do you need? They said: We have come to you from a brother of yours in Syria. He asked: Who is he? They said: Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: Then where is the gift that he sent with you? They said: He did not send any gift with us. He said: Fear Allah and fulfil the trust; no one has ever come from him without bringing a gift with him. They said: Do not raise this against us; we have wealth, so take from it whatever you wish. He said: I do not want your wealth; rather, I want the gift that was sent with you. They said: By Allah! He did not send anything with us, except that he said: Among you is a man with whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he was alone with him, would not seek anyone else; when you go to him, convey my salam to him. Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I did not want any gift from you other than this, and what gift is better than salam? It is a greeting from Allah, blessed and pure.
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب السين / 6033