Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him), his kunyah was Abu Abdullah; he accepted Islam when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah, and being held in slavery he missed Badr and Uhud; his first battle was the Trench; some reports say he accepted Islam in Makkah, but his accepting Islam in Madinah is better established, and Allah (the text is incomplete here)

Kathir bin Abdullah al-Muzani (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from his father, from his grandfather, that in the year of the Confederates (al-Ahzab) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) marked out the line of the Trench, starting from Ahmar al-Basakhtayn, which was at the edge of Banu Harithah, until it reached al-Madhabih, and he allotted forty cubits to every ten men. Then the Muhajirun and the Ansar disputed over Salman al-Farisi (may Allah have mercy on him), for he was a strong man. The Muhajirun said: Salman is one of us, and the Ansar said: Salman is one of us. At this the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Salman is one of us, the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt)."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them both), and he said: "He read the Qur'an and stopped at its ambiguous verses; he held lawful what it made lawful and held unlawful what it made unlawful."

And he was asked about Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "A forgetful believer; when he is reminded, he remembers. He is filled with faith from his head to his feet."

And he was asked about Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "Among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) he knew the hypocrites best; he asked about them and was told about them."

The people said: Tell us about Salman. He said: "He attained the first knowledge and the last knowledge. He is, from among us the People of the House, a sea that never runs dry."

The people said: Tell us about Abu Dharr. He said: "A vessel of knowledge which the people have neglected." The people said: Now tell us about yourself. He said: "This is what you were after! Whenever I asked, I was given, and whenever I kept silent, I was given without asking. And indeed, between these two jaws there is abundant knowledge."

Abu al-Aswad and Zadhan al-Kindi (may Allah have mercy on them both) narrated: One day we were with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and the people found him in a cheerful mood and good temper, so they said: O Commander of the Believers! Tell us about your companions. He said: About which of my companions? They said: About the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: All the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) are my companions, so about which of them are you asking? They said: About those whom we have seen you mention gently, more than the rest of the people, and invoke blessings upon. He said: About which of them? They said: About Abdullah bin Mas'ud. He said: "He read the Qur'an and learned the Sunnah, and that is sufficient." The narrator said: By Allah! We could not tell what he meant by his words "that is sufficient": whether reading the Qur'an and knowing the Sunnah is sufficient, or Abdullah himself is sufficient.

The narrator said: Then he was asked about Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "He used to ask a great deal; sometimes he was given and sometimes he was withheld. He was eager and tight-fisted about his religion, eager for knowledge, a sea whose own vessel had been filled for him until it brimmed over."

We said: Tell us about Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "He knew the names of the hypocrites, and he asked about difficult matters, so that when people have become heedless of them, you will find him knowledgeable about them."

The people said: Tell us about Salman. He said: "Where will you find one like him? He is like Luqman the Wise! He is a man from among us, the People of the House. He attained the first knowledge and the last knowledge, and read the first Book and the last Book. He is a sea that never runs dry."

We said: Tell us about Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "A man in whose flesh, blood, hair and skin Allah has so blended faith that wherever he goes, faith goes with him. It is not fitting for the Fire to consume any part of him."

We said: Now tell us about yourself. He said: "Wait, Allah has forbidden praising oneself." A man said: But Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: "And as for the favour of your Lord, proclaim it" [Surah al-Duha: 11]. He said: "Then I proclaim the favour of my Lord: whenever I asked, I was given, and whenever I kept silent, I was given without asking."

Ali bin Badhimah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The belongings of Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) were sold, and they fetched fourteen dirhams."

Buqayrah, the wife of Salman (may Allah be pleased with him), narrated: When the time of death drew near for Salman (may Allah be pleased with him), he called me while he was in an upper room that had four doors. He said: O Buqayrah! Open these doors, for today I have some visitors coming to me, and I do not know through which of these doors they will enter upon me. Then he asked for some musk of his and said: Dissolve it in a basin, so I did. Then he said: Sprinkle it around my bed, then go down and wait; soon you will look in and see (me) on my bed. I looked in, and his soul had been taken; he was on his bed as though he were asleep, or something to that effect.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are three to whom the wide-eyed maidens (al-hur al-'in) will be led: Ali, Ammar and Salman (may Allah be pleased with them)."

It is narrated from Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Paradise longs for four people: Ali bin Abi Talib, Ammar bin Yasir, Salman al-Farisi and al-Miqdad bin al-Aswad (may Allah be pleased with them)."

Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with his gaze raised towards the sky. I said: O Messenger of Allah! What is this? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I saw an angel ascending to the sky with the deeds of Salman."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Every prophet was given seven noble companions, and we have been given fourteen." We asked Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): Who are they? He said: I, my two sons, Ja'far, Hamzah, Abu Bakr, Umar, Mus'ab bin Umayr, Bilal, Salman, Ammar and Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them). In this hadith the count of fourteen is not completed.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every prophet was given nine companions, and I have been given fourteen." Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked: Who are they? He said: "I, my two sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn, Hamzah, Ja'far, Abu Bakr, Umar, al-Miqdad, Salman, Talhah and al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them)."

Imam al-Tabarani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Fitr bin Khalifah differed from Ibn Uyaynah in the chain of this hadith.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No prophet was given seven noble companions and ministers, but I have been given fourteen: Hamzah, Ja'far, Ali, Hasan, Husayn, Abu Bakr, Umar, Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Abu Dharr, al-Miqdad, Hudhayfah, Ammar, Salman and Bilal (may Allah have mercy on them)."

Thabit al-Bunani (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) went with Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask, on his behalf, for the hand of a woman from Banu Layth. He went in and mentioned the virtue of Salman (may Allah be pleased with him), his precedence and his Islam, and told them that he was asking them for the hand of their daughter so-and-so. They said: As for Salman, we will not marry our daughter to him, but we will marry her to you. So Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) married her. Then he came out and said: Something has happened which I am ashamed to mention. Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "What is it?" So Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) told him the whole matter. Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I have more reason than you to be ashamed, that I proposed to her when Allah had already decreed her for you."

Tariq bin Shihab (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that he went to spend the night with Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) to see how much effort he put into worship. He got up to pray in the last part of the night, but it was as though he did not see what he had expected. When he mentioned this to Salman (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: "Guard these five prayers, for they are an expiation for these wounds (sins) as long as no fatal sin is committed. When the people have prayed Isha, they return in one of three states: among them are those who bear sin and have no reward, those who have reward and bear no sin, and those who have neither reward nor sin. The one who bears sin and has no reward is the man who takes advantage of the darkness of the night and the heedlessness of the people and runs headlong into disobedience. The one who has reward and bears no sin is the man who takes advantage of the darkness of the night and the heedlessness of the people and stands up to pray. And the one who has neither reward nor sin is the man who prays and then sleeps. And beware of excessive, exhausting strain (in worship); hold fast to moderation and constancy."

Sahl bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) had a dispute with a man, and Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Allah! If he is lying, do not let him die until one of the three trials overtakes him." When his anger had calmed down, I said: O Abu Abdullah! Why did you invoke this against him? He said: "I will tell you: the trial of the Dajjal, the trial of a ruler that will be like the trial of the Dajjal, and an extreme greed that will come upon people, such that when a man acquires wealth he will not care where he acquired it from."

Abu Layla al-Kindi (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated: Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) came with twelve or thirteen riders from among the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). When the time of prayer came, the people said: O Abu Abdullah! Go forward. He said: "We will not lead you in prayer, nor will we marry your women; Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, guided us through you." The narrator said: So a man from the people went forward and led four rak'ahs. When he gave the salam, Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What have we to do with four rak'ahs? Half of the four would have been enough for us, and we are more in need of the concession." Abd al-Razzaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: That is, during travel (the concession of shortening the prayer).

Abu al-Bakhtari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) acquired a slave girl and said to her in Persian: "Pray." She said: No. He said: "Then make just one prostration." She said: No. It was said: O Abu Abdullah! What benefit will one prostration be to her? He said: "If she prayed, she would pray; and the one who has a share in Islam is not like the one who has no share."

Al-Harith bin Suwayd (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that whenever Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) finished his meal he would say: "All praise is for Allah, who has spared us the toil and granted us ample provision."

Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) used to spend the night before Friday in worship and fast on its day. Once Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had established brotherhood between the two of them, and he slept at his place. Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to stand in prayer that night, but Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) got up to him and would not leave him until he slept and broke his fast. Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about this, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Uwaymir! Salman knows better than you. Do not single out the night before Friday for prayer, nor its day for fasting."

Salim, the freedman of Zayd bin Suhan (may Allah have mercy on him), narrated: I was with my master Zayd bin Suhan in the market when Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by us, having bought a wasq of grain. Zayd said to him: O Abu Abdullah! You do this, while you are a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: "When the soul has secured its provision, it becomes at ease and free for worship, and the whispering (of Satan) despairs of it."

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.

Nafi' bin Jubayr bin Mut'im (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) was looking for a place in which to pray, and a non-Arab woman said to him: Seek a pure heart and pray wherever you wish. He said: "You have understood rightly."

Abu al-Hajjaj al-Azdi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I heard Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) say in Isfahan: "A servant cannot be a believer until he knows that what has befallen him could not have missed him, and what has missed him could not have befallen him."