Salman the Persian

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For other uses, see Salman (disambiguation).

Salman the Persian (Arabic سلمان الفارسي Salman Farisi, Salman al-Farsi, Persian Salman e Farsi) was one of the Prophet Muhammad's companions.

He was one of the Muhajirun ^[1]

1 Biography
2 Salmaan in Ahadith
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Biography

"I am Salman, the son of Islam from the children of Adam." -- Salman (From "Companions of The Prophet", Vol.1, By: Abdul Wahid Hamid)

Salman was born with the Persian name Rouzbeh near the city of [Isfahan] but his family was popular in Kazerun in the province Pars in Persia (present day Iran) and was a Zoroastrian. Although born in a Zoroastrian family, he converted to Christianity and lived in what is now the city of Isfahan (then called 'Spahan') for the most part of his adolescent life. His father was an influential man of great wealth.

Salman started searching for truth. He was eager to search out since his childhood what he deemed the "true religion". Thus he left his country hoping to attain enlightenment. He embarked on a spiritual journey, traversing through the lands of the Arabian desert. He encountered a Christian monk, whom he accompanied for several years, subsequently converting to Christianity under his influence. Salman acquired much knowledge, experience and wisdom from his travels under the tutelage of the monk. One day, the monk died. Salman, mourning over the loss of his mentor, once again started faring all across the Arabian peninsula. Later on, he came in contact with many Christian preachers and priests, but none satisfied his thirst for enlightenment. Ultimately, he met a sickly old Christian priest on his death-bed, who told Salman about the coming of a new prophet in Medina or Tema as called in Isaiah 21:13-14 and informed him of this prophet's characteristics in accordance with Isaiah 42. Feeling that it was the only way to seek out the truth, he left for Medina in pursuit of the final prophet.

On his way to Medina, he was deceived by a group of Bedouin nomads. They promised to show him the way to the city of Medina. They instead, however, by means of trickery, sold him as a slave to a Jew. He was soon forced to harsh labour in the Jew's garden, which happened to be located in the city of Medina.

A few days after this incident, a person named Muhammed migrated from his birthplace of Mecca to Medina. Salman was told, as he recalled it, by his last religious teacher that the prospective prophet would be driven out from his motherland (Isaiah 21:15) and he would then take refuge in land bounded by gardens of dates. He would not eat things as would be given to him as charity. Rather, he would distribute them among his companions.But he would eat them if they were presented as a gift instead of charity. Between his two shoulders, a distinctive mark of prophethood would be concealed.

Salman immediately noticed traces of the forecast prophetic characteristics within this man, who had already attracted his attention and sparked his curiosity through his humble simplicity. Later he presented some food to Muhammed and told him that it was a "gift". Muhammed accepted the gift and also asked his companions to share.

He uncovered the prophet's right shoulder and found the mark of prophecy. Then Salman the Persian took the opportunity to present himself before Muhammad formally. He embraced Islam according to the prophet's dictations and teachings, and finally was content that he had been enlightened by the light of truth, as he believed Islam to be the 'true religion' which he was in search of since his childhood.

Muhammad subsequently made monetary arrangements to free Salman from his due service to the Jew. (Some accounts indicate that Muhammad himself planted a set number of palms as part of this payment.) Salman the Persian became renowned as one of the prophet's most devout and loyal followers.

Salman was the one that came with the idea to dig the moat in the Battle of the Trench

According to Sunnis, Salman gave allegiance to Abu Bakr along with Ali (Muhammed's cousin and son-in-law), who gave a forced allegiance after a period of six months after Muhammed's death.(Sahih Bukhari Vol.III,Chapter of Ghazawa Khaibar,pg. 37). According to shias Salman gave his allegiance only to Ali and become one of Alis shias. the belief that Ali and Salman gave allegiance to Abu Bakr is only a sunni claim present in only sunni narrations.

Salman the Persian died during the reign of the third Caliph, Uthman, at the age of 88.

He is buried in Ctesiphon(now Mada'en), which is situated in Iraq today. This shrine was attacked on February 26, 2006 and seems to have been destroyed in the violence following the destruction of the Al Askari Mosque [1]. His grave is shown also in Lydda, Palestine/Israel, now inside the modern querter called Ramat Eshkol.

[edit] Salmaan in Ahadith

A measure of Salmaan's spiritual and scriptual attainment can be gleaned by the following narrations. (Note that the second narration seems to indicate that he could read Hebrew.)

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled Hadith of giving rights. (Discuss)

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 189:

Narrated Abu Juhaifa:

The Prophet made a bond of brotherhood between Salmaan and Abu Ad-Darda'.

Salmaan paid a visit to Abu Ad-Darda' and found Umm Ad-Darda' [meaning his wife] dressed in shabby clothes and asked her why she was in that state. She replied, "Your brother Abu Ad-Darda' is not interested in (the luxuries of) this world."

In the meantime Abu Ad-Darda' came and prepared a meal for Salman. Salman requested Abu Ad-Darda' to eat (with him), but Abu Ad-Darda' said, "I am fasting." Salman said, "I am not going to eat unless you eat." So, Abu Ad-Darda' ate(with Salman). When it was night and (a part of the night passed), Abu Ad-Darda' got up (to offer the night prayer), but Salman told him to sleep and Abu Ad-Darda' slept. After sometime Abu Ad-Darda' again got up but Salman told him to sleep. When it was the last hours of the night, Salman told him to get up then, and both of them offered the prayer.

Salman told Abu Ad-Darda', "Your Lord has a right on you, your soul has a right on you, and your family has a right on you; so you should give the rights of all those who has a right on you."

Abu Ad-Darda' came to the Prophet and narrated the whole story. The Prophet (SAW) said, "Salman has spoken the truth."

Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 27, Number 3752:

Narrated Salman al-Farsi:

I read in the Torah that the blessing of food consists in ablution before it. So I mentioned it to the Prophet (SAW). He said: "The blessing of food consists in ablution before it and ablution after it".

See also the Hadith of Persians and knowledge.

Shia have a very favorable view of him. He is mentioned in one hadith regarding the perfect Shia. Sufis also have a very favourable view of him; in the Oveyssi order and Naqshbandi order, Salman is the third person in the spiritual chain connecting devotees with the Prophet Mohammed.

The Shi'a book "Abu Hurayrah" writes:

Prophet had said about: "Salman is one of us, the family of the Prophet." He also said: "If religion was on the Pleiades, Salman would get it." Aa'isha said: "Salman had a meeting with the Prophet every night that he sat with him more than we did." Ali said: "Salman al-Farisi is like the sage Luqman. He has known the knowledge of the first ages and the coming ages. He is a sea of knowledge that won't drain off." Ka'bul Ahbar said: "Salman is filled up with knowledge and wisdom." This was besides other virtues mentioned about him. People knew well that Abu Ayyoub al-Ansari lived in subsistence that nothing took him away from knowledge and worship. [2]

[edit] Trivia

Salman was not the name he was given at birth. His original Persian name was Rouzbeh.
During some of his later meetings with the other Sahaba, he was referred to as Abu Abdullah ("Father of Abdullah").
He translated the Qur'an into Persian, thus becoming the first person to interpret the Muslim holy scripture into a foreign language.^[2]