Salman al-Farsi
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- For other uses, see Salman (disambiguation).
Salman the Persian (Persian: سلمان فارسی Salman e Farsi, Arabic: سلمان الفارسي Salman al-Farsi) was one of Muhammad's companions.
During some of his later meetings with the other Sahaba, he was referred to as Abu Abdullah ("Father of Abdullah").
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Iran
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 (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.
[edit] Travels
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.
[edit] Muhammed's era
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. He was soon forced to harsh labour in a 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 remembered 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 Muhammad'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 Muhammad'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 Muhammad's most devout and loyal followers.
He is honoured in the Hadith of Persians and knowledge.
[edit] Battle of the trench
Salman was the one that came with the idea to dig the moat in the Battle of the Trench
While some sources gather him with the Muhajirun,[1] other sources narrate that during the battle of the trench, one of Immigrant from Makkah (Arabic: Muhajirun) stated "Salman is one of us, Muhajireen", but was challenged by the Muslims of Medina (Arabic: Ansar). A lively argument began between the two groups, each of them claiming that Salman belonged to their group, and not to the other group. Muhammad arrived on the scene, and heard the argument. He was amused by the claims but he soon put an end to their argument by saying: "Salman is neither Muhajir nor Ansar. He is one of us. He is one of the People of the House (Arabic: ahl al-Bayt)."[2]
[edit] Abu Bakr's era
According to several sources, Salman gave allegiance to Abu Bakr along with Ali (Muhammed's cousin and son-in-law), who gave allegiance after a period of six months after Muhammed's death.[3] According to Shiites Salman gave his allegiance only to Ali and become one of Ali's Shiites. Shiites do not believe that Ali and Salman gave allegiance to Abu Bakr.
[edit] Umar's era
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[edit] Uthman's era
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.
[edit] 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.)
[edit] Legacy
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 [2]. His grave is shown also in Lydda, Palestine/Israel, now inside the modern querter called Ramat Eshkol.
[edit] Works
He translated the Qur'an into Persian, thus becoming the first person to interpret the Muslim holy scripture into a foreign language.[6]
[edit] Quote
"I am Salman, the son of Islam from the children of Adam." -- Salman (From "Companions of The Prophet", Vol.1, By: Abdul Wahid Hamid)
[edit] Shi'a view
Shia have a very favorable view of him. He is mentioned in one hadith regarding the perfect Shia.
Ali Asgher Razwy, a 20th century Shi'a Twelver Islamic scholar states:
[edit] Sufi view
Sufis also have a very favourable view of him; in the Oveyssi-Shahmaghsoudi order and Naqshbandi order, Salman is the third person in the spiritual chain connecting devotees with Muhammad.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.al-islam.org/peshawar/7.2.html
- ^ http://www.ezsoftech.com/islamic/salman.asp
- ^ Sahih Bukhari Vol.III,Chapter of Ghazawa Khaibar,pg. 37
- ^ Sahih Bukhari 3:31:189
- ^ Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 27, Number 3752
- ^ An-Nawawi, Al-Majmu', (Cairo, Matbacat at-'Tadamun n.d.), 380.
- ^ A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims on Al-Islam.org [1]
[edit] External link
- Biography of Salman al-Farisi (according to a Naqshbandi Sufi order)
| List of Ali's companions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dharr al-Ghifari | Khuzayma ibn Thabit | Miqdad ibn Aswad | Salman the Persian |
| Ammar ibn Yasir | Malik al-Ashtar | Habib ibn Mazahir | Kumayl ibn Ziyad |
| Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr | Sa'sa'ah ibn Suhan | Zayd ibn Suhan | Hisham ibn 'Utbah |
| Abdullah ibn Budayl | Maytham al-Tammar | Adi ibn Hatim | Hujr ibn Adi |
| Asbagh ibn Nubatah | al-Harith al-A'war al-Hamdani | Amr ibn al-Humq al-Khaza'i | Abdullah ibn Hashim |
| Uways al-Qarni | `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas | Uday ibn Hatam | Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali |
| Uthman ibn Hunaif | Mikhnaf ibn Sulaym | Sulayman ibn Surad | Jundab ibn Abdullah |
| Sulaym ibn Qays | |||
