| Saint Abdullah, son of Salam | |
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| Theologian, Disciple of Muhammad, Son of Peace | |
| Born | c. 550 C.E. Yathrib |
| Died | c. 630 C.E. Medina |
| Honored in | Islam |
| Influences | Moses, Muhammad, Aaron, Hebrew prophets |
| Influenced | Commentators on the Qur'an, especially Tabari and Ibn Ishaq |
| This article is part of the series: |
| Islam |
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Abdullah ibn Salam (Servant of God, the Son of Peace), known also as Al-Husayn ibn Salam or Saint Abdullah ibn Salam (Arabic: عبدالله بن سلام), was a companion of the prophet Muhammad, said to have been a rabbi of aristocratic stock before converting to Islam. He is credited with a large corpus of Judaic traditions Isra'iliyat, many of which are to be found in al-Tabari's (d.923) commentary on the Qur'an. He participated in the conquest of Syria and Palestine, but died in Medina.
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Abdullah ibn Salam was a Levite Jewish rabbi in Yathrib who was widely respected and honoured by the people of the city even by those who were not Jewish. For a fixed period each day, he would worship, teach and preach in the Synagogue. Thereafter he would devote himself to the study of the Torah. In this study he became particularly struck by some verses of the Torah which dealt with the coming of prophets such as Jesus and Muhammad, who would complete the message of previous prophets. Abdullah therefore took an immediate and keen interest when he heard reports of the appearance of a prophet in Mecca. He said:
"When I heard of the appearance of the Messenger of God I began to make enquiries about his name, his genealogy, his characteristics, his time and place and I began to compare this information with what is contained in our books. From these enquiries, I became convinced about the authenticity of his prophethood and I affirmed the truth of his mission."
In 622, Prophet Muhammad left Mecca for Yathrib. When he reached Yathrib and stopped at Quba, a man came rushing into the city, calling out to people and announcing the arrival of Prophet Muhammad. On hearing the news, Abdullah ibn Salam exclaimed the Shahadah (Testimony of faith that there is only one God and Muhammad is His Messenger.) and told his aunt, who was sitting nearby: "Aunt, he is really, by God, the brother of Moses and follows his religion...".[1] Tradition recounts Abdullah's early life in his own words:
Without any delay or hesitation, Abdullah went out to meet the Prophet. He saw crowds of people at his door. I moved about in the crowds until I reached close to him. The first words I heard him say were: 'O people! Spread peace...Share food...Pray during the night while people sleep... and you will enter Paradise in peace...' I looked at him closely. I scrutinized him and was convinced that his face was not that of an imposter. I went closer to him and made the declaration of faith that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. The Prophet turned to me and asked: 'What is your name?' 'Al-Husayn ibn Salam,' I replied. 'Instead, it is (now) Abdullah ibn Salam,' he said (giving me a new name). 'Yes,' I agreed. 'Abdullah ibn Salam (it shall be). By Him who has sent you with the Truth, I do not wish to have another name after this day.' I returned home and introduced Islam to my wife, my children and the rest of my household.
Say, “Tell me, If it (the Qur’an) is from Allah and you reject it, and a witness from the children of Isra’il testifies about something similar to it and comes to believe (in it), while you persist in your arrogance, (then, how unjust you are!) [QETafseerComment] Surely, Allah does not give guidance to the unjust people. ch. # 46ver. # 10
Abdullah ibn Salam was the first Muslim that was promised Paradise while he was still alive. In a Hadith, it was reported that one day while the prophet was sitting with the best of his companions, he said "Do you want to see a man walking on Earth and in Paradise?" Each one of the companions looked in silence towards the prophet hoping the prophet would mention their name. Muhammad pointed in the distance and the companions saw he was looking towards Abdullah ibn Salam.
Although some Muslim sources claim that he converted immediately after Muhammad’s arrival to Medina, non-Muslim scholars give more credence to the other Muslim sources, which indicate that 8 years later, 630, as the year of ibn Salam’s conversion.[2]