Salman said, "A grief befell me the like of which I had never known.

A woman from the tribe of Juhaynah bought me, and I, together with one of her servant boys, would take turns pasturing her sheep. All the while I was saving up silver coins, awaiting the appearance of Muhammad ﷺ.

While I was tending the flock, my fellow shepherd came and said, ‘Have you heard? A man who claims to be a prophet has arrived in Medina.’

I replied, ‘Stay with the sheep until I return.’

I made my way to Medina, looked upon the Prophet ﷺ, and saw the Seal of Prophethood. I then went off, bought with a dinar a sheep for half of it, roasted it, and with the other half bought some bread, and brought the food to him.

The Prophet ﷺ asked, ‘What is this?’

I said, ‘Charity.’

He replied, ‘I have no need of it; take it out so that the Muslims may eat it.’

I then left, bought with another dinar some bread and meat, brought it (1), and said, ‘This is a gift.’

So we both ate. I then informed him about my former companions, saying, ‘They used to fast, pray, and bear witness that you would be sent.’

He said, ‘O Salman! They are among the people of the Fire.’

That weighed heavily upon me, for I had said, ‘If they were to meet you, they would believe in you and follow you.’

Thereupon Allah revealed: ‘Indeed, those who believe, those who are Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians (2)…’—to the end of the verse (al-Baqarah 2:62).

Al-Hasan ibn Ya‘qub al-Bukhari and al-Asamm said:

Yahya ibn Ja‘far narrated to us; ‘Ali ibn ‘Asim narrated to us; Hatim ibn Abi Saghirah narrated to us, from Simak ibn Harb, from Zayd ibn Suhan:

that two men from Kufa, both of whom were his friends, came to him to ask him to speak on their behalf…"