and asked them. When they heard my speech (1), one of the men made his camel kneel, seated me behind him, and they carried me off to their homeland, where they sold me. A woman from the Ansar bought me and put me to work in her date-grove.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived, I was informed of him. I took a handful of dates from my grove and went to him. I found some people with him, Abu Bakr being the one sitting nearest to him, and I placed the dates before the Prophet.

He said, “What is this?”

I replied, “Charity.”

He said, “Eat,” but he himself did not eat.

After a time, as Allah willed, I brought the same amount again, went to him, and again found people with him. I set it before him.

He asked, “What is this?”

I said, “A gift.”

He said, “In the name of Allah,” and ate, and the people ate with him.

So I said within myself, “This is one of his signs.”

My teacher had been a foreigner who could not pronounce Tihamah correctly and always said “Tuhmah.”

I walked round behind the Prophet; he noticed me and let his cloak fall. There, on the left side of his shoulder, was the Seal of Prophethood. I recognized it, circled back, sat before him, and said, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.”

He asked, “Who are you?”

I said, “A slave,” and I related to him my story, the story of the man who had been with me, and what he had instructed me.

He asked, “Whose slave are you?”

I replied, “I belong to a woman of the Ansar who has put me to work in her grove.”

He said, “Abu Bakr!”

Abu Bakr replied, “At your service.”

The Prophet said, “Buy him.”

Abu Bakr purchased me and set me free. After some time, as Allah willed, I came to the Prophet, greeted him, sat before him, and said, “O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about the religion of the Christians?”

He said, “There is no good in them, nor in their religion.”

Great anxiety entered my heart, and I said to myself, “The One who made the cripple stand—there is no good in these people or their religion.”

I left with what Allah willed still weighing on me, and Allah revealed to His Prophet: “That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant” (al-Ma’idah 82).

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Bring Salman to me.”

So the messenger came to me while I was afraid,