Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/532)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

so I went to him, and he began by reciting: “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful: ‘That is because among them are priests…’”

Then he said, “O Salman, the people you used to stay with—and your companion—were not Christians; they were Muslims.”

I replied, “By the One Who sent you with the truth, he is the very person who ordered me to follow you. I asked him, ‘And if he were to command me to leave your religion and everything you are upon?’ He said, ‘Yes—then leave it, for that is the truth.’” (1)

This hadith has a good chain of transmission; al-Hakim declared it authentic.

Saʿdawayh al-Wasiti, Ahmad ibn Hatim al-Tawil, and a group of scholars said:

ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAbd al-Quddus al-Razi narrated to us; ʿUbayd al-Maktib narrated to us; Abu al-Tufayl ʿAmir ibn Wathilah narrated to me; Salman al-Farisi narrated to me, saying:

“I was a man from Jayy. The people of my village worshipped piebald horses, yet I knew they were upon nothing. I was told, ‘What you are looking for lies in the West.’ So I went to Mosul and asked for the most virtuous man there. I was directed to a man in a hermitage. I went to him and said, ‘I am a man from Jayy. I have come seeking knowledge. Take me in; I will serve and accompany you, and you can teach me from what Allah has taught you.’

“He said, ‘Yes.’

“He allotted me the same provisions he received—vinegar, oil, and grains—and I remained with him until death approached him. I sat at his head, weeping.

“He said, ‘What makes you weep?’

“I replied, ‘I left my homeland in search of goodness; Allah provided for me and allowed me to accompany you. You taught me and treated me kindly, and now death has come to you. I do not know where to go next.’

“He said, ‘I have a brother in al-Jazirah, in such-and-such a place…’

(1) Al-Hakim records this report in al-Mustadrak, 3:599–602, and grades its isnad “sound and of high rank” concerning Salman’s conversion. It is not found in the two Sahihs. Al-Fasawi transmits it in Maʿrifah wa-l-Tarikh, 2:272, through the chain: Zakariyya al-Arsufi → al-Sari b. Yahya → Sulayman al-Taymi → Abu ʿUthman al-Nahdi, and al-Dhahabi cites the same isnad in Tarikh al-Islam, 2:158, judging it “good.” Zakariyya al-Arsufi is regarded as trustworthy (saduq), God willing.

فَجِئْتُهُ، فَقَرَأَ: (بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيْمِ: ﴿ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُم قِسِّيْسِيْنَ﴾ . ثُمَّ قَالَ: (يَا سَلْمَانُ! إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ كُنْتَ مَعَهُم وَصَاحِبَكَ لَمْ يَكُوْنُوا نَصَارَى، إِنَّمَا كَانُوا مُسْلِمِيْنَ) . فَقُلْتُ: وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالحَقِّ لَهُوَ الَّذِي أَمَرَنِي بِاتِّبَاعِكَ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: وَإِنْ أَمَرَنِي بِتَرْكِ دِيْنِكَ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، فَاتْرُكْهُ، فَإِنَّهُ الحَقُّ (١) . هَذَا حَدِيْثٌ جَيِّدُ الإِسْنَادِ، حَكَمَ الحَاكِمُ بِصِحَّتِهِ. سَعْدَوَيْه الوَاسِطِيُّ، وَأَحْمَدُ بنُ حَاتِمٍ الطَّوِيْلُ، وَجَمَاعَةٌ، قَالُوا: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بنُ عَبْدِ القُدُّوْسِ الرَّازِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدٌ المُكْتِبُ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ عَامِرُ بنُ وَاثِلَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي سَلْمَانُ الفَارِسِيُّ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ رَجُلاً مِنْ أَهْلِ جَيٍّ، وَكَانَ أَهْلُ قَرْيَتِي يَعْبُدُوْنَ الخَيْلَ البُلْقَ، وَكُنْتُ أَعْرِفُ أَنَّهُم لَيْسُوا عَلَى شَيْءٍ، فَقِيْلَ لِي: إِنَّ الَّذِي تَرُوْمُهُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ بِالمَغْرِبِ. فَأَتَيْتُ المَوْصِلَ، فَسَأَلْتُ عَنْ أَفْضَلِ رَجُلٍ فِيْهَا، فَدُلِلْتُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ فِي صَوْمَعَةٍ، فَأَتَيْتُهُ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: إِنِّي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ جَيٍّ، وَإِنِّي جِئْتُ أَطْلُبُ العِلْمَ، فَضُمَّنِي إِلَيْكَ أَخْدِمْكَ وَأَصْحَبْكَ، وَتُعَلِّمْنِي مِمَّا عَلَّمَكَ اللهُ. قَالَ: نَعَمْ. فَأَجْرَى عَلَيَّ مِثْلَ مَا كَانَ يُجْرَى عَلَيْهِ، وَكَانَ يُجْرَى عَلَيْهِ الخَلُّ وَالزَّيْتُ وَالحُبُوْبُ، فَلَمْ أَزَلْ مَعَهُ حَتَّى نَزَلَ بِهِ المَوْتُ، فَجَلَسْتُ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ أَبْكِيْهِ. فَقَالَ: مَا يُبْكِيْكَ؟ قُلْتُ: يُبْكِيْنِي أَنِّي خَرَجْتُ مِنْ بِلاَدِي أَطْلُبُ الخَيْرَ، فَرَزَقَنِي اللهُ، فَصَحِبْتُكَ، فَعَلَّمْتَنِي، وَأَحْسَنْتَ صُحْبَتِي، فَنَزَلَ بِكَ المَوْتُ، فَلاَ أَدْرِي أَيْنَ أَذْهَبُ؟ قَالَ: لِي أَخٌ بِالجَزِيْرَةِ مَكَانَ كَذَا

(١) أخرجه الحاكم ٣ / ٥٩٩ - ٦٠٢، وقال: حديث صحيح عال في ذكر إسلام سلمان. ولم يخرجاه، وأخرجه الفسوي ٢ / ٢٧٢ في " المعرفة والتاريخ " من طريق: زكريا من الارسوفي، عن السري بن يحيى عن سليمان التيمي، عن أبي عثمان النهدي قال: ... ، وكذلك هو عند الذهبي في " تاريخ الإسلام " ٢ / ١٥٨ وقال: إسناده جيد. وزكريا الارسوفي صدوق إن شاء الله.