until he said:

I asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what sort of people are the Christians?”

He replied, “There is no good in them—nor in anyone who loves them.”

I said to myself, “By Allah, I do love them.”

This took place at a time when he had already dispatched the expeditions and unsheathed the sword: one detachment was returning as another was setting out, and the blade was still dripping.

I thought, “If word reaches him that I love them, he will send for me and strike off my head.”

So I remained inside the house. Then a messenger came to me and said, “Answer the call of the Messenger of Allah.”

Fear seized me and I said, “Go back; I will catch up with you.”

He replied, “No, by Allah, not until you come.”

I went with him. When the Prophet ﷺ saw me, he smiled and said, “O Salman, rejoice, for Allah has released you from distress.”

He then recited to me: “Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it believe in it; and when it is recited to them they say, ‘We believe in it …’” until the verse, “… we have no desire for the ignorant.” [Al-Qasas 28:52].

I said, “By Him who sent you with the truth, I once heard him—meaning my companion—say, ‘If I should live to meet him, and he commanded me to throw myself into the fire, I would do so. He is a Prophet who speaks only the truth and commands only what is right.’” (1)

Very singular.

Salamah: unknown.

Baqi ibn Makhlad said in his Musnad: Yahya al-Himmani told us, Sharik told us, from Ubayd the scribe, from Abu al-Tufayl, from Salman, who said:

“I travelled to Syria in pursuit of knowledge, and they said to me, ‘A Prophet has appeared in Tihamah.’

“So I went on to Madinah and sent him a bowl of dates. He asked, ‘Is this charity or a gift?’

“I said, ‘Charity.’

“He withheld his own hand and signalled to his Companions to eat.

“Then I followed that with another bowl of dates, saying, ‘This is a gift.’

“He ate, and they ate.

“I then stood behind him. He noticed, lifted his cloak from his back, and there on his back was the Seal of Prophethood. I bent down, kissed it, and declared the testimony of faith.” (2)