Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (2/414)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

It has reached us that he was among those who witnessed the conquest of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem); this was reported by al-Waqidi.

Muhammad ibn Saʿd said: His original name was al-Husayn, and the Prophet ﷺ changed it to ʿAbd Allah (1).

Qays ibn al-Rabiʿ—who is weak—narrated from ʿAsim, from al-Shaʿbi, who said: “ʿAbd Allah ibn Salam embraced Islam two years before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away.”

This report is anomalous and is rejected in light of what is in the Ṣaḥīḥ: that he accepted Islam at the time of the Prophet’s ﷺ emigration and arrival (2).

Ibn Saʿd said: He was a descendant of Joseph son of Jacob, peace be upon him, and an ally of the clan of al-Qawaqilah.

He added: His conversion was early, shortly after the Prophet ﷺ reached Medina, and he had been one of the Jewish rabbis.

ʿAwf al-Aʿrabi related: Zurarah ibn Awfa told us from ʿAbd Allah ibn Salam, who said:

“When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Medina, the people rushed out to see him, and I was among them. Once I looked at him, I knew that his face was not the face of a liar.

The first thing I heard him say was: ‘O people, spread peace, provide food, maintain family ties, and pray at night while people are asleep; you will enter Paradise in peace.’ (3)”

Humayd narrated from Anas that ʿAbd Allah ibn Salam came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ upon his arrival

(1) Al-Mustadrak, vol. 3, p. 413. (2) Al-Qamus states: al-qawqal is the nickname of Abu Batn, an Ansari. Whenever someone came to seek his protection—or that of Yathrib—he would tell him, “qawqil on this mountain; you are safe,” meaning “climb up.” His followers were therefore called al-qawaqilah. (3) The chain of transmission is sound. The hadith is also reported by Ahmad, 5/451; al-Tirmidhi, no. 2487; Ibn Majah, nos. 1334 and 3251; and al-Darimi, 1/340, all through the route of Awf ibn Abi Jamila from Zurara ibn Awfa from Abd Allah ibn Salam. Al-Hakim (3/13) declared it authentic and al-Dhahabi agreed. A corroborating narration from Abu Hurayra appears in Al-Hakim, 4/129. The expression “anjafala al-nasu ʿalayh” means that the people rushed toward him.

وَكَانَ فِيْمَا بَلَغَنَا مِمَّنْ شَهِدَ فَتْحَ بَيْتِ المَقْدِسِ. نَقَلَهُ الوَاقِدِيُّ. قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ سَعْدٍ: اسْمُهُ: الحُصَيْنُ، فَغَيَّرَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِعَبْدِ اللهِ (١) . وَرَوَى: قَيْسُ بنُ الرَّبِيْعِ - وَهُوَ ضَعِيْفٌ - عَنْ عَاصِمٍ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، قَالَ: أَسْلَمَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بنُ سَلاَمٍ قَبْلَ وَفَاةِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ بِعَامَيْنِ. فَهَذَا قَوْلٌ شَاذٌّ مَرْدُوْدٌ بِمَا فِي (الصَّحِيْحِ) : مِنْ أَنَّهُ أَسْلَمَ وَقْتَ هِجْرَةِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَقُدُوْمِهِ (٢) . قَالَ ابْنُ سَعْدٍ: هُوَ مِنْ وَلَدِ يُوْسُفَ بنِ يَعْقُوْبَ ﵉ وَهُوَ حَلِيْفُ القَوَاقِلَةِ. قَالَ: وَلَهُ إِسْلاَمٌ قَدِيْمٌ بَعْدَ أَنْ قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ المَدِيْنَةَ، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَحْبَارِ اليَهُوْدِ. قَالَ عَوْفٌ الأَعْرَابِيُّ: حَدَّثَنَا زُرَارَةُ بنُ أَوْفَى، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بنِ سَلاَمٍ، قَالَ: لَمَّا قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ المَدِيْنَةَ، انْجَفَلَ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهِ، وَكُنْتُ فِيْمَنِ انْجَفَلَ، فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُ، عَرَفْتُ أَنَّ وَجْهَهُ لَيْسَ بِوَجْهِ كَذَّابٍ. فَكَانَ أَوَّلَ شَيْءٍ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُوْلُ: (يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، أَفْشُوْا السَّلاَمَ، وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ، وَصِلُوا الأَرْحَامَ، وَصَلُّوا بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ، تَدْخُلُوا الجَنَّةَ بِسَلاَمٍ (٣)) . وَرَوَى: حُمَيْدٌ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ: أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ بنَ سَلاَمٍ أَتَى رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ مَقْدَمَهُ

(١) " المستدرك " ٣ / ٤١٣. (٢) في " القاموس ": والقوقل: اسم أبي بطن من الانصار، لأنه كان إذا أتاه إنسان يستجير به أو بيثرب، قال له: قوقل في هذا الجبل، وقد أمنت ; أي: ارتق، وهم القواقلة. (٣) إسناده صحيح، وأخرجه أحمد ٥ / ٤٥١، والترمذي (٢٤٨٧) ، وابن ماجه (١٣٣٤) و (٣٢٥١) ، والدارمي ١ / ٣٤٠، كلهم من طريق عوف بن أبي جميلة، عن زرارة ابن أوفى، عن عبد الله بن سلام، وصححه الحاكم ٣ / ١٣، ووافقه الذهبي، وله شاهد من حديث أبي هريرة عند الحاكم ٤ / ١٢٩. وقوله: " انجفل الناس عليه " أي: ذهبوا مسرعين نحوه.