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Malik narrated—through Salim Abū al-Naḍr, through ʿĀmir ibn Saʿd, through his father—who said:
“I never heard the Messenger of Allah say to anyone that he is among the people of Paradise except ʿAbd Allah ibn Salām; and about him the verse was revealed: ‘A witness from the Children of Israel has testified to something similar to it’ ⦗Al-Ahqāf (1): 10⦘.”
Hammad reported: ʿĀṣim ibn Bahdala related to us, from Muṣʿab ibn Saʿd, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “From this pass a man who is one of the people of Paradise will enter.” Ibn Salām then came in. (2)
Other lines of transmission likewise state that he saw a dream which he related to the Prophet ﷺ, whereupon the Prophet said to him:
While they were waiting for the prayer, he said: “Indeed, at this very moment no one among the followers of the other religions is remembering Allah except you.” He added: So these verses were revealed: “They are not all alike; among the People of the Book…” up to His statement, “Allah is All-Knowing of the God-fearing.” The isnad is hasan (reliable).
(1) Recorded by Malik in the Muwatta; also by al-Bukhari, 7/97, in the chapter “The Merits of Abd Allah b. Salam,” and by Muslim (no. 2483) in the section on virtues, all through Malik’s chain. Ibn Hajar, in Fath al-Bari, argued that the phrase “and concerning him this verse was revealed …” is an insertion (mudraj); in Ibn Wahb’s version cited by al-Daraqutni, it is explicitly presented as Malik’s own comment. Ibn Kathir, 4/165, observes that the term “witness” is generic and therefore includes Abd Allah b. Salam and others, since the verse is Makkan, revealed before his conversion. This is comparable to Allah’s words: “When it is recited to them they say, ‘We believe in it; it is the truth from our Lord; indeed, we had submitted before it was revealed,’” and: “Those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it is recited to them, fall upon their faces in prostration and say, ‘Glory be to our Lord; the promise of our Lord has indeed been fulfilled.’” Masruq and al-Shabi said: “It was not revealed about Abd Allah b. Salam; it was revealed only in Makka, and Abd Allah embraced Islam only in Madina.” Ibn Jarir, 26/9, transmitted this from them and adopted the view.
(2) The isnad is hasan on account of Asim b. Bahdalah. The report is found in the Musnad, 1/169 and 183, in full wording: The Prophet ﷺ was brought a bowl of tharid (broth-soaked bread); he ate from it, leaving some morsels, and said, “A man from the people of Paradise will come through this pass and eat these leftovers.” Saʿd narrates: I had left my brother ʿUmayr b. Abi Waqqas preparing to visit the Prophet ﷺ, so I hoped it would be he. Then Abd Allah b. Salam arrived and ate them. Al-Hakim, 3/416, declared the hadith authentic, and al-Dhahabi agreed; see Siyar, 2/27.
مَالِكٌ: عَنْ سَالِمٍ أَبِي النَّضْرِ، عَنْ عَامِرِ بنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيْهِ، قَالَ:
مَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ يَقُوْلُ لأَحَدٍ: إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الجَنَّةِ، إِلاَّ لِعَبْدِ اللهِ بنِ سَلاَمٍ، وَفِيْهِ نَزَلَتْ: ﴿وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيْلَ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ﴾ [الأَحْقَافُ (١) : ١٠] .
حَمَّادٌ: حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بنُ بَهْدلَةَ، عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيْهِ:
أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ: (يَدْخُلُ مِنْ هَذَا الفَجِّ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الجَنَّةِ) .
فَجَاءَ ابْنُ سَلاَمٍ (٢) .
وَجَاءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ: أَنَّهُ رَأَى رُؤْيَا، فَقَصَّهَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لَهُ:
= ينتظرون الصلاة، فقال: " أما إنه ليس من أهل هذه الاديان أحد يذكر الله هذه الساعة غيركم " قال: فنزلت هذه الآيات (ليسوا سواء من أهل الكتاب) إلى قوله: (والله عليم بالمتقين) .
وسنده حسن.
(١) أخرجه مالك في الموطأ، ورواه البخاري ٧ / ٩٧ في المناقب: باب مناقب عبد الله بن سلام، ومسلم (٢٤٨٣) في الفضائل، من حديث مالك به، وقد استظهر الحافظ ابن حجر في " فتح الباري " أن قوله: " وفيه نزلت.." مدرج، وقد وقع في رواية ابن وهب عند الدراقطني التصريح بأنه من قول مالك.
وقال ابن كثير ٤ / ١٦٥: وهذا الشاهد اسم جنس، يعم عبد الله بن سلام ﵁ وغيره، فإن هذه الآية مكية نزلت قبل إسلام عبد الله بن سلام ﵁، وهذا كقوله ﵎: (وإذا يتلى عليهم قالوا آمنا به إنه الحق من ربنا إنا كنا من قبله مسلمين) ، وقال: (إن الذين أوتوا العلم من قبله إذا يتلى عليهم يخرون للاذقان سجدا ويقولون سبحان ربنا إن كان وعد ربنا لمفعولا) .
قال مسروق والشعبي: ما نزلت في عبد الله بن سلام، ما نزلت إلا بمكة، وما أسلم عبد الله إلا بالمدينة، رواه عنهما ابن جرير ٢٦ / ٩، واختاره.
(٢) إسناده حسن من أجل عاصم بن بهدلة، وهو في " المسند " ١ / ١٦٩ و١٨٣، ولفظه بتمامه: أن النبي ﷺ أتي بقصعة من ثريد، فأكل، ففضل منه فضلة، فقال: " يدخل من هذا الفج رجل من أهل الجنة، يأكل هذه الفضلة " قال سعد: وقد كنت تركت أخي عمير بن أبي وقاص يتهيأ لان يأتي النبي ﷺ، فطمعت أن يكون هو، فجاء عبد الله بن سلام، فأكلها.
وصححه الحاكم ٣ / ٤١٦، ووافقه الذهبي.
سير ٢ / ٢٧