Muhammad ibn Yazid al-Adami transmitted—on the authority of Anas ibn ʿIyad—who said:
“I once saw Safwan ibn Sulaym, and had someone told him, ‘Tomorrow is the Day of Resurrection,’ he would not have increased upon the worship he was already performing.”

Yaʿqub ibn Muhammad al-Zuhri related—from ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Abi Hazim—who said:
“Safwan ibn Sulaym travelled with me to Mecca, and he never once reclined in the litter until we had returned.”

Ibn ʿUyaynah said: “Safwan performed the pilgrimage, so I went to Mina and asked after him. I was told, ‘When you enter the Mosque of al-Khayf, go to the minaret and look a short distance in front of it; you will see an elderly man. The moment you behold him you will know that he fears Allah Most High—he is Safwan ibn Sulaym.’ I asked no further about him until I arrived exactly as they had described. There I saw an old man; the instant I looked at him I knew that he feared Allah. I sat down beside him and said, ‘Are you Safwan ibn Sulaym?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’”

He (Ibn ʿUyaynah) also said: “Safwan ibn Sulaym set out for Hajj with nothing but seven dinars. He spent them all on purchasing a sacrificial camel. When someone questioned him about this, he said: ‘I heard Allah say: ﴾And the camels and cattle—We have appointed them for you as one of the symbols of Allah; for you in them is good.﴿ ⦗Al-Hajj 36⦘.’”

Muhammad ibn Yaʿla al-Thaqafi narrated—from al-Munkadir ibn Muhammad—who said:
“We were with Safwan ibn Sulaym at a funeral, and among those present were my father and Abu Hazim…”—and he mentioned a number of devoted worshippers—“When the funeral prayer had been offered, Safwan said, ‘As for this man, his deeds have now ceased, and he is in need of the supplication of those he has left behind.’ By Allah, he moved everyone present to tears.”

Yaʿqub ibn Muhammad al-Zuhri reported—from Abu Zuhrah, the client of the Banu Umayyah:
“I heard Safwan ibn Sulaym say, ‘Death brings relief to the believer from the hardships of this world, even though it comes with throes and distress,’ whereupon his eyes filled with tears.”

Qudamah ibn Muhammad al-Khashrami narrated—from Muhammad ibn Salih al-Tammar—who said:
“Safwan ibn Sulaym used to visit the Baqiʿ cemetery during the day. He would pass by me, so one day I followed him and said to myself, ‘I shall see what…’”