Among the Prophet’s freedmen is Safīnah (1), Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān—though some say he was Abū al-Bakhtarī. His original name was said to be Mehrān; other reports say ʿAbs, Ahmar, or Rūmān. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ nicknamed him “Safīnah” (2) for a reason we shall soon mention, and the epithet prevailed. He was the client of Umm Salamah, who emancipated him on the condition that he would serve the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until his death; he accepted, saying, “Had you not stipulated it, I would never have left him in any case.” This narration appears in the Sunan (3). Safīnah was counted among the mawālīd of the Arabs, although his roots go back to the Persians; his full name is given as Safīnah ibn Marfannah (4).

Imām Aḥmad (5) narrated: Abū al-Naḍr told us; Ḥashraj ibn Nabaṭah al-ʿAbsī, a Kufan, told us; Saʿīd ibn Jumhān told us, saying: Safīnah related to me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

“The caliphate in my community will last thirty years; after that there will be kingship.”

Safīnah then said to me, “Count the caliphate of Abū Bakr, the caliphate of ʿUmar, the caliphate of ʿUthmān, and the caliphate of ʿAlī.” He added, “We found it came to thirty years exactly. After that I examined the later rulers and did not find that their tenure matched thirty years.”

I asked Saʿīd, “Where did you meet Safīnah?” He replied, “In the valley of Nakhlah, during the time of al-Ḥajjāj. I stayed with him three nights, questioning him about the ḥadīths of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”

I said to Safīnah, “What is your name?” He answered, “I will not tell you; the Messenger of Allah ﷺ named me Safīnah.”

I asked, “Why did he call you Safīnah?” He said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ set out with his Companions and their baggage became burdensome. He said to me, ‘Spread out your cloak.’ I spread it, they placed their belongings in it, and they loaded it on me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said, ‘Carry it, for you are but a ship (safīnah).’ Had I been made that day to carry the load of one camel—or two, three, four, five, six, or even seven—it would not have weighed me down, unless they had treated me roughly.”

This ḥadīth has been reported by Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, and al-Nasāʾī (6), whose wording is, “The caliphate of prophethood will last thirty years; then it will become kingship.”

Imām Aḥmad (7) also narrated: Bahz related to us; Ḥammād ibn Salamah related to us, from Saʿīd ibn Jumhān, from Safīnah, who said, “We were on a journey, and whenever a man grew weary he would throw his clothes, shield, or sword on me until I was carrying a great load. The Prophet ﷺ then said, ‘You are Safīnah (a ship).’” This is the most well-known account explaining how he came to be called Safīnah.