‘Are you not the chief of your people?’ I replied, ‘Indeed.’ He said, ‘Do you not take the mirbaʿ (one-quarter share of the spoils)?’ I answered, ‘I do.’ He remarked, ‘That is not permissible for you in your own religion.’ That remark weighed heavily on me.

He then said, ‘Perhaps what is holding you back from accepting Islam is that you notice our hardship and see the people united against us as one front. Have you ever seen al-Hirah?’ I replied, ‘I have not seen it (1), though I know where it lies.’ He said, ‘A time will come when a woman traveller will set out from al-Hirah, circle the House—meaning the Kaʿbah—without any escort, and Allah will surely grant us the treasures of Kisra son of Hormuz.’ I exclaimed, ‘Kisra son of Hormuz?’ He affirmed, ‘The treasures of Kisra son of Hormuz. Wealth will then overflow until a man will worry about who will accept his charity (2).’

Adi continued: ‘I have already seen a woman leave al-Hirah without protection, and I was among the first cavalry to raid al-Mada’in. By Allah, the third promise will certainly come to pass; it is the statement of the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ.’

Salman al-Farisi was among the Christians most learned in their religion. He had become convinced of the Prophet’s imminent appearance, so he came to Medina before the Prophet’s mission began. When he saw him, he recognized that he was the very Prophet foretold by the Messiah. He therefore believed in him and followed him. We now relate his story:

Ibn Ishaq (3) said: ʿAsim related to me, from Mahmūd, from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Salman al-Farisi related to me directly, saying, ‘I was a Persian man from the region of Isfahan, from a village called Jayy, and my father was a dehqan (landed noble)…’