The persian salamn

1. ..tli~"'I'"
~I)I H;olIa,aHl-
THE
SEARCH FOR
THE TRUTH BY A MAN KNOWN AS
THE
PERSIAN SALMAN
COMBLIADBY
DR. SALEH AS-SALEH
- ,.
GIFT NOT FOR SALE

2. ThcScrrchForThcTruO
By A Men
KnownAs
SalmanThePersian
6ilrJr,li-Jl
s+rtstl.t6!""il"!
CO
CompiledBy
Dr. SalehAs^Saleh
Ctoll Ct /r :rl.s!

3. @0., al-Eukharlfor Pub.0ist.t994
KlngFahdNatlona!UbroryC.tatogtngitntubilcetlonDate
As-Saleh,Saleh
Thesearchfortheturfr bya manknownasSalman
thePersian
22P.,14X 21 cm.
tsBN 9960- &9 - 02- 4
1- Prophetonpanian andsuccessors
l- Title
239,9dc 1728/15
LegafDepositno. l7?8/15
fSBN:9960-649-OZ-4

4. Tableof Contents
Introductlon
A Difierent Religion?
The Interest Arises..........
Thisisit, But..!.......
TheUrgeisStrong......
Another Move ...........
One More Move...............
l l
t2
t2
l3
l9
2r

5. f- )t JF)t ,1 |
.-r
In TheNameofGod(Allreh),MostMerciful,MostCompessionete
Introduction
All Praise is due to Allaah, we praiseHim, and seek His help and
forgiveness.We seekrefugein Allaah,Most High,&omtheevilsof our own
selvesandfromourwickeddeeds.Whomsoeverhasbeenguidedby Allaah,
none can misguidehim, and whomsoeverhasbeenmisguidedby Allaah,
none canguidehim. I bearwitnessthatthereis notruegodworthy of being
worshippedexceptAllaah,alone,withoutpartneror associate.I furtherbear
witness that Muhammad is HistrueslaveandMessenger.May Allaah,the
Exalted,bestowHis peaceandblessingsonthefinalhophet Muhamrnad,
uponhisgoodandpurefamily,anduponall of hisnoblecornpanions.
Today, manypeoplearecuriousaboutIslaam.Peoplevaryin termsof their
knowledge about this Faith. I(nowledgemayhavebeengainedform of an
article, a book, partof a religioustextbookathighschool,knowingsome
Muslirns,passingby a Mosque,watchinga docunentary(or a Movie),the
Eveningnews,beingin a Muslimcountry,etc.To someit is'7us/ oneother
religion". For many, however,it is becomingan "interesting thing" to
"look" at. This Book is for everyonewho is searchingwithin himself for
answersabout many questions:WhoamI? Who is theTrueGod?Whatis
the True Roadfor Salvation?ls It Islaam?If I becomea Muslim Whatdoes
it meanto me,my family,andthesocietyat large?
Today many realize that all of the materialisticand secularprogress
produced a spritual vacuumthat led to social,economical,politicaland
psychologicalproblems.That is why people who usedto say:"/erus li:ve
this lfe and enjoy it." or "hey!Iiledon'l wantto lorcwaboutGod', arern
searchagarn.Theyareraisingsimilarquestionslike thoseraisedabove.This
is so becausethe innate nature in manrecogrizeswhatis goodandbad,
what is trueandfalse.It recogrizesthattheattributesof God mustbe true,
unique, and all perfect. It do€s not feelcomfortabletowardsanykind of
degradationof His attributes nordoesit relaxtowardsassociatinghuman-

6. like qualities to the creator. It recogrizesthattherecaqbe no morc than
one and only one TrueGodandthusone andonly one religionaccepted
to Him. He does not requestpartof thisworld to worshipHim aroneyet
orders others to worship "Jesus(peacebeuponhrm),Buddha,Fire,Light,
Krishna, JosephSmith, Son, Moon,Khomeini,Rama,Temples,prophets,
Eliajahs, Farakhan,a cross, a See, a triangle,Saints,priests,Monks, etc.
All' except Allaah, are created beings or things!They are imperfect.
They are in need, but Altaah is Self-Sufficient.The First, nothing
before Him. The Last,everythingwill cometo an endexceptHim, the
Ever-Living; to Him is the Final Return; He doesnot begotnor He is
begotten.No mannamedHim, He namedHimselfAttaahwhich means
the "True and only God who Deservesto Beworshipped". He is not a
"nationalistic or a tribal God", He is thecreatorof every-thing.tle,
therefore, deserves that we submit to Him alone. He callert this
submissionIslaam.
The confusionon partof mancamewhenpeopleturnedto worshipcreated
beings or thingsbesidesAllaahlIn thefinalRevealedMessageto mankind,
the Qur'an, Allaah clearly scatesthe purposefor man'spresencein this
world. outwardly and inwardly, manis calledto rive in accorclancewith
Allaah's way. Thisis themeaningof worshipurIslaamandit is thepurpose
for which we havebeencreated.Therearethosewho will accepralluut ut
the only true God who deservesto be worshippedbut rnay [ve not in
accordancewith Allaah's command.Their practicesdeviatefrom Islaam.
They are not the criteriaupon which Islaamshouldbejudged.Islaamis
Perfectbutmenarenot.Peoplearecalledto searchinto Islaam.
The objective of this bookis to call pmple to searchfor their salvation
by eramining an exampleof a longsearchby a man calledsulman Al-
Farisee, the Persian salman. lthy not?Do weknow everything?when
we know that we do not possesthe air we breath and that ie didn,r
crcale ourselves not we oarselves were the crealors, then it becomes
nafural to know more about God (Allaah) who createdus,gaveuslife
and who' ooeDay, will call us backto Him. on that Day, theie is either
en EndlessBlissor an EndlessTorment

7. SALMAN & HIS STORY
The Beginning
NO one can tell the story of SalmanbetterthanSalmanhimself.He, may
Allaah's Mercy be uponhim,told hisstoryto oneof thecompanionsanda
close relativeof thehophet Muhammad(PPSUI; by rhenameof Abdullah
bin Abbaas.Salmansaid:
(I was a Persianmanfiom thepeopleof l.sfuhaanIfroma torvnknownas
Jayi. My father was the town Chief. To him, I was the most beloved
creatureof Allaah.
[This is an indicationof a goodbehavirtrfrutmthesontrvards hisfather.
Salman is using the correct nante of the true God, Allaah.
'l'he
Name,
Allaah, is the same Name used by all of theProphetsundMessengers.
Allaah is the samenameof Godtn the Aramarclanguageof our beloved
ProphetJesus,peacebeuponhim.J
His love of me, reachedthe pointwherebyhetrustedmeto supervisethe
Fire3he lit. He wouldnotletit d.iedown.)
A Different Religion?
{My father owned aDaye'ah: greatcountrywith arableland. Oneday and
while busywith his constructions,hetold meto go andrnspecthisDaye'ah
md to bring from it somethingshewanted.On my way to hisDaye'ah,I
c:uneacrossa CbristianChurch.I heardthe voicesoftheprayersofthe
people inside. I did not know what goes on with (the lives) ofpeople
outside,becausemy fatherkeptmeconfinedto hishouse!So,whenI came
acrossthose people (of theChurch)andI heardtheirvoices,I wentinside
watchingwhattheyweredoing.)
IPPBU,TheFraiseandPeaceof Allaahbeuponhim.
44at m, A Regionin N.Westlran.
rHis fatherwasa magianwhoworshipped6re.

8. The Interest Arises
{when I saw them, I liked their prayers and became interestedin their
matter (i.e., religion). I said (to myself):
'By Allaah,thisreligionis better
thanthat of ours'.
lAn openmindfreefrom blind imitation.l
'By Allaah, I did not leave themuntil sunsetlHe gavehimselfthelime to
J'ind out about thisreligion whichhethoughtthenit wastheright belief.A
perceiving and a kind heort charged with palience is neededto dnve
oneselffrom being confinedto suchthoughtQS:" O well!I will try tofind
out, but I am kind of busy now.etc.!'Deathmayknockthedoorsooner
thanonehopesl.l leftwithoutactuallyinspectingmy father'sDuye'ah.
'I asked(i.e.,thepeopleof theChurch):
'Whereistheorrgrnof thisreligion?'
fseeking lhe "origin".
'l'his
is a gutdefor thosein search.T'he"ortgtn",
;'originil", lhe "essence"are essenltallenns thatwtll helpn lhesearch
process. What is lhe "origtn" of Islaamandwhal ts itsessence'lIt came
from Allaah,theCrealor,theT'rueGodantl ilsessencetslhesuhmtsstltrlo
Him, Most Glorfred andExaltedHe ts.l
They said:
'tn Ash-Shaam4'.I returnedto my fatherwho,becamewomed
and send (someone)afterme. Uponmy arrivalhesaid:'O son!Wherehave
you been?Didn'tI trustyouwith ur assignment?I sard:
'l cameacrosssome
peopleprayingin ther Churchand I liked whattheywereonfromtheir
religion.By AllaahI stayedwiththemuntilsunset.')
[An amazing honesty from a person who knows well hisfather's
commitmentto his reltgion.It is thekind of opennesslhat s necessaryfor
someonewhosearchesfor thetruth.l
ihe Opposition
{My fathersaid:'O son!thereisnogoodin matreligion,Thereligon of
your fathersandforefathersis better.'l
4Ash-Stpom, Greater Syria(TodaysLebanon,Syria,Palestine,and Jordan)
6

9. [This is the themeof thosewhobhndlyfollow othersin themailer offaith.
Thisremindsuswith thesayingofAllaah:
q, tr-lt, OT.r.iltUJ t1il*r I r1f d,r-.iJrJril )
(Y1:c.r"i) { ur* 6i.'
"And lhosewhodisbelievesay:'lislennol to this
Qur'an. "' (Qur'anaI :26)
{ ir-rr+ Fr.rLit.Jr,iflii * u"qTr,:+1i1}
(YY:iJ'-rl)
"ll/e lound our latherslollowing a certain way
and religion, snd we guide ourselves by their
footsteps." (Qur'ana3:22)
(y :r.rl^iJ;i,,jl { urt{T.iJrut*9 v4i } }
"...Noy, weshalllollow thatwhich wetound our
fathers (following)... (Qur'an 3I :2I)
i llt { c,o-.lif' L-.,1{T,.,1i cr
r.-r . t--...}
1f 1:ra-a-Jt;
" ...Neverdidwe hearotthis amongourlalhers
of theold" (Qur'an28:36)
[lthen you talk to convertsfrom any religion to Islaam, manytimesyou
hear thesameargumentswhichAllaahspokeabout.The issueis thesame.
It comesin theform: "Doyou wantto leavethereligion ofyour fathersand
forefothers?" Nol only thaL but the parents andthefamily at lorge may
take a stand against lhe convert.Themognitudeof theopposilionin this

10. world may vary ranginglrom actuallife threatsto srrongbo.ycoutng.T.his
is lhe general trend. Thereare, however,casesofminoroppositionand
neutraltty.l
{I said:No, By Allaah,it is benerrhirnourreligion,'}
[He loved hisfother, buthedid norflarter him. He didr't comproniseabout
whathe thoughtthenwaske truth. l{hat was hisfather,s response'l)
salman said: 'he
threatenedme and chainedme by my foot andkeptme
confinedto hishome.'
IA father torturing his beloved sonto swqyhtmawavfrom explortngrhe
truth. Many Prophetswereopposed,eccu.seJ, ond tll'-trestediy menihers
of their families becousethey ctpposedthe 'tradttron'! Did salmansrop
there?l
The Way Out
{He said: 'I
sentto thechristians requestingto let rneknow of thearrival
of any christian trade caravancoming from.4sh-shaam.A tradecaravan
arrived and they informed me abour it. I told(thechrisrians)ro keepme
informed aboutthepeopleof tre caravanoncetheyfinishtheirbusinessand
are about to return to ttrer country. I (indeed)was informed whenthe
(people of Ash-Shaarrl finished ther businessandwereaboutto retumro
their country. I took off the chainsfiom my foot ard accompanied(the
caravan)untilwe reachedAsh-Shuam.
[He did norsumenderto theunlustordcrsof hisfathcr. LIewas.strivingtn
the cause of thetruth whichled him ulttmatelyto knowthetruth abou rhe
Creator.Allaah:
111:*,'i,J') { t4-
'#-)U r.rir1ri4 Cr-iJtf}
"Asfor lhosewhostrivehardin lls (Our

11. Cause),l/e5 will surely guide them to Our
Paths (Le, Allaah's Religion, Islamic
Monotheism)," (Qur'an29:69)
[Solman decided, made up his mind, and took the journeT, of search
regardless of the fact that it s a distanrand strangeland to htm.Atlaah,
Most Glorified andExalted.lotowinghishonesty,assistedhim by makingit
easyfor him tofind a ride to thelandofAsh-Shaam.l
Thisis it, But..!
{Upon my arrival I asked:'Who is the best anongst thepeopleof this
religion(of yours)?')
fSalman wants the clear truth andlooksuphigh llrhynot?peoplelike to
choosethe bestfood, the bestwife,thebe,stclothes.Salmanrssearchmg
for thebest:aboutF-aith.l
{They said:
'The
Bishop. (He is) in theChurch'.I cameto hinrandsaid:'I
like this religion and I love to bewith youservingyouin yourChurch,to
learnfrom youandto praywith you.')
lSalman realizes from thestartthatbtowledgeisgainedby beingwith the
pqople of knowledge. ln return he wasreadyto offer hinself as a servant
lo that Bishop. The humblenessof thosesearchingforthetruth brings
them closer and closer to it. Against humbleness,there is arrogance.
People see the Signsof the truth but their aruogancedrivesthemav'ay
towardstheir destntction:
+,ir (iljb2 uts nai-,Jot-'.i?..r2? r.,{r4r}
( t:slJl)
5A pbrat 'pronoun' is usedto stressPower,Might, andGreatness.It is commonwith
scmitic lurgrages for any Morurch to us€ the pluralpronoun.lt uscdby theEnglish
Dynesryas well. To Allaall_howcvcr, belongsthc bcstexemple.Thc 'Wc' docgnot
dcnotcTrinity or anyotherfalseconcept.

12. "And thq belicd them (Our Jigas.. proofs,
aidcnces, vc?sgt, lasons, rcvelotions, etc.)
wrongfully and anogonily, though their own
selves were convincedthereof (that those Signs
arclrom Allaah)...,, (Qur,an27:t 4)
lwealth, social sralus, etc. must notprohibir thepersonfrom seekingthe
truth that would effect hisfuture. All of thesethingswitt vanishand rhe
person will go to hisgraveonlywith hisdeeds.Thedeedsare rhoseof rhe
heart (beliefl and those of the tongue antl rimbs which are the
mantfestationsof theactionsof theheart.Did I submitto my creator? Did
I live according to HiscommandsasExplainedin theeur,an and by the
teachings of theLastMessenger,Muhammad(ppBU)? Tiis is what counts
on theDay of Recompense:
{t=! r"r&.irrgi cr lt rr, )1 Jt,Cf.: iy-}
(A-AA:;lrr:Jl;
"The Day whereonneither wealth nor sonswill
avoil, except him who bringsto Allaah o clean
heart (clean from disbelief, polythekm and
hypocrisy)." (Qur,an26:SB-89)l
{Hc said:'oK! you can seeme; and ljoinedhirn.'Afferawhilesalman
knew somethingabout this Bishop: He was a badmanwho orderedand
motivated his people ro pay charityonlyto keepit for himself.He did not
givc it to thepoor.He heapedupsevenjars with goldandsilver!)
[fhis.
is one example of thecorruptandevil-doersin everyageand land.
The hypocrite and abusive ones.Did salmanstoptherewith-thatcorrupl
man? No! he moved to thenextsragein hissearch.He did notturn sway
from religion.l
('I hatcdhim somuchbecauseof whatI sawhimdoing.,)
l0

13. llt is clear that his hate of theBishopdidnotstophimfromseekingthe
truth. Allaah, Most Exalted,guidedhim knowinghissinceredrive to lopw
whatis right.l
{'He (theBishop)died.TheChnsriansgatheredto buryhim. I told themrhat
he was a badmanwhoorderedandmotivatedyouto releaseyourcharities
only to keepit for himselfandthathedid not giveanythingof it to thepoor.,
They said: 'how
did you know aboutthis?'I said: 'l canshowyou-his-
treasure.'They said:'Show
us'.I showedthemtheplaceandtheyrecovered
from it sevenjars heapedup withgoldandsilver.Whentheysawit they
said: 'By Allaah we will neverbury him'. Theycrucifiedhimandstoned
lfm.)
The Urgg is Strong
{Salmansaid: 'TheyreplacedtheirBishop.I neversawa man(fromthose)
who do not pray the fiveprescnbedprayersbenerthanhim(i.e.,thenew
Bishop);nor a man detachedliom this Worldly life andatrachedto the
Hereaftermore thanhim;nora committedpersonwhoworksCayandnight
betterthanhim.I lovedhimnroretharranythingelseI lovedbefore.')
lT'hereare five dailyprescrtbedprayersIn Islaam.AllaahtaughtProphet
Muhammad (PPBU) how to conducl theseprayersas wellas their ttmes
during the day. It is not thekind of "prayers"developedondpracttcedby
somepeople.Prayersttre thefoundationofIslaan.lf doneaccordingto
the I>rophet's way,theypurfy thepersonfrom srnsand wrong-doingsthat
hemaycommitdurtngtheday.l
t'l stayed with him for sornerimebefore his death. When tus death
approachedI told him:'O (callinghimby hisName),I stayedwithyouand
loved you morethananythingelseI lovedbefore.Now youareapproached
by the Decreeof Allaah (i.e.,death),sowhomwouldyourecommendfor
meandwhatwouldyou hketo orderme?
fThe searchfor good people wtth good knowledgeis on the mind of
Salman.Theurgeand readmessto go ofterthetruth rsfirm.l
il

14. {The Bishop said: 'By Allaah! people are in total loss,theyalteredand
changed what theywere on. I do not know of anyonewho is still holding to
what I am on excepta man n Al-Moosil4 sojoinhim(hegiveshimhis
Name).')
Another Move
{When the man died,SalmanmovedtoAl-Moosil andmettherecommend
person. Salmansaid:'I told himthat(such& suchperson),at thetime of his
death recommendedthatI join you.He alsotold methatyou areholdingto
the same(religion)as he was.' Themanof Al-Moosiltotdsalmantostay
with him: 'I stayed with him andI foundthathewasthebestman holding
on to thematter(religion)of hisfriend.'
'Soonhedied',Salmansaid.Whendeathapproachedhim, Salmanaskedhim
(as he did earlierwith hisfirst friend)to recorunendsomeotherpersonwho
is on thesamereligion.Themansaid:'By Allaah!I don'tknow of anyoneon
the same matter of oursexceptamanin NasiyeebeenTandheis (giveshis
Name),sojoin him.')
OneMoreMove
{Followinghisdeath,I movedto themanof Nosiyeebeen'.Sarmanfoundthe
man and stayedwith him for a while.Thesamesroryrepeateditself.Death
approachedand before hedied, Salrnancameto themanandaskedfor his
advrseas to whom and where to go.Themanrecommendedthat salman
join anothermanon thesamereligionrnAm,mooriyeeyahS.
salman moved to Am'mooriyeeyahafterhisfrienddied.He foundhis new
referenceand joinedhim onhisreligion.Saknanworkedand:'earned
some
cowsandonesheep'.)
[The gaod and lawful way of eorning is veryimportant to the beriever.
certainly the in/luenceof moneyis great. Many havesold rhemselvesand
6AI-M@sit: A majorcityin NorrhWestlraq.
INasilrcebeen:A city onthcroadbr.twen Al-Ilmsil udAstrstpan.
LAm'muriyeelnh: A town thatwaspartof thcRomanEmpire(EastcrnRegion).
t2

15. their Principles for a cheap price. Many tum hypocritesfor thesakeof
money. Many, however, canstandupfor thetruth regardlessofwhat they
maylose.This bringsthePeaceof heartandmind.l
fne_Elg-Uaye
{Death approachedthe man of Am'mooriyeeyah.Salmanrepeatedhis
requests.The answer was different.Themansaid:'O son!I don'tknow of
anyonewhojs__elthe same(religronl as we are. However.thetime of
emergenceofa igon
qfAbrahalo-L
[The Bishop lorcw thePathofAbraham.]t is theortgin of Monorheism.It
calls for the worship of Allaah Alone.
'fhe
Brhop knew well the
recommendationof Abrahamto hischildren:
oti"*ti rA1; u-qfise i+'r,tk.fl )
ri.-iJr;( or.t;, r.-il ff i* Xt Crrllt'3
(rl
"And this (submksion to Allaah, Le. Islaam)
was enjoined byAbraham upon his sonsand (so
did) Jocob, soying, "O my sons! Allaah has
chosen lor you the (true) religion, then die nol
ucept on the Faith of Islaam" (Qur'an2:132)
Abraham married Sarah and Hagar. From Sarah,s side he had the
following progeny: Isaoc, Jocob, Joseph, David, Solonton, Moses and
Jess, peace be upon themall. From hisunion with Ha1ar,he had Ishmael,
and Muhammad,peacebeuponthem.Ishmaelwasraised in Becca(loown
also as Mecca) in Arabia. Muhammad wasfrom the descendantsof
Ishmoel.
The mot lovv' that theFaith ofAbraham is to befollowed. He musthave
red the promise of Allaah to bring a 'Great Nation"from Ishmael,sside
(Gerresis2l:18), od he recommendedto fulman the Prophetfromthe
l3

16. descendantsof Ishmael,who submitsto Allaah and follows thepath of
Abroham:
l4

17. d-r-te 6Jr tr1".nir. fr.-, 1l4i C.-,lJ ti, )
f--ft c-;li'U'rt#it'ti(Lt2./L<lr ri.jir
(r I1:;lJr; {,"5f'
"Our Rabb9! Send amongstlhem a Messenger
of their own, who shall recite unto them Your
Verses ond irrstrucl them in this Book (this
Qur'an) and 'Al-Hikttu' (Full knowkdge of
Allaah's Lstts or Jurbprudence or wbdom or
Prophethood, etc.), ond sanctify them Youare
theAll-M ighty,theAll-ll/ise." (Qur'an2:129)
d/ i,tt [rJ l.i::r
€t.,rl'| gr ,ti i:fJ! ,*ri p ]
(r:,f^:Jr;{ qS;tt
"Then, lfe have inspired you (O Muhommad-
PPBU) (saying): 'Follow the religion of
Abraham'Hanifan' (Islamic Monotheism,-to
worship none but Allaah) and he rr'ssnot of the
'Mushrikcen"'
[i.e., polytheists, pagans,
tdolaters, drsbelrcversin the OnenessofAllaah
and tn Hts Messenger (PPBU), those who
worship olhersalongwilh Allaah or setup rivals
wilh (or partners to) Allaah etc.l (Qur'an
l6:123).
;,-.itr.1
'Jr rjrl t/jr i-u etl,1u,.,ilr.1iib1)
(1A:trlr^.cJfl {;gjtl
t}s
3U rt t"
9Robbt Allaahisar-ia6D: He istheOneWhogivesall thingsthepowerto grow, move
andchange,to WhombelongstheCreationandCommandment,TheMaslerWhohasno
equa.lin His Sovereignty,Predominance,and Highness,The OneWho Providesand
Sustainsdl thatexists.
l5

18. "Veilly, arnong nunklnd who haycke bst
claim to Abruhomorcthosewholoilowed hint,
and thisProphet(Muhommod-PPBU)ondthose
who havebeliaryd(Mashmg.AndAllaah ls the
Wali (Protectorand Helper) of thebellsvers."
(Qur'an3:68)
{The man saiddescribingthisProphet:TIeis sentwiththesamereligionas
that of Abraham.He comesfrom Arabia andmigratesto aplacelocaied
betweenlandscapesofblackstones(asifburnedbyfire).patnfieesspread
betweenthesescapes.He has certainwellknownsigrs.He(accepts)and
eats(fiom) the (food)gift andhedoesnoteatfromthecharity.Thesealof
Prophethoodis betweenhisshoulders.If youcouldmovetothatland,then
doso.')
[The man knew about rhe coming of the prophet
from Arabia, from the
brethren of the Israelites @euteronomy t8:l7-t8: I wirr raiserhemun a
Prophetfrom amongtheir ?fethren.like untothee(i.e.. Mosesl0)snd_vll
put My words in hismouthll. andheshall speakuntothemiil tFatI shalt
I lMuhamrnad(PPBU)wasforty yearsof agewhenhewasin thecaveof Hir,a nlvler,ca
wh91 the ArchangelGabreilcommandedhim to:'RcedorRccitc". Muhamnradwas
terrified and he replied:"I am not learned!'.Thenthefuigelrecitedandtheprophet
reheersedtheWordsof Allaah:
l6

19. command him). cenainly this was not about Jesus as paul tried to
interpret it (ActslS:22-23)becauseJesuswasneither of the descendantsof
Ishmael nor of the "brethren" of theIsraelites beingan Israerite hinset|l 2.
The man knewabout God'sRevelation comingfrom Te,man(North of the
City of Medinah in Arabia, according to J. Hasting'sDicrionary of the
Bible), and the 'holyone'comingfromparan.Accordingto Genesis21:2t,
the wilderness of Paran wastheplace whereprophet Ishmael settledand
hod twelve chrldren, amongstthem Kedar thesecondsonof Ishmael.In
.Isaiah 42:l-13, 'thebelovedof God' is linkedto thedescendantsof Kedar,
the ancestor of Prophet Muhammad (ppBU)
llthen ProphetMuhammadcalledthepeoplein Meccato submittoAllaah,
most of them refusedand they plotted to kill the prophet He was
commanciedby Allaah to migrate with thosewhaacceptedIslaamto the
city ofMeclinah.Soona battlebetweenthe 'fewand il!-armed,,represented
by Muhammad-PPBUqnd his/ollowers andthepagansfrom Mecca took
place in Radr a year aJier theProphet'smigration.Theprophet and his
companions'werevictorious(lsaiah2l: t 3-17113
I u Ar;;r ll .ts'.|&.rir' 1;lr er.irjlSt,*;r !t-j)r(,jl'..i.trrflr .Ji.,l/ tj! )
<'-r:slrry{ nii'
"Read! In the Neme of Your fialD, who hascreated(all that erists). Eas created
men from a clot (a piece ofthickcongealed blood). Read! And yourRaD6 is the
Most Generous. Who has taught (thc writing) by the pen (rhefrst person towrite
wasProphet Enoch, ldris, Peacebe upon him)" (Qu/an 96:l-5)
rzNote alsothat the Bible refersto the Israelitesasthe "brethern"ofthe Ishmaelitese.g.
Gen.l6:12& Gen 25:18
lS"This is lhe message about Arabia. People of Dedan, you whose carqvans camp tn
the barren country of Arabia, give water to lhe thirsty people who come to you. You
people of the land oJ Tema,giveld to tlv refugees. People are/Ieeing from swords
tlal are ready to kill then,fron bows tlat are ready to shnt, fron all the dangers o/
wor. (Likely describingthe migration towards Medinah.)
Then lhe Lord sid to me, "ln exactly oneyear the greatness of the tribes oJKedar will
be ut end (i.e, lhe tribe o/ the Prophet which was theprevailingtribe inArabia)',
(Isaiah 2l 13-17;Good News Bible,Publishedby theAmericanBible Society,1978).
t7

20. The man lopw that Jesus (PPBU) informed of the coming of Prophet
Ahmad (same as Muhammadl4S.fhis wastheglad tidingswhichAtlaah
spokeabout on the tongueofJesus:
It r .Jr-t dl #l.rl g u.fr-t'At ,* Jli ib )
gL-)rrri$t ir:ir u'r{s.* tJ stJ:n&l
(1:.j-,Jl) til
{ .r.riij.Lt g;vJ.U
"And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mar:,
said: 'O Children ollsroeM om the Messenger
of Allaah unto you contirming the Torah (which
came) belore me, and giving gladtidingsof a
Messenger to comealter me, whosename shall
beAhmad ." (Qur'an6l:6)l
{The man died. Salmanstayedtn Am'mooriyeeyah
'until
one day'some
merchants from the trbe of Katbl5 passedby me',Salmansaid.,I told them
:'takemeto ArabiaandI will giveyoumy cowsandtheonly sheepI have.,
They said: 'OK'.
Salmangavethemwhatheofferedandtheytook him with
them. WhentheyreachedlYadeeAl-Qura (closeto Medinah)theysoldhim
as a slave to a Jew.Salmanstayedwith theJew.He sawthepalm trees.'I
hoped that this would be the sameplace describedby my friend (see
above)', Salmansaid.A man who wasa first cousinto Salman,smasterand
belonged to theJewishtribeof Bani Qureithain Medinahcamevisitingone
day. He bought Salmanfrom his Jewishmaster:'He
took mewith him to
Medinah. By Allaah!whenI saw it I knewit, baseduponwhatmy friend
haddescribed."
l4Ahnad literally means:"one who praisesAllaahmorethanothers".It isthesecond
nameof ProphetMuhammad-PPBUwho saidin an authenticnarration:"l havefive
names:I an Mulammad andAhnad;l arnAl-Mahitkough whoAilaahwill eliminate
(infidelity);I arnAl-Hasherwho will be the 6rst to beressurected,thepeoplebeing
resunectedthereafter;and I amalrcAl-'Agib(i.e.,Therewill benoprophetafterme).
This nanation is reported in hheeh Al-Buklari, the most authenticcollection of
Propheticsayrngs,actionsondtraditions(v .4,#732,English-Arabic.ruodshedbyDar-
Arabia,Beirut,Lebanon)
l5an erab triUe.
l 8

21. "Then Allaah sent His Messenger (i.e., MulrammadfPBU). He stayedin
Mecca aslong ashe didl6. I did not hearanythingabouthim becauseI was
very much busywith the work of slavery.He thenmigratedto Medinah."
Salman continued saying :'I was (oneday) on a Palm-treeon top of oneof
its 'Adaaq (date-clusters)doingsomework for my master.A first cousinof
his cameand stoodin front of him (his masterwas sining) andsaid:'Woe lo
Banee Qeelah (people of rhe uibeQeetah),theyaregatheredn Qibaa'|7
arounda manwho cametodayfrom Meccaclaimingthathewasa Prophet!"
"When I heardthat,I shiveredthinkingthatI wasaboutto fall down on my
master. I came down andI said:whatdo you say!?whatdo you say!?My
master becameangry and punchedme with a powerful punchandsaid:
What kind of businessdo youhavein this(maner)?'Gomindyour business.
I said:Nothing! I just wantedto besue of whathewassaying."
"On that eveningI went lo see theMessengerofAllaahwhilehewasin
Qibaa'.I tookwith mesomethingI hadsaved.I wentin andsaid:'I wastold
that you are a righteousman and thatyourcompany(who) arestrangers
(here) are in need, andI wantto offer yousomethingI saved ascharity.I
found thatyou deserveit morethatanyoneelse'.Salmansaid:'l offeredit to
him; he said to hiscompanions:
'eat,
andhekepthishandoff(i.e., did not
ea$. 'l said to myself:'this is one (i.e., one of the sigrrsabout his
Prophethood.)"
Following this encounterwith theProphet(PPUB),Salmanleft to prepare
fior another test!This timehebroughta gift andvisitedtheProphet(PPUB)
in Medinah. 'l
saw that you don'teatfromthechanty,hereis a gift that I
wanted to honor you with. Thehophet (PPBU)atefrom it andorderedhis
companionsto do thesamewhichtheydid. I saidto myselfiNow theyare
nvo (i.e.,two of theProphet'ssigrscametrue.'
On thethird encounter,Salmancarneto Baqee'Al-Gharqad(Theburial site
of the hophet's companions)where theProphet(PPBU)was sharingin a
funeral of one of his companions.Salmansaid: 'I greetedhim (with the
Islamic Salaam: Peacebe upon you) then I moved towards his back
l6ThirteenyearsafterherecievedtheRevelationfromAllaah.
lTIn thecity of Medinah.
l9

22. attemptingto seetheseal(of Prophethood)thatwasdescribedto mebymy
frie1d. When he (PPBU)saw me (doingso)heknewthatt wastryingto
confirm somethingdescribedtome.Hetookthegarmentoffhis backandI
looked at the seal. I recognizedit. I camedownonit kissingit andcrying.
TheMessengerof Allaatrtoldmetomovearound(i.e,,totarkto him).I tord
him mystoryasI didwithyoulbinAbbass(rememberthatSalmanis teiling
his story to Ibin Abbass).He(thehophet-ppBU)likedto tell mystoryto
hiscompanions.
The Slavery to Allaah Alone
saknan continuedto tell his storyto Ibin Abbass:His time was still
consumedto his master.Hemisscdtwobattleswithtlrepagansof Arabia.
The hophet (PPBU)roldhim:'Wrire
O Salman(i.e., rofreeyourselffrom
you' master)'.Salmanobeyedand wrote for his&eedom.Hereachedan
agreementin whichhewouldpayiiismasterfortyouncesof goldandwould
plant and successfullyraiseupthreehundrednewpalmtrees.Thehophet
(PPBU)saidtohiscompanions:'Helpyourbrothe-r.'
Theyhelpedhimwiththetreesandgatheredforhimthewholequantity.The
Prophet(PPBU)orderedSalmantodigttreproperholestoplantthe'.'baby"
bees, then he @PBU)plantedeach onewithhishands.Salmansaid:'liy
whom mysoulis inHisHands(i.e.,Allaah)nosingletreedied.'Sosalman
gavethe Feesto his master.TheProphet(ppBU)gavesalmanapieceof
gold that was the sizeof achickeneggandsaid:'takethis,o Salman,and
pay (i.e., the master)forwhatyouowe,.Salmansaid:'Thiswouldbeclose
enough(in value)forwhatI owe!'TheProphet(ppBU)said:,rakeir!Allaal,
will (makeit) pay forwhatyouowelS'.I tookit andI weighedapartof it
and it wasfortyounces'.Salmangavethegoldtohismaster.Hefulfilledthe
agreementandhewasreleased.)
Sincethen,Salmanbecameaclosecompanionofthehophet(ppBU):
fone of the great companionsoftheprophet(ppBU)bythenane ofAbu
rlurayerahreported:weweresittingin thecompanyofAllaah'sMessenger
(PPBU) whenSurat-al-jum'ah(Chapter62) wasievealedto him. He
recitedthesewords:
l8A rniraclefrom Allaah.
20

23. (r:rr^*l)ilrr4 * rre.r;dee O+fl:l
"And He (Allaah) has senthim
(MuhammQ alsoto other (Muslims) who have
not joined them (hu&hgtilkame)..." (Qur,an
62:3)
A person amongstthemsid: Allaah's Messenger! ButAllaah,s Messenger
(PPBU) made no reply, until he questionedhim once,twice or thrice. And
there wasamongstusfulmon Al-Farisee. TheMessengerof Allaah (ppBU)
ploced his hand on Salman and then said: Evenffaith were near Ath-
Thuraiyt (Pleiades, the highest Star) a man from amongst these (i.e.
Salman'sfolk) wouldsurely attain it.l
But Thq |fill Come!
Many ln thb Worldare liheSalnun:atthepoint of Searchhr the Truth
obout The True and Only One God. This Story olsalnon hasmany
similarities in our timcs.Thesearchofsomepeopletookthemlrom one
Church to anolher. From a Churchto'Buddhismor Passiveness.From
Judaismto "Neutrality!". From religion to meditstionsandtomcntal
abuse I've mct and heardsomeof those whowercmovinglromone
place to another.Theywere'afroid'toatenwanttoknowaboutIslaam!
lfhen they ,rwl sorne Muslims,however,theycamewith an openmind
The slory of Salman is thatof a longsearch.Youcouldnakc it shoiler
bybenetitingtrom his
References
f) Q&eolrfrm Srlmrn: Anbic TefiBy HussciaAl-Awaishsrt
2) TheTableon Page16is adoptedfrom lamalBadrrxtsMuhannd in TheBible afler
correcting theissueaboutthe 'death' ofJesus,peacebeuponhim.Thc faa is that Jesus
did not die.Allaahsavedhimfrom crucifxion andhewasascendedto heaven.His death
will ocor bcforetheDayof Judgmentandafterhisdissensionto earth.Whileon earth
Jess will rule by thc Book of Allaah" thc Qu/an, attd by rhc teachingofProphet
Mulumma4 pcaccbcuponbothof thcnr.
2l

24. Complacdonthc
10dnofMular,nmlg,l4l5
concspondingto thc20thofJunc, 1994.
l9*ntwtqn b thc lst rnonthofdrc Islanriccalcndcrwhictrisbasoduponthc,datcof
migruion (t[jn) of thc ProphctMuhunmad(ppBU) to Mcdiruh.
22