|
Al-Husayn ibn Salam was a Jewish rabbi in Yathrib [Medina] who was widely respected and honored by the people of the city, even by those who
were not Jewish. He was known for his piety and goodness, his upright
conduct, and his truthfulness.
Al-Husayn lived a peaceful and gentle life but he was
serious, purposeful and organized in the way he spent his time. For a fixed
period each day, he would worship, teach and preach in the temple.
Then he would spend some time in his orchard, looking
after date palms, pruning and pollinating. Thereafter, to increase his
understanding and knowledge of his religion, he would devote himself to the
study of the Torah.
In this study, it is said he was particularly struck by
some verses of the Torah which dealt with the coming of a Prophet who would
complete the message of previous Prophets. Al-Husayn therefore took an
immediate and keen interest when he heard reports of the appearance of a
Prophet in Makkah.
What follows is his story, in his own words:
When I heard of the appearance of the Messenger of God
(peace be upon him) I began to make enquiries about his name, his genealogy,
his characteristics, his time and place and I began to compare this information
with what is contained in our books.
From these enquiries, I became convinced about the
authenticity of his prophethood and I affirmed the truth of his mission. However,
I concealed my conclusions from the Jews. I held my tongue.
Then came the day when the Prophet, peace be upon him,
left Makkah and headed for Yathrib. When he reached Yathrib and stopped at
Quba, a man came rushing into the city, calling out to people and announcing
the arrival of the Prophet.
At that moment, I was at the top of a palm tree doing
some work. My aunt, Khalidah bint Al-Harith, was sitting under the tree. On
hearing the news, I shouted: “Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!” (God is Great! God
is Great!)
When my aunt heard me, she remonstrated with me: “May
God frustrate you... By God, if you had heard that Moses was coming you would
not have been more enthusiastic.”
“Auntie, he is really, by God, the ‘brother’ of Moses
and follows his religion. He was sent with the same mission as Moses.” She was
silent for a while and then said: “Is he the Prophet about whom you spoke to us
who would be sent to confirm the truth preached by previous (Prophets) and
complete the message of his Lord?”
“Yes,” I replied.
Without any delay or hesitation, I went out to meet the
Prophet. I saw crowds of people at his door. I moved about in the crowds
until I reached close to him.
The first words I heard him say were: “O people! Spread
peace... Share food... Pray during the night while people (normally) sleep...
and you will enterParadise in peace.”
I looked at him closely. I scrutinized him and was
convinced that his face was not that of an imposter. I went closer to him and
made the declaration of faith that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is
the Messenger of God.
The Prophet turned to me and asked: “What is your name?”
“Al-Husayn ibn Salam,” I replied. “Instead, it is now Abdullah ibn Sallam,”
he said (giving me a new name). “Yes” I agreed. “Abdullah ibn Salam it shall
be. By Him who has sent you with the Truth, I do not wish to have another name
after this day.”
I returned home and introduced Islam to my wife, my
children and the rest of my household. They all accepted Islam including my
aunt Khalidah who was then an old lady. However, I advised them then to
conceal our acceptance of Islam from the Jews until I gave them permission. They
agreed.
Subsequently, I went back to the Prophet (peace be upon
him), and said: “O Messenger of God! The Jews are a people (inclined to)
slander and falsehood. I want you to invite their most prominent men to meet
you. (During the meeting however), you should keep me concealed from them in
one of your rooms. Ask them then about my status among them before they find
out of my acceptance of Islam. Then invite them to Islam. If they were to
know that I have become a Muslim, they would denounce me and accuse me of
everything base and slander me.”
The Prophet kept me in one of his rooms and invited the
prominent Jewish personalities to visit him. He introduced Islam to them and
urged them to have faith in God.
They began to dispute and argue with him about the Truth.
When he realized that they were not inclined to accept Islam, he put the
question to them:
“What is the status of Al-Husayn ibn Salam among you?”
“He is our sayyid (leader) and the son of our sayyid.
He is our rabbi and our alim (scholar), the son of our rabbi and alim.”
“If you come to know that he has accepted Islam, would
you accept Islam also?” asked the Prophet.
“God forbid! He would not accept Islam. May God protect
him from accepting Islam,” they said, horrified.
At this point I came out in full view of them and
announced: “O assembly of Jews! Be conscious of God and accept what Muhammad
has brought. By God, you certainly know that he is the Messenger of God and
you can find prophecies about him and mention of his name and characteristics
in your Torah. I for my part declare that he is the Messenger of God. I have
faith in him and believe that he is true. I know him.”
“You are a liar,” they shouted. “By God, you are evil
and ignorant, the son of an evil and ignorant person.” And they continued to
heap every conceivable abuse on me.
Here ends his own narration.
Abdullah ibn Salam approached Islam with a soul thirsty
for knowledge. He was passionately devoted to the Quran and spent much time
reciting and studying its beautiful and sublime verses. He was deeply attached
to the noble Prophet and was constantly in his company.
He spent much of his time in the masjid, engaged in
worship, in learning and in teaching. He was known for his sweet, moving and
effective way of teaching study circles of Sahabah who assembled regularly in
the Prophet’s mosque.
Abdullah ibn Salam was known among the Sahabah as a man
from the people of Paradise. This was because of his determination on the
advice of the Prophet to hold steadfastly to the ‘most trustworthy handhold’
that is belief in and total submission to God.
|
