At a glance
Companions- Dates
- Died c. 35 AH
- Who
- Persian seeker of truth who suggested the trench at Madinah
- Stages
- Building Madinah
ProfileSalman al-Farisi
Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) was born in Persia into a family that tended a Zoroastrian fire temple. He grew restless with the faith of his father, became a Christian, and travelled from teacher to teacher, in Syria, Mosul and beyond, in search of the truth. A last teacher told him that a prophet would soon appear in a land of date palms. On the road to Arabia he was seized and sold as a slave, and ended up in Madinah.
When the Prophet ﷺ reached Madinah, Salman found the signs he had been told to look for, and he accepted Islam. The Prophet ﷺ helped him buy his freedom, and the Muslims pitched in to gather what his owner required.
His great moment came in 5 AH, when Quraysh and their allies marched on Madinah with a large army. Salman suggested digging a trench across the open side of the city, a method known in Persia and unfamiliar in Arabia. The Muslims dug it, and the siege failed. The Prophet ﷺ regarded him as one of his own household. He later served as governor of al-Mada'in, and lived simply on his small stipend.
Meet them inWhere they appear in the seerah
SourcesSources for this profile
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