Salman the Persian or Salmān al-Fārsī ( ar, سَلْمَان ٱلْفَارِسِيّ), born Rūzbeh Khoshnūdān ( fa, ), was a
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
companion (
Sahaba
The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...
) of the
Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
. He was raised as a
Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...
in
Sasanian Persia
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
, then attracted to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, and then converted to
Islam after meeting Muhammad in the city of Yathrib, which later became Medina. During some of his later meetings with the other
Sahabah, he was referred to by the
kunyah ''Abu ʿAbdullah'' ("Father of Abdullah"). At his suggestion a trench was dug (a Sasanian military technique) around
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
when it was attacked by the
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
n
Quraysh in the
Battle of the Trench.
According to some traditions, he was appointed as the governor of
Al-Mada'in in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
, and in popular tradition, Muhammad considered Salman as being part of
his household.
He was a follower of
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
ibn Abi Talib
Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib ( ar, أَبُو طَالِب بن عَبْد ٱلْمُطَّلِب '; ) was the leader of Banu Hashim, a clan of the Qurayshi tribe of Mecca in the Hejazi region of the Arabian Peninsula. He was an uncle of the Isl ...
after the death of Muhammad.
Birth and early life
Salman was a
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
born with the name Rouzbeh Khoshnudan in the city of
Kazerun
Kazeroon ( fa, کازرون, also Romanized as Kāzerūn, Kāzeroūn, and Kazeroon; also known as Kasrun) is a city and capital of Kazeroon County, Fars Province, Iran. In 2016, as the fifth big city in the province, its population was 96,683. ...
in
Fars Province, or
Isfahan in
Isfahan Province.
In a
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...
, Salman also traced his ancestry to
Ramhormoz
Ramhormoz ( fa, ) is the capital city of Ramhormoz County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. In ancient times it had been known as ''Samangan'', having been established by the Sassanid king Hormizd I, although an Elamite tomb has been found as well. T ...
. The first sixteen years of his life were devoted to studying to become a
Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...
''
magus
Magi (; singular magus ; from Latin '' magus'', cf. fa, مغ ) were priests in Zoroastrianism and the earlier religions of the western Iranians. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius th ...
'' or
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
after which he became the guardian of a
fire temple. Three years later in 587 he met a
Nestorian
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...
Christian group and was impressed by them. Against the wishes of his father, he left his family to join them.
His family imprisoned him afterwards to prevent him but he escaped.
He traveled around the Middle East to discuss his ideas with priests, theologians and scholars in his quest for the truth.
During his stay in
Syria, he heard of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
, whose coming had been predicted by Salman's last Christian teacher on his deathbed.
Afterwards and during his journey to the
Arabian Peninsula, he was betrayed and sold to a Jew in
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
. After meeting Muhammad, he recognized the signs that the monk had described to him. He converted to Islam and secured his freedom with the help of Muhammad.
Abu Hurairah is said to have referred to Salman as "Abu al-Kitabayn" ("the father of the two books"; that is, the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
and the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
), and Ali is said to have referred to him as "Luqman al-Hakeem" ("
Luqman the wise," a reference to a wise man mentioned in the Quran).
When ever people inquired about his ancestry, Salman is said to have replied: "I am Salman, the son of Islam from the child of Adam."
Career
Salman came up with the idea of digging a great trench around the Medina, to defend the city against the army of 10,000
Arabian non-Muslims. Muhammad and his companions accepted Salman's plan because it was safer, and there would be a better chance that the non-Muslim army would have a larger number of casualties.
While some sources gather Salman with the ''
Muhajirun'', other sources narrate that during the Battle of the Trench, one of Muhajirun stated "Salman is one of us, Muhajirun", but this was challenged by the Muslims of Medina (also known as the ''
Ansar''). A lively argument began between the two groups with each of them claiming Salman belonged to their group and not to the other one. Muhammad arrived on the scene and heard the argument. He was amused by the claims but soon put an end to the argument by saying: "Salman is neither Muhajir nor Ansar. He is one of us. He is one of the
People of the House."
Salman participated in the
conquest of the
Sasanian Empire, and became the first governor of Sasanid capital
Ctesiphon, after its fall at the time of the second Rashidun Caliph,
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...
ibn
Al-Khattab.
However, according to some other sources,
after Muhammad's death, he disappeared from public life until 656, when Ali became the
Caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
, and appointed Salman as the governor of Al-Mada'in at the age of 88.
Works
He
translated the Quran into
Farsi or Persian, thus becoming the first person to interpret and translate the Quran into a foreign language.
Salman is said to have written the following poem on his enshrouding cotton:
:''I am heading toward the Munificent, lacking a sound heart and an appropriate provision,''
:''While taking a provision (with you) is the most dreadful deed, if you are going to the Munificent''
Salman used to cut the hair of Muhammad at the time, inspiring plates in
Turkish barber shops with the verse:
:''Every morning our shop opens with the
basmala
The ''Basmala'' ( ar, بَسْمَلَة, ; also known by its incipit ; , "In the name of Allah"), or Tasmiyyah (Arabic: ), is the titular name of the Islamic phrase "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" (Arabic: , ) ...
-, ''
:''Hazret-i Salman-i Pak is our pir and our master.''
Death
One source states that he died in 32
A.H. / 652 or 653
C.E. in the
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
.
while another source says he died during Uthman's era in 35 A.H. / 655 or 656 C.E.
Other sources state that he died during Ali's reign.
His tomb is located in
Salman Al-Farsi Mosque
Salman Al-Farsi Mosque is a mosque located in the village of Salman Pak in the Al-Mada'in, Mada’in district, approximately southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. It is one of the holy sites in Iraq. The shrine has historically been a Sunni Islam, Sunni mo ...
in Al-Mada'in, or according to some others, in
Isfahan,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
or elsewhere.
Views
Shi'ite
Shi'ites
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...
,
Twelver
Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...
s in particular, hold Salman in high esteem for a ''
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...
'' attributed to him, in which all
twelve Imāms were mentioned to him by name, from Muhammad. Salman, along with
Abu Dharr,
Ammar ibn Yasir, and
Miqdad ibn Aswad
Miqdaad ibn Amr al-Bahrani ( ar, المقداد بن عمرو ٱلْبَهْرَانِيّ, '), better known as al-Miqdaad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi ( ar, المقداد بن الأسود ٱلْكِنْدِيّ) or simply Miqdaad, was one of the Sah ...
, is considered to be the
four loftiest of the Shi'a. Ali Asgher Razwy, a 20th-century Shia Twelver Islamic scholar states:
Sufi
Salman is also well known as a prominent figure in
Sufi traditions.
Sufi orders such as
Qadri
The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ta ...
yya and
Bektashi
The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...
yya and
Naqshbandi have Salman in their Isnad of their brotherhood.
In the
Oveyssi-Shahmaghsoudi order and Naqshbandi order, Salman is the third person in the chain connecting devotees with Muhammad. The members of associations also regarded Salman as one of their founders, along with
Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Druze
Druze tradition honors several "mentors" and "prophets", and Salman is honored as a prophet, and as an incarnation of the monotheistic idea.
Bahá’í
In the
Kitáb-i-Íqán, Bahá'u'lláh honours Salman for having been told about the coming of Muhammad:
As to the signs of the invisible heaven, there appeared four men who successively announced unto the people the joyful tidings of the rise of that divine Luminary. Rúz-bih, later named Salmán, was honoured by being in their service. As the end of one of these approached, he would send Rúz-bih unto the other, until the fourth who, feeling his death to be nigh, addressed Rúz-bih saying: 'O Rúz-bih! when thou hast taken up my body and buried it, go to Hijáz for there the Day-star of Muhammad will arise. Happy art thou, for thou, shalt behold His face!'
Ahmadiyya
In
Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...
, Salman is mentioned in connection with the faith of the Persian people:
ahmadianswers.com
/ref>
See also
*
* List of non-Arab Sahabah
* Sulaym ibn Qays
* Salman the Persian (TV series)
References
External links
Salmān al-Farsi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salman The Persian
Translators of the Quran into Persian
Iranian Muslims
Iranian former Christians
People from Kazerun
654 deaths
568 births
6th-century Iranian people
7th-century Iranian people
Converts to Christianity from Zoroastrianism
Converts to Islam from Christianity
Muhajirun
Non-Arab companions of the Prophet
Governors of the Rashidun Caliphate
Prophets in the Druze faith