The First Jewish Rabbi Convert to Islam
By
Reading Islam Team (Onislam.net)
Al-Husayn ibn Salam was a Jewish rabbi in Yathrib [Madinah] 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.
Abdullah ibn Salam
First Jewish Rabbi Convert to Islam |
Al-Husayn ibn Salam was a Jewish rabbi in Yathrib [Madinah] 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 enter Paradise 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 Allah and that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah.
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. (HSH)
Source: www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/my-journey-to-islam/historical-biographies/440915-the-first-jewish-rabbi-convert-to-islam.html
No comments:
Post a Comment
I would like to have your comment, please.