Abdullah ibn Salam: The Jewish Rabbi who found truth in Islam
Before the Hijrah (the great mi-gration of Muslims from Mak-kah to Madinah), Yathrib—later renamed Madinah—was home to several religious groups. Poly-theistic beliefs shaped the way of life for most indigenous Arab tribes. The dominant tribes, the Banu Aws and Banu Khazraj, had a longstanding rivalry, which would later become a significant factor in Islam’s establishment in Madinah.
The city also had a notable Jew-ish population, with the Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir, and Banu Qurayza being the most promi-nent Jewish tribes.
Unlike their Arab counterparts, the Jews practiced monotheism, owing to their adherence to ear-lier scriptures such as the Torah (Al-Taurat), which was revealed to Prophet Musa (Moses).
When news of Prophet Muham-mad’s migration from Makkah to Madinah reached the people of Yathrib, one of respect-ed scholars (Rabbi) among the Jews, Al-Husayn ibn Salam was immediately curious, and sought to find out more about the Proph-et (peace be upon him).
Early Life
He was born in 550 AD in Yathrib (Madinah) to a respected family among the Banu Qaynuqa.
From a young age, Ibn Salam ded-icated himself to the study of the Torah and became a well-known rabbi among his people. He was deeply committed to the teach-ings of Judaism and was regard-ed as one of the most learned and devout Jewish scholars in the city.
Ibn Salam’s knowledge of scrip-ture was not merely academic; it was rooted in a sincere search for truth. He studied the Torah close-ly and was aware of the descrip-tions and signs of the awaited fi-nal Prophet mentioned in Jewish scriptures. As a result, he held a quiet expectation that such a prophet might emerge during his lifetime.
He had heard reports about Mu-hammad’s character, teachings, and the growing number of his followers. Out of a desire to deter-mine the truth for himself, when the Prophet arrived at Qubah (about 5kms outside Madinah), Ibn Salam went to meet him.
He asked the Prophet (PBUH) a few questions to test his knowl-edge and sincerity, including questions that only a prophet would be able to answer. The answers satisfied Ibn Salam and he instantly accepted Islam. He later narrated, “When I saw him (Prophet Muhammad), I knew from his face that it was not the face of a liar.”
The Prophet gave him the new name, Abdullah, meaning “ser-vant of Allah.” Initially, Ibn Salam requested the Prophet to keep his conversion private since he feared that his people would react with hostility due to their long-stand-ing opposition to Muhammad’s message. The Prophet agreed.
At a later date, Allah’s messenger (PBUH) invited some of the Jew-ish leaders to meet him. He asked them about Ibn Salam’s standing among them. They praised him as a noble and learned scholar. Then the Prophet revealed to them that Ibn Salam had accept-ed Islam. The reaction was im-mediate and severe. The same people who had just praised Ibn Salam began to slander him and deny his virtue. Despite their re-jection, Ibn Salam remained firm in his faith, publicly declaring his belief in Islam.
Many scholars believe that Ibn Salam is the “witness from among the children of Israel” that Al-lah mentioned in Surat Al-Ahqaf (46:10),
“Say: Do you see? If it is from Al-lah, and you disbelieve in it, while a witness from the Children of Israel has testified to something similar and believed, while you are arrogant—indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing peo-ple.”
After embracing Islam, Ab-dullah ibn Salam became an ac-tive companion of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
He used his deep understanding of both Jewish and Islamic tradi-tions to propagate Islam. He often spoke of the Torah’s confirmation of Muhammad’s prophethood.
Abdullah ibn Salam was the first Muslim that was promised Paradise while he was still alive.
He participated in various Mus-lim expeditions including the conquest of Syria and Palestine during the caliphate of Umar ibn Khattab. He died in Madinah in 663 AD (43AH).
