63. Merits of the Anṣār (Helpers in Madinah)
٦٣۔ كتاب مناقب الأنصار
I have never heard the Prophet ﷺ saying about anybody walking on the earth that he is from the people of Paradise except ʿAbdullah bin Salam. The following Verse was revealed concerning him: "And a witness from the children of Israel testifies that this Qur'an is true" (46.10)
سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ لأَحَدٍ يَمْشِي عَلَى الأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ إِلاَّ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلاَمٍ قَالَ وَفِيهِ نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ {وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ} الآيَةَ قَالَ لاَ أَدْرِي قَالَ مَالِكٌ الآيَةَ أَوْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ
While I was sitting in the Mosque of Medina, there entered a man (Abdullah bin Salam) with signs of solemnity over his face. The people said, "He is one of the people of Paradise." He prayed two light rakʿat and then left. I followed him and said, "When you entered the Mosque, the people said, 'He is one of the people of Paradise.' " He said, "By Allah, one ought not say what he does not know; and I will tell you why. In the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ I had a dream which I narrated to him. I saw as if I were in a garden." He then described its extension and greenery. He added: In its center there was an iron pillar whose lower end was fixed in the earth and the upper end was in the sky, and at its upper end there was a (ring-shaped) hand-hold. I was told to climb it. I said, "I can't." "Then a servant came to me and lifted my clothes from behind and I climbed till I reached the top (of the pillar). Then I got hold of the hand-hold, and I was told to hold it tightly, then I woke up and (the effect of) the handhold was in my hand. I narrated al I that to the Prophet ﷺ who said, 'The garden is Islam, and the handhold is the Most Truth-worthy Hand-Hold. So you will remain as a Muslim till you die." The narrator added: "The man was ʿAbdullah bin Salam."
كُنْتُ جَالِسًا فِي مَسْجِدِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَدَخَلَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ أَثَرُ الْخُشُوعِ فَقَالُوا هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ تَجَوَّزَ فِيهِمَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ وَتَبِعْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّكَ حِينَ دَخَلْتَ الْمَسْجِدَ قَالُوا هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ وَاللَّهِ مَا يَنْبَغِي لأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ وَسَأُحَدِّثُكَ لِمَ ذَاكَ رَأَيْتُ رُؤْيَا عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَيْهِ وَرَأَيْتُ كَأَنِّي فِي رَوْضَةٍ ذَكَرَ مِنْ سَعَتِهَا وَخُضْرَتِهَا وَسْطَهَا عَمُودٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ أَسْفَلُهُ فِي الأَرْضِ وَأَعْلاَهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ فِي أَعْلاَهُ عُرْوَةٌ فَقِيلَ لَهُ ارْقَهْ قُلْتُ لاَ أَسْتَطِيعُ فَأَتَانِي مِنْصَفٌ فَرَفَعَ ثِيَابِي مِنْ خَلْفِي فَرَقِيتُ حَتَّى كُنْتُ فِي أَعْلاَهَا فَأَخَذْتُ بِالْعُرْوَةِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ اسْتَمْسِكْ فَاسْتَيْقَظْتُ وَإِنَّهَا لَفِي يَدِي فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ تِلْكَ الرَّوْضَةُ الإِسْلاَمُ وَذَلِكَ الْعَمُودُ عَمُودُ الإِسْلاَمِ وَتِلْكَ الْعُرْوَةُ عُرْوَةُ الْوُثْقَى فَأَنْتَ عَلَى الإِسْلاَمِ حَتَّى تَمُوتَ وَذَاكَ الرَّجُلُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلاَمٍ وَقَالَ لِي خَلِيفَةُ حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذٌ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَوْنٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ حَدَّثَنَا قَيْسُ بْنُ عُبَادٍ عَنِ ابْنِ سَلاَمٍ قَالَ وَصِيفٌ مَكَانَ مِنْصَفٌ
When I came to Medina. I met ʿAbdullah bin Salam. He said, "Will you come to me so that I may serve you with Sawiq (i.e. powdered barley) and dates, and let you enter a (blessed) house that in which the Prophet ﷺ entered?" Then he added, "You are In a country where the practice of Riba (i.e. usury) is prevalent; so if somebody owe you something and he sends you a present of a load of chopped straw or a load of barley or a load of provender then do not take it, as it is Riba."
أَلاَ تَجِيءُ فَأُطْعِمَكَ سَوِيقًا وَتَمْرًا وَتَدْخُلَ فِي بَيْتٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّكَ بِأَرْضٍ الرِّبَا بِهَا فَاشٍ إِذَا كَانَ لَكَ عَلَى رَجُلٍ حَقٌّ فَأَهْدَى إِلَيْكَ حِمْلَ تِبْنٍ أَوْ حِمْلَ شَعِيرٍ أَوْ حِمْلَ قَتٍّ فَلاَ تَأْخُذْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رِبًا وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ النَّضْرُ وَأَبُو دَاوُدَ وَوَهْبٌ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ الْبَيْتَ