Salman Al-Farsi’s life: A beautiful example of what happens when you place your trust in Allah and become one of those whom Allah loves- those who are patient.
Salman’s (r.a) father was a fire worshipper and he was the guardian of the fire. One day Salman r.a walked past a church and due to his curiosity in this religion (as it appeared to be better than fire worshipping), his father chained him.
Thereafter Salman al-Farsi ran away and on his journey upon seeking knowledge, the scholar he was studying under told him that a new prophet will come from the Arabs.
That the will take refuge in a place with date palms located between rocky tracks, and this prophet will eat food given to him as gifts but not charity, and he will have a seal of prophet hood between his shoulders. A group of people agreed to take him to Arabia but then sold him as a slave, and eventually his 2nd master who owned him, took him to Madinah.
Salman al-Farsi RA saw the signs the scholar spoke of- Madinah, a place of date palms between two rocky tracks and realised its where the prophet will seek sanctuary.
One day while picking dates for his master, he heard that someone coming from Makkah claiming to be a prophet will seek refuge in Madinah and soon thereafter he snuck away in the night to visit the prophet s.a.w and brought food for him and said it was from charity.
The Prophet pbuh did not eat from the food of charity but the companions did, and when he brought food again for the prophet as a gift, the prophet ate the food with the companions. Upon seeing the seal of the prophet between the prophet’s shoulder, Salman r.a fell down in tears and began to kiss the prophet’s feet and made sujood to him. The prophet and the sahabas (companions of the prophet saw) aided in freeing Salman al-Farsi RA.
Because Salman’s desire for the truth, regardless of how reality looked, he found it, bi-idhnillah (by Allah’s will). Because of his persistence in searching for the truth, Allah Ta’ala guided him. Salman’s life story reminds me of the ayat, when you fear Allah, He’ll make a way out for you and provide for you from where you do not expect. It reminds me of how Allah brings us out of the darkness into the light and how, to Allah, alone, we should turn all our intentions and hopes.
Sometimes we travel or go about our daily lives and Allah shows us things, Subhan Allah, but we don’t notice. His signs are immense, hope comes in so many forms, it comes in the form of blue skies and blue oceans, and huge mountains. It comes in the form of seeing your sisters in islam obeying Allah, in seeing your nephew smile, it comes in the small, positive changes of others. It is up to us to open our hearts and seek the truth, seek Allah. Put Allah above everything else, place your trust in Him and you’ll see how He grants for you a way out from where you do not expect.
