Islamic Figures: Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfa (with a ‎beautiful voice and excellent recitation skills)‎

Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, whose original name was Salim ibn Ma'qal or Ubayd ibn Rabi'ah, was a noble companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and one of the Muhajirun (immigrants). He participated in all the battles alongside the Prophet and fought in the Ridda Wars. He was among the reciters of the Quran who were martyred at the Battle of Yamamah.

Salim was originally a Persian slave belonging to a noble female companion from the Ansar (helpers) named Thubaytah bint Ya'ar al-Awsiyah. Thubaytah freed Salim, and he was then adopted by Abu Hudhayfah ibn Utbah. Salim became a close friend of Abu Hudhayfah ibn Utbah, who loved and adopted him and gave him in marriage to his niece, Fatimah bint al-Walid ibn Utbah ibn Rabi'ah. Salim lived under the care of his adoptive father, Abu Hudhayfah, until the revelation of the verse: " Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah. But if you do not know their fathers - then they are [still] your brothers in religion and those entrusted to you. And there is no blame upon you for that in which you have erred but [only for] what your hearts intended. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful" (Surat Al-Ahzab: 33:5), which prohibited adoption. It was narrated on the authority of Lady Aisha that she said, "Salim—the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifa—was with Abu Hudhaifa and his family in their house, and the daughter of Suhayl (the wife of Abu Hudhaifa) came to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Salim has reached the age that men reach, and he understands what they understand, and he enters upon us, and I think there is something in Abu Hudhaifa’s mind about that.'" So the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, "Breastfeed him so that he becomes forbidden to you." So she breastfed him, and what was in Abu Hudhaifa’s mind went away. So I went back to him and said, “I have breastfed him,” and what was in Abu Hudhaifa’s mind went away! (Source: Sahih al-Nasa’i; Summary of the Hadith scholar’s ​​ruling (al-Albani): Sahih. For Abu Hudhayfah and his family, Salim was not merely a person or an ally living with them in their home, but rather one of them, a son. Abu Hudhayfah had adopted him during the pre-Islamic era and considered him his son for many years until Islam abolished adoption. This was clarified by Aisha, the Mother of the Believers (may God be pleased with her), in a narration recorded by al-Bukhari, al-Barqani, Abu Dawud, al-Bayhaqi, and others.

It was also narrated on the authority of Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), that she said, “All the other wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused to allow anyone to enter their homes based on that breastfeeding relationship, and they said to Aisha, ‘By God, we see this only as a concession granted by the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him).’ And he gave special permission to Salim, so no one else entered upon us with this breastfeeding, nor did we see him.” (Source: Sahih Muslim; Summary of the Hadith scholar’s ​​ruling (Muslim): Authentic).

It has been inferred from the words and actions of all the Prophet’s wives, may God bless him and grant him peace, that breastfeeding of an adult is not considered valid, nor is it relied upon, nor does it establish a prohibition. Breastfeeding only occurs in infancy, and what happened in the story of Salim was a specific case that did not extend to others. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, emphasized that not every instance of breastfeeding establishes a prohibition. It is narrated in the two Sahihs that he said, "The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, entered upon me while a man was with me." He said, "O Aisha, who is this?" I said, "My brother through breastfeeding." He said, "O Aisha, look at who your brothers are, for breastfeeding is only valid when it occurs during infancy." (Narrator: Aisha, Mother of the Believers; Source: Sahih al-Bukhari; Summary of the Hadith scholar’s ​​ruling (al-Bukhari): Sahih). In this hadith, the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may God be pleased with her, says that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, entered upon her and saw a man with her—his name was not mentioned, and it is possible that he was the son of Abu al-Qais—so he asked her, "Who is this man?" So she told him that he was her foster brother, so he, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Look to who your brothers are, for fosterage is only from hunger,” meaning verify the validity of the fosterage and its timing, for not everyone who is breastfed by your mothers becomes your brother. The prohibition is only established if it occurs according to its condition and at its time. The prohibition of breastfeeding is only in the case of the young child in the first two years when breastfeeding satisfies hunger, not when there is nourishment other than breastfeeding in adulthood, as God Almighty said: “Mothers may breastfeed their children two complete years for whoever wishes to complete the nursing [period]. Upon the father is the mothers' provision and their clothing according to what is acceptable. No person is charged with more than his capacity. No mother should be harmed through her child, and no father through his child. And upon the [father's] heir is [a duty] like that [of the father]. And if they both desire weaning through mutual consent from both of them and consultation, there is no blame upon either of them. And if you wish to have your children nursed by a substitute, there is no blame upon you as long as you give payment according to what is acceptable. And fear Allah and know that Allah is Seeing of what you do” [Surat Al-Baqarah: 233]. This is the limit of breastfeeding from which the prohibition is established, which is two years. So what is more than that, or is after the child has become independent of breastfeeding? Therefore, breastfeeding is not considered effective in establishing a prohibited relationship. The hadith indicates the permissibility of a foster brother entering upon his foster sister and being alone with her.

Salim was keen on memorizing the Quran, to the point that he was chosen to lead the prayers for the emigrants in Quba before the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in Yathrib, because he was the most knowledgeable among them in reciting the Quran. He was. Salim had a beautiful voice and was a skilled reciter. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) praised his recitation in a hadith narrated by Ibrahim from Masruq, from Abdullah ibn Amr, from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who said, “Learn the Quran from four: Ibn Mas'ud, Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, and Mu'adh ibn Jabal” (Narrated by: Abdullah ibn Amr; Source: Sahih Muslim; Hadith classification: Sahih).

Salim participated in all of the Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) battles. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and the apostasy of some tribes, Salim participated in the Ridda Wars. In the year 12 AH, during the Battle of Yamamah, which took place during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Salim carried the banner of the Muhajirun (immigrants). When the battle intensified, the Muslim forces initially faltered and retreated. Salim was alarmed by this and cried out to the Muslims, “This is not how we acted with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)!” He dug a hole for himself and stood firm in it, defending the banner until he was killed. On that day, Salim and his master, Abu Hudhayfa, were found dead, one of their heads at the other's feet...