Salama ibn al-Akwa

Bint Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib went to his companions and said: "Do you think I will reward him?!" (1) His stature was older than that of his brother Omar bin Abi Salamah. He lived until the caliphate of Abdul Malik bin Marwan. I do not remember a narration of his from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and (2) Omar narrated his brother.[2443] Salama bin Al-Akwa' (3), this is what the group of hadith scholars say, they attribute him to his grandfather. He is Salama bin Amr bin Al-Akwa' - and Al-Akwa' is Sinan - Ibn Abdullah bin Qusayr (4) bin Khuzaymah bin Malik bin Salman bin [Aslam Ibn] (5) Afsa Al-Aslami, his kunya was Abu Muslim. Another report (6) gives Abu Iyas, while some authorities give Abu Amer; the majority favor Abu Iyas, after his son Iyas (7). He was among those who pledged allegiance under the tree. He lived in Al-Rabadha. He died in Medina in the year seventy-four.

He was eighty years old. He was counted among its people. He was a brave archer. A benevolent (1) good and virtuous person. A group of followers of the people of Medina narrated from him. Ibn Ishaq said: I heard that the one to whom the wolf spoke was Salamah ibn al-Akwa'. Salamah said: I saw the wolf had taken an antelope, so I asked for it until I took it from him, so he said: Woe to you! What do you and I have (2)? I sought the livelihood that Allah has bestowed upon me. Is it not from your wealth that you can take (3) from me? He said: I said: O servants of Allah, this is astonishing, a wolf is speaking, and the wolf said: What is more astonishing than this is that the Prophet ﷺ is at the roots of palm trees calling you to worship Allah, and you refuse to worship anything but idols. He said: So I joined the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and converted to Islam (4). Allah knows best which of that was.

Ibn Ishaq mentioned that after mentioning Rafi' ibn Umayrah, whom the wolf spoke to, according to what was mentioned above [of that in his section of this book] (5). Salamah ibn al-Akwa' lived a long life. His son [Iyas ibn Salamah, and his master (1) Yazid ibn Abi Ubaid narrated on his authority, and Yazid ibn Khusaifa narrated on his authority (2). Yazid ibn Abi Ubaid said: I said] (3) to Salamah ibn al-Akwa': For what did you pledge allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ? peace be upon him on the day of Hudaybiyyah? He said: On death (4). Yazid said: I heard Salamah bin Al-Akwa' say: I fought seven battles with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I went out during the missions that he sent seven times (5). And his son Iyas said about him: My father never lied (6). He narrated on the authority of his father, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ. He said: "The best of our men is Salamah ibn al-Akwa'" (7).

Ubayd Allah ibn Musa narrated, on the authority of Musa ibn Ubaidah, on the authority of Iyas ibn Salamah ibn al-Akwa', on the authority of his father, he said: While (8) we are saying, a herald called out: O people, pledge of allegiance, pledge of allegiance, so we rose (9) to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, while he was under a tree, so we pledged allegiance to him. That is the saying of Allah Almighty: "Indeed, Allah is pleased with the believers."