Hz. Abdullah b. Selam (r)

Abdullah b. Selam b. el-Hâris (d. 43/663-64) belonged to the Banu Qaynuqa, one of the three major Jewish tribes in Medina. It is said that he descended from the lineage of Hz. Yusuf. His real name was Husayn (الحصين), and after becoming a Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad gave him the name "Abdullah". As one of the most distinguished scholars of the Medina Jews, Abdullah b. Selam was extremely knowledgeable about the Torah. When he heard of the Prophet Muhammad's arrival in Medina, he went to see him. Upon looking at the Prophet's face, he said: "This face cannot be the face of a liar." When he heard the Prophet's first question — "What kind of person are you among the Jews?" — he believed and asked to keep this faith secret. The Prophet Muhammad also asked the Jewish scholars what they thought of him. They all said, "He is the best among us and the son of the best." Then, when Abdullah b. Selam declared that he was a Muslim, the Jews changed their attitude and wanted to slander him. Abdullah b. Selam's conversion to Islam symbolizes the intellectual transformation of Medina: the choice of Islam by one of the most rooted representatives of the Jewish scholarly tradition demonstrated the impact of the Prophet Muhammad's message on intellectuals. Abdullah b. Selam is also among the ten companions who were promised paradise (aşere-i mübeşşere). When he went to Jerusalem, which was conquered during the time of Hz. Ömer, he gained much knowledge there; he continued to engage in scholarly discussions with the Jews. [Source: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, "Abdullah b. Selam" article, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/abdullah-b-selam; Buhârî, Menâkıb 41; Müslim, Fedâilü's-sahâbe 149]