Abdullah bin Selam was the most knowledgeable and respected among the Jewish scholars in Medina. His lineage traced back to Joseph (pbuh). Among the Jews, he was known as Husayn, but after embracing Islam, he became known by the name Abdullah (the servant of Allah).

Abdullah bin Selam describes his conversion to Islam as follows: 

“I had learned the Torah and its interpretation from my father. One day, the Rasul of Allah, in whom I found the descriptions, attributes, and signs of the awaited Rasul, came to me. He explained his qualities and the signs of his risalah (prophethood) one by one. Then he said: ‘If he is from the sons of Aaron, I will follow him; otherwise, I will not.’ Before the Rasul of Allah came to Medina, he passed away. When I heard that he had declared his risalah in Mecca, I knew his attributes, signs, and the time. I was even waiting for his arrival. Finally, when I heard that he had arrived at Quba and someone was announcing it loudly, a man from the sons of Amr bin Auf, who was called Nadir, was shouting, ‘Today, the awaited man of the Arabs has come!’

I involuntarily trembled and cried out, “Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!” My aunt Halide was sitting under the tree at that moment. She was quite elderly. When she heard my words, she got very angry and said, ‘May Allah not grant you what you hope for! You will be disappointed! O vile one! If you had heard that the son of Imran, Moses, had come, you would not have been happier than this.’ I replied, ‘O aunt, believe me, he is Moses’ brother! Both of them share the same religion and have been sent the same way.’ My aunt then asked, ‘Is he the Rasul who is expected to come in the end times?’ I answered, ‘Certainly, he is the Rasul of the end times.’

Afterward, I tried to blend in with the people of Medina who had come to welcome him so I could catch a glimpse of him. When I saw his face, I realized that he was indeed the Rasul of the end times.

A few days later, I went to visit him and said, ‘O Muhammad, now I will ask you three questions, the answers to which only a Rasul can know:

1. What is the first sign of the Day of Judgment?

2. When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, what will be the first meal they eat?

3. In what circumstances does a child resemble their maternal lineage, and in what circumstances do they resemble their paternal lineage?’

Upon hearing these questions, Rasulullah replied: ‘Gabriel came to me before you and informed me about these questions. Here are the answers:

1. The first sign of the Day of Judgment is a fire that will drive people from the east to the west.

2. The first meal the people of Paradise will eat is the extra lobe of the fish liver.

3. Regarding the resemblance of a child to their parents, if the man’s discharge precedes that of the woman during conception, the child will resemble the father. If the woman’s discharge precedes the man’s, the child will resemble the mother.’

After hearing these answers, I confirmed his risalah. I had not yet left when a group of Jews arrived at the scene. Upon this, I said to Rasulullah:

‘O Messenger of Allah, the Jews are a deceitful and wicked people who tell incredible lies, make various false accusations, and are far from the truth. If they find out that I have become a Muslim, they will slander me with baseless accusations. Therefore, please ask them first about what kind of person I am, and then we can clarify that I have embraced Islam.’

After that, I hid in the adjoining room. Rasulullah welcomed the Jews into the room and asked them, ‘What kind of person is Husayn bin Selam?’

The Jews, who were unaware of the situation, replied, “He is the son of our most knowledgeable scholar and is the most knowledgeable among us.”

Rasulullah then asked, ‘What if he has become a Muslim?’

They all immediately responded, ‘God forbid! May Allah protect us from that!’

Then I stepped forward and openly declared, ‘There is no god or deity, only Allah, and Muhammad is His Rasul. O Jewish community, fear Allah and follow what comes from Him. He is the final Messenger mentioned in your Torah; you should have no doubt about it.’

However, my declaration surprised them, and they all attacked me at once, accusing me of various things.

‘Abdullah bin Selam is the most wicked among us, and he is the son of the most wicked among us’ they said, hurling numerous false accusations at me.

After this, I turned to Rasulullah and said, ‘Didn’t I tell you, O Rasul of Allah? Here, my fear has come true.’”

Following this incident, Abdullah bin Selam returned home, and his entire household embraced Islam along with him.