Salim ibn Abdullah ibn Umar, one of the Seven Jurists of Madinah, and one of the noble Tabiʿun, was a scholar, trustworthy, a preserver of knowledge (Hafidh), and the Mufti of Madinah. His nickname was Abu Umar, though some called him Abu Abdullah. Imam Malik said: "No one in the time of Salim resembled the earlier generations in asceticism, virtue, and lifestyle more than him."
Name and Lineage
Salim ibn Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭab ibn Nufayl ibn Abd al-Uzza al-Adawi al-Qurashi. It is mentioned that his name was chosen in honor of Salim, the freed slaveof Abu Ḥudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with them both). Said ibn al-Musayyib reported that Abdullah ibn Umar said: "Do you know why I named my son Salim?" He replied, "No." Ibn Umar said, "I named him after Salim, the freed slave of Abu Ḥudhayfah." (Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, 12/51).
His Upbringing
Salim ibn Abdullah was born during the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). He resided in Hijaz, Makkah, Madinah, and Bilad al-Sham (Greater Syria). It was common for the Sahabah to raise their children in Madinah—the city of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions—regardless of whether they lived elsewhere. Salim grew up in Madinah al-Munawwarah, amidst the Sahabah, who dedicated themselves to the pursuit and teaching of knowledge (Ibn Ḥajar, Fatḥ al-Bari, 7/281).
The Sahabah began teaching systematically in the Prophet’s Mosque after his death ﷺ, organizing knowledge circles step by step in time and space (Al-Faraji, Al-Ḥayah al-Fikriyyah fi al-Madinah, p. 61).
In this scholarly environment, Salim grew up and took knowledge from senior Sahabah. Musa ibn Uqbah said: "Salim narrated countless hadith from his father and prominent companions." (Abu Nuʿaym al-Aṣbahani, Ḥilyat al-Awliya, 194).
His Characteristics
Salim ibn Abdullah was known for his exemplary moral traits. He lived an austere life, wearing rough wool and practicing zuhd (asceticism). It is reported that he did not accumulate wealth, seeking only the Hereafter. On one occasion, Maymun ibn Mihran entered his house and assessed it, finding it worth only one hundred dirhams (Al-Basha, Ṣuwar min Ḥayat al-Tabiʿin, 56).
He avoided accepting wealth from rulers and governors. One famous story involves his encounter with the Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik inside the Kaaba. Hisham asked him: “Ask me for something.” Salim replied: “I feel ashamed to ask anyone in Allah’s house other than Him.” Upon exiting the Kaaba, Hisham followed him and said: “Now you are outside the House of Allah; ask me.” Salim replied: “Do you mean for worldly needs or those of the Hereafter?” Hisham said: “Worldly needs.” Salim said: “I have not asked for worldly needs from the One who owns it, so how can I ask them from one who does not own it?” (Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, 22/54).
His Scholarly Status
Salim was among the Jurists of Madinah. Ibn al-Mubarak said: “The jurists of Madinah whose opinions were followed were seven: Ibn al-Musayyib, Sulayman ibn Yasar, Salim, al-Qasim, Urwah, Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah, and Kharijah ibn Zayd.” He added: “When a matter arose, they would all consider it together. A judge would not issue a verdict until they had reviewed it.”
Salim was reserved in explaining the Quran. Al-Ṭabari reported that Ubaydullah ibn Umar said: “I met the jurists of Madinah, and they were very cautious regarding tafsir, including Salim ibn Abdullah.” (Al-Ṭabari, Jamiʿ al-Bayan, p. 85).
His Hadith Narrations
Salim was a devout imam known for his asceticism. He wore garments worth only two dirhams. His father, Abdullah, would affectionately kiss him and say: “An old man kisses another old man.” He learned in Madinah and narrated from Sahabah like his father, Abu Ayyub al-Anṣari, Abu Hurayrah, and Aishah (may Allah be pleased with them all). His students included Amr ibn Dinar, Nafiʿ (the freed slave of Ibn Umar), al-Zuhri, Musa ibn Uqbah, and others.
His hadith were highly regarded. Muḥammad ibn Saad said: “Salim was a prolific narrator and held a high rank of piety.” Isḥaq ibn Rahawayh said: “The soundest chain of narrators is: Al-Zuhri from Salim, from his father.” (Al-Khaṭib, Al-Sunnah Qabl al-Tadwin, 519).
His Knowledge of Jarḥ and Taʿdil
Salim excelled in hadith sciences, particularly in Jarḥ wa Taʿdil (criticism and validation of narrators), which greatly contributed to the authenticity of hadith. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Isḥaq ibn Rahawayh considered the chain of Al-Zuhri from Salim from his father to be among the most authentic (Al-Dhahabi, Siyar Aʿlam al-Nubalaʾ, 5/132).
His Death
Salim passed away in the year 105 AH, though some sources suggest 106 AH or 107 AH. His death coincided with the Hajj of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, who led his funeral prayer. Other reports state he died in 108 AH (Ibn Manẓur, Mukhtaṣar Tarikh Dimashq).
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1- Tarikh Dimashq (The History of Damascus), Ibn Asakir.
2- Fatḥ al-Bārī (The Victory of the Creator), Ibn Ḥajar.
3- Al-Ḥayāh al-Fikriyyah fī al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah (Intellectual Life in Madinah), ʿAdnān al-Farājī, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2005.
4- Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ (The Ornament of the Saints), Abū Nuʿaym al-Aṣbahānī.
5- Ṣuwar min Ḥayāt al-Tābiʿīn (Scenes from the Lives of the Followers), ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Rāfiʿt al-Bāshā.
6- Jāmiʿ al-Bayān ʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān (The Compendium of Interpretation of the Verses of the Qurʾan), Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī.
7- Al-Sunnah Qabl al-Tadwīn (The Sunnah Before Compilation), Muḥammad ʿAjjāj al-Khaṭīb, Maktabat Wahbah, 2008.
8- Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ (The Lives of Noble Figures), Al-Dhahabī.
9- Mukhtaṣar Tārīkh Dimashq (The Abridged History of Damascus), Ibn Manẓūr.
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