Four Designated Teachers
The hadith naming Salim as one of four Quran teachers to learn from is narrated through Abd Allah ibn Amr and appears in Bukhari and Muslim. The significance: the Prophet did not rank these four by tribal lineage or Hijra sequence. Salim, a freed slave, appears alongside companions of high standing. The only criterion was excellence in the Quran.
Leading Prayer Before the Hijra
Among the earliest accounts of organized Muslim prayer in Medina: a group of early Muslims would gather at the home of Mus’ab ibn Umayr (whom the Prophet sent to Medina before the Hijra to teach) for Friday prayer. Salim led this prayer.
The remarkable detail: among those he led were Muslims of the Meccan emigrant group, including men older and socially senior to him. In the early Muslim community, Quran mastery overrode social standing for the designation of prayer leader (imam).
The Banner at Yamama and His Death
At the battle of Yamama (633 CE) — the war against the false prophet Musaylima following the Prophet’s death — Salim carried the Ansar banner. When a severe wound was inflicted on his sword hand, he was reportedly told to put the banner down or switch hands. His response: “What a poor companion to the Quran I would be” — and he held it in his remaining arm until he died.
The battle of Yamama was also where many of the Quran’s memorizers (huffaz) were killed, which led to the initial compilation of the written Quran under Abu Bakr.
See also: Quran Sciences, Ilm Al Tajwid, Seerah Abu Bakr, Seerah Umar Ibn Khattab, Prophet Muhammad, Sunna Al Nabawi