Muhammad bin Umar states that Suhayb bin Sinan bin Malik bin Abd Amr bin Uqayl bin Amir; his father Sinan bin Malik was the governor of al-Ubullah on behalf of Chosroes (the king of Persia). Their homes were in the land of Mosul, in a village on the bank of the river Euphrates. Then the Romans raided that region and took Suhayb captive when he was a small child. His uncle said (in verse): "I ask Allah for the good of this Namiri boy whom the Romans carried off while my family were in the village called al-Thani." So Suhayb grew up among the Romans. Then a man from the tribe of Banu Kalb bought him and brought him to Makkah, and there Abdullah bin Jud'an al-Taymi bought him and set him free. He stayed with him in Makkah until Abdullah bin Jud'an died and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent (as a Messenger).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I met Suhayb bin Sinan at the door of Dar al-Arqam while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was seated inside. I asked him: "What do you want?" He asked me: "What do you want?" I said: "I want to go into the presence of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and listen to his words." He said: "That is my intention too." So we both went in, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) presented Islam to us and we became Muslims. Then we stayed there the whole day until evening came, and then we came out from there in secret.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Umarah bin Khuzaymah bin Thabit that the very last people to come to Madinah in the emigration were Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Suhayb bin Sinan (may Allah be pleased with them both). This was in the middle of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had not yet departed from the settlement of Quba. And according to all the people of knowledge, Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) took part in Badr, Uhud, al-Khandaq and all the battles alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

A grandson of Suhayb narrates from his father, and he from his grandfather (Suhayb), that Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) died in Madinah in Shawwal of the year 38 AH. At that time he was seventy years old, and he was buried in al-Baqi'. His kunyah was Abu Yahya.

Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Numayr says that the kunyah of Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) was Abu Yahya. He is Suhayb bin Sinan al-Namari, who belonged to (the tribe of) al-Namir bin Qasit. In his childhood he was taken captive and ended up among the Romans, and that is why he is called Suhayb al-Rumi. He lived to seventy years, and he used to dye his hair with henna. He died in Madinah in Shawwal of the year 38 AH and is buried in al-Baqi'.

It is narrated from Ikrimah that when Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) set out to emigrate, the people of Makkah pursued him. He shook out his quiver, took out forty arrows and said: "You will not reach me until I have struck each one of you with an arrow. After that I will draw my sword, and then you will know what kind of man of the battlefield I am. And listen: I have left two slave-girls behind in Makkah; they are yours, and may you enjoy them."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that this verse was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning Sayyiduna Suhayb: "And among the people is he who sells himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah" [Surah al-Baqarah: 207] . So when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him, he said: "O Abu Yahya! Your trade has been profitable." The narrator says: Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse to him. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

Yahya bin Abd al-Rahman bin Hatib narrates from his father that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him): Since you embraced Islam I have three objections against you. One is that you have taken the kunyah Abu Yahya, whereas Allah Almighty says: "We have not made for him any namesake before" [Surah Maryam: 7] . Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: And the second? Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: You do not keep any wealth in hand but spend it all. Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: And the third? Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: You trace your lineage to al-Namir bin Qasit, whereas you are one of the Muhajirun upon whom Allah has bestowed His favour. So Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "As for the kunyah Abu Yahya, it was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself who gave me that kunyah. As for spending wealth, Allah Almighty says: 'And whatever you spend of anything, He will replace it, and He is the best of providers' [Surah Saba: 39] . And as for my lineage, the Arabs used to take one another captive; so a group of Arabs took me captive after I already knew my family and my birthplace well, and then they sold me in the countryside around Kufa, where I picked up their language. And even if I had belonged to some lowly clan, I would still have traced my lineage to it." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You have spoken the truth."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Suhayb bin Sinan (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I never let the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) be between me and the enemy (on the battlefield); I always stayed on his (peace and blessings be upon him) right, his left or in front of him, defending him. The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

Abd al-Hamid bin Sayfi, who is from the descendants of Suhayb, narrates from his father, he from his grandfather, and he from Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as an emigrant while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was eating dates. I too began eating dates, although one of my eyes was afflicted (with inflammation). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You are eating dates while your eye is sore?" I submitted: I am only eating on the side of the eye that is healthy. The narrator says: At this the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled. The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.