A Roman Slave

He grew up among the Romans and had a speech impediment. A man named Kalb bought him from the Romans and took him to Mecca. Abdullah bin Jud‘an then bought him and set him free. Hazrat Suhaib (ra) remained with Abdullah bin Jud‘an in Mecca until Abdullah’s death and it was around this time that the Holy Prophet (sa) was divinely commissioned by God Almighty.

According to one narration, the children of Hazrat Suhaib (ra) have reported that when Hazrat Suhaib (ra) reached the age of maturity, he fled the Roman Empire and came to Mecca where he became a confederate of Abdullah bin Jud‘an and remained with him until Abdullah’s death.

(al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p. 170, Suhaib bin Sinaan, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2017)

Regarding Hazrat Suhaib (ra), Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) states:

“One of the slaves was Suhaib (ra). He was captured and brought from the Roman Empire. He was a slave of Abdullah bin Jud‘an who later set him free. Suhaib (ra) also believed in the Holy Prophet (sa) and endured various kinds of hardships as a result of this.”

(Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 6, p. 443)