 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Part ofa series on |
| Islam |
|---|
 |
Salaf (Arabic:سلف, "ancestors" or "predecessors"), also often referred to with the honorific expression ofal-salaf al-ṣāliḥ (السلف الصالح, "the pious predecessors"), are often taken to be the first three generations ofMuslims.[1] This comprises companions of theIslamic prophetMuhammad (theSahabah), their followers (theTabi'un), and the followers of the followers (theTaba al-Tabi'in).[2] Their religious significance lay in the statement attributed to Muhammad: "The best of my community are my generation, the ones who follow them and the ones who follow them",[3] a period believed to exemplify the purest form ofIslam. The generations of Muslims after the third are referred to as theKhalaf.[4]
TheTabi‘un, the successors ofSahabah.
TheTabi‘ al-Tabi‘in, the successors of theTabi‘un.
