Two Accounts of How He Came

His name was Salih ibn 'Adi, and he was of Abyssinian origin. People called him Shuqran, a name that stayed with him more than his own, and the books know him as Shuqran, the mawla of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

How he came into the Prophet's ﷺ household is reported in more than one way. One account says the Prophet ﷺ inherited him from his father 'Abd Allah, as he inherited Umm Ayman. Another says he belonged to 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, who gave him to the Prophet ﷺ. The biographers record both and do not settle the question.

What all the accounts agree on is the outcome: Shuqran became one of the people of the Prophet's ﷺ house, serving him in the ordinary tasks of daily life.