Salaf (Arabic: سلف, "ancestors" or "predecessors"), also often referred to with the honorific expression of "al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ" (السلف الصالح, "the pious predecessors") are often taken to be the first three generations of Muslims.^[1] This comprises companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (the Sahabah), their followers (the Tabi'un), and the followers of the followers (the Taba 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 of Islam. The generations of Muslims after the third are referred to as the Khalaf.^[4]

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2015)

The Tabi‘un, the successors of Sahabah.

The Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in, the successors of the Tabi‘un.

• List of Sahaba
• Non-Muslims who interacted with Muslims during Muhammad's era