if a Muslim has seen the Prophet, or talked to him, at least once when the Prophet was alive, he is called Sahabi. Plural form of Sahabi is Sahaba or As’hab. The word Sahaba-i kiram includes all those great people each of whom has seen the Prophet at least once. The lowest of the Sahaba is much higher than the highest of other Muslims. If a person has not seen the Prophet but has seen or talked to one of the Sahaba at least once, he is called Tabi’. Its plural form is Tabi’in. In other words, the Tabi’in are the successors of the Sahaba. If a person has not seen any of the Sahaba but has seen at least one of the Tabi’in, he is called Taba’i Tabi’in. The Sahaba, the Tabi’in and the Taba’i tabi’in altogether are called the Salaf-i salihin (the early savants).
