In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “prophet muhammad's companions”. Today it says “often taken to be the first three generations of muslims”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
The Companions of the Prophet Muhammad , which are known as (the Sahaba ) are among "the Righteous Predecessors." The movement known as the Salafis view the first three generations of Muslims , who are the Prophet Muhammad's companions , and the two succeding generations after them as the perfect examples of how Islam should be lived and practiced. This is a list of the companions of Muhammad may define his companions in a more flexible way.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17982997.
The opening as it stood in 2010 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
This is a list of notable Salaf , Muslims in the first three generations of proponents of the religion .This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness.You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 358108179.
The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
A Salaf (سلف "ancestor") is an early Muslim from the first three generations of proponents of Islam .The Salaf are the first few generations of Muslims, which included Muhammad's companions and followers at the time.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668748789.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Salaf ( , "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 , that is the generations of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and his companions (the Sahabah ), their successors (the Tabi‘un ), and the successors of the successors (the Taba Tabi‘in )."The Meaning of the Word "Salaf" – Abu 'Abdis-Salaam Hasan bin Qaasim ar-Raymee" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 963526794.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
First three generations of Muslims Not to be confused with Salafi movement . Salaf ( , "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 . 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 ).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", a period believed to exemplify the purest form of Islam.The generations of Muslims after the third are referred to as the Khalaf . "The Meaning of the Word "Salaf" – Abu 'Abdis-Salaam Hasan bin Qaasim ar-Raymee" . The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1176418436.
The opening as it stood in 2025
First three generations of Muslims Not to be confused with Salafi movement . 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 . 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 ). 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", a period believed to exemplify the purest form of Islam . The generations of Muslims after the third are referred to as the Khalaf . "The Meaning of the Word "Salaf" – Abu 'Abdis-Salaam Hasan bin Qaasim ar-Raymee" . The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1294423772. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “prophet muhammad's companions”. Today it says “often taken to be the first three generations of muslims”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
prophet muhammad's companions
Now
often taken to be the first three generations of muslims
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
