“The best of my nation is my generation (the Sahaba), then those who follow them, then those who follow them.” — Hadith (Bukhari, Muslim)
The meeting must have been as a . If someone met him before accepting Islam but later converted, they are still a Sahabi (e.g., Khalid ibn al-Walid). sahaba arabic
As the companions of the Prophet, the Sahaba were instrumental in the early days of Islam. Their contributions include: “The best of my nation is my generation