Hadith No: 1
Ibn Kathir - Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya - Year Eleven of the Hijra
Section on Remaining Aspects Related to the Noble Biography
Chapter on Matters Related to Animals as Signs of Prophethood - The Story of the Lion
Volume: (9) - Page Number: (31)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
- .... And we mentioned in the biography of Safinah, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), his narration when the ship was wrecked, and he boarded a plank from it until he entered an island in the sea, where he found a lion. He said to it: O Abu al-Harith, I am Safinah, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). Then it struck my shoulders and kept pacing alongside me until it positioned me on the right path, and then it hummed for a while, and I saw that it was bidding me farewell.
- .... And Abd al-Razzaq said: Ma'mar narrated to us, from al-Hujabi, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkidir, that Safinah, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), missed the army in the land of Rome or was captured in the land of Rome, so he went off, fleeing, to seek the army, and behold, he encountered a lion. He said: O Abu al-Harith, I am a freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). What happened to me was such and such. Then the lion began to wag its tail and stood by him, and whenever it heard his voice, it would lower itself towards him, and it continued to walk alongside him until it brought him to the army, and then the lion turned back from him. This was narrated by al-Bayhaqi.

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Reference: Al-Bidaayah wa al-Nihaayah Book 9

Hadith No: 2
Al-Qadi Iyad - Al-Shifa bi-Ta'rif Huquq al-Mustafa
Part One: On the Exaltation by the Most High of the status of this chosen Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) in speech and action
Chapter Four: Regarding what Allah, the Exalted, manifested at his hands of miracles and what He honored him with of special traits and miracles
Section Nineteen: On the signs among various types of animals
Volume: (1) - Page Number: (313)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
- .... And from this chapter: What has been narrated about the subjugation of a lion to Safinah, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), when he directed him to Mu'adh in Yemen, and he encountered the lion, which recognized that he was the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), and with him was his letter. The lion seemed to understand and stepped aside from the path. It is mentioned that something similar occurred upon his return.
- .... And in another narration from him: That Safinah's ship was wrecked, and he went out to an island where he saw a lion. He said, "I am the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)," and the lion began to nudge me with its shoulder until it lifted me onto the path.

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Reference: Al-Shifa bi Ta'reef Huqooq al-Mustafa Book 1

Hadith No: 3
Al-Hakim al-Nisapouri - Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn
From the Book of the Signs of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) in the Proofs of Prophethood
Hadiyat al-Tariq min al-Asad likhadim al-Nabi (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)
Volume: (2) - Page Number: (619)
4293 - Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shaybani informed us in Kufa, saying: Ahmed ibn Hazim al-Ghifari narrated to us, saying: Ubaydullah ibn Musa narrated to us, who said: Usama ibn Zayd narrated to us from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir from Safina, who said: "I boarded a ship and it was wrecked, so I took to a plank from it, and I was cast into a thicket where there was a lion. It did not startle me except for him, and I said: 'O Abu al-Harith, I am a servant of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny).' He lowered his head and nudged me with his shoulder. He kept nudging me and guiding me to the way until he set me on the path. When he set me down, he hummed, and I thought he was bidding me farewell."

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Reference: Al-Mustadarak ala al-Saheehain Book 2

Hadith No: 4
Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi - Ma'rifat 'Ulum al-Hadith
Mention of the Forty-Third Type: Among the Sciences of Hadith, this type of knowledge within these sciences is the understanding of client relations and the descendants of clients as narrators of hadith among the companions and the successors and their followers. We have already mentioned the tribes, and this is the opposite of that type.
What we must begin with is the clients of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny).
Volume: (1) - Page Number: (198)
- Uthman ibn Ahmad ibn al-Sammaq narrated to us, saying: Al-Hasan ibn Mukaram narrated to us, saying: Uthman ibn Umar narrated to us, saying: Usamah ibn Zayd narrated to us from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir from Safinah, who said: "I boarded a ship in the sea, and it sank, so I climbed onto a plank from it, and I was cast onto an island that had a lion. It did not frighten me, and I said: 'O Father of the Cubs, I am a client of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny).' Then it began to nudge me with its shoulder until it stood me up on the path, and then it murmured," so I thought it was in greeting. Mihrān, a client of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), had narrations and was among those considered clients in the generation of successors and leaders of the Muslims.

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Reference: Ma'refah Uloom al-Hadith Book 1

Hadith No: 5
Al-Bayhaqi - Dalail al-Nubuwwah wa Ma'rifat Ahwal Sahibi al-Shari'ah
Summary of the Chapters of Dalail al-Nubuwwah except for what has been mentioned in this book
What appeared from our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) from the time of his birth until he was commissioned with the message...
Chapter on what was narrated about Allah, Exalted and Mighty be He, subjugating the lion to Safinah, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)
Volume: (6) - Page Number: (46)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
- .... Abu al-Husayn ibn Bashran al-Abd informed us in Baghdad, saying: Isma'il ibn Muhammad al-Saffar narrated to us, saying: Ahmad ibn Mansur narrated to us, saying: Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us, from Ma'mar, from al-Hujabi from Ibn al-Munkadir that Safinah, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), missed the army in the land of Rome or was captured in the land of Rome. He then went off, fleeing to find the army, and suddenly he saw a lion. He said to it: O Abu al-Harith, I am the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). What happened to me was this and that. Then the lion began to wag its tail at him until it stood by his side, whenever it heard a sound, it would crouch as if to pounce. Then it began to walk beside him. It did not stop doing this until they reached the army, after which the lion returned, and Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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Reference: Dalaael al-Nubuwwah wa Ma'refah Ahwaal Saaheb al-Sharee'ah Book 6