The example of the Negus of Abyssinia clarifies the distinction. He believed in the Prophet ﷺ, but is not established as having met him in person. Faith and contemporaneity therefore do not, by themselves, establish the technical status of Companion under the adopted definition.
Three states must be distinguished:
1. Being a believer during the Prophet’s life;
2. Actually meeting him in faith;
3. Personally hearing a particular report from him.
The first does not automatically establish the second, and the second does not establish the third for every report. This ordering helps distinguish transitional figures, Companions with brief contact, and those who directly heard particular narrations.