start() {
        echo -n $"Starting ejabberd: "
        su ejabberd -c "erl -pa /usr/local/lib/ejabberd/ebin \
                -sname ejabberd -s ejabberd \
                -ejabberd config \"/etc/ejabberd/ejabberd.cfg\" log_path \"/var/log/ejabberd/ejabberd.log\" \
                -sasl sasl_error_logger \{file,\"/var/log/ejabberd/sasl.log\"\} \
                -mnesia dir \"/var/lib/ejabberd/spool\" \
                -detached"
        RETVAL=$?
        [ $RETVAL -eq 0 ] && touch /var/lock/subsys/ejabberd
        echo
        return $RETVAL
}

result:
ejabberd  5457  0.2  0.0 18832 5084 pts/0    Sl   11:02   0:00 /usr/local/lib/erlang/erts-5.5.3/bin/beam -- -root /usr/local/lib/erlang -progname erl -- -home /home/ejabberd -pa /usr/local/lib/ejabberd/ebin -sname ejabberd -s ejabberd -ejabberd config /etc/ejabberd/ejabberd.cfg log_path /var/log/ejabberd/ejabberd.log -sasl sasl_error_logger {file,/var/log/ejabberd/sasl.log} -mnesia dir /var/lib/ejabberd/spool -noshell -noinput