بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) was of the tribe of Banu Huzail and was also the sworn ally of Banu Zahra. When he was still a youth, not yet past the age of puberty, he used to roam the mountain trails of Makkah far away from people, tending the flocks of a Quraysh chieftain, Uqbah ibn Muayt. People called him "Ibn Umm Abd" (son of the mother of a slave).
He had heard the news of a Prophet who had appeared among his people but he did not attach any importance to it both because of his age and because he was usually far away from the Makkan society. It was his custom to leave with the flock of Uqbah early in the morning and not return until nightfall.
One day while tending the flocks, ibn Mas'ud saw two men, middle-aged and of dignified bearing, coming towards him from a distance. They were obviously very tired. They were also so thirsty that their lips and throat were quite dry. They came up to him, greeted him and said, "Young man, milk one of these sheep for us that we may quench our thirst and recover our strength."
"I cannot," replied the young man. "The sheep are not mine. I am only responsible for looking after them."
The two men did not argue with him. In fact, although they were so thirsty, they were extremely pleased at the honest reply. The pleasure showed on their faces...
The two men in fact were the blessed Prophet himself (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his companion, Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). They had gone out on that day to the mountains of Makkah to escape the violent persecution of the Quraysh.
The young man in turn was impressed with the Prophet and his companion and soon became quite attached to them.
It was not long before ibn Mas'ud became a Muslim and offered to be in the service of the Prophet. The Prophet agreed and from that day the fortunate ibn Mas'ud gave up tending sheep in exchange for looking after the needs of the blessed Prophet.
Ibn Mas'ud remained closely attached to the Prophet. He would attend to his needs both inside and outside the house. He would accompany him on journeys and expeditions. He would wake him when he slept. He would shield him when he washed. He would carry his staff and his siwak (toothbrush) and attend to his other personal needs.
Ibn Mas'ud received a unique training in the household of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). He was under the guidance of the Prophet, he adopted his manner and followed his every trait until it was said of him, "He was the closest to the Prophet in character."
Ibn Mas'ud was taught in the "school" of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). ibn Mas'ud was the best at reciting the Qur’an among the companions and he understood it better than them all. He was therefore the most knowledgeable on the Shari’ah. Nothing can illustrate this better than the story of the man who came to Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) as he was standing on the plain of Arafat and said:
"I have come, O Amir al-Mu'mineen, from Kufah where I left a man filling copies of the Qur'an from memory."
Umar became very angry and paced up and down beside his camel, fuming.
"Who is he?" he asked.
"Abdullah ibn Mas'ud," replied the man.
Umar's anger subsided and he regained his composure.
"Woe to you," he said to the man. "By Allah, I don't know of any person left who is more qualified in this matter than he is. Let me tell you about this." Umar continued:
"One night the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was having a conversation with Abu Bakr about the situation of Muslims. I was with them. When the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) left, we left with him also and as we passed through the mosque, there was a man standing in prayer whom we did not recognize. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) stood and listened to him, then turned to us and said, 'Whoever wants to read the Qur'an as fresh as when it was revealed, then let him read according to the recitation of Ibn Umm Abd.'
After the prayer, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud sat making supplications, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Ask and it will be given to you. Ask and it will be given to you."
Umar continued: "I said to myself, I shall go to ibn Mas'ud straight away and tell him the good news of the Prophet's ensuring acceptance of his supplications. I went and did so but found that Abu Bakr had gone before me and conveyed the good news to him. By Allah, I have never yet beaten Abu Bakr in the doing of any good."
In another Hadith, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Learn the Qur’an from four people, Abdullah ibn Masood, Salim Maula Abi Huzaifah, Ubayy Ibn Kaab and Mu'az Ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with them).’ The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Read the Qur’an in the same manner as Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud teaches.’
Ibn Mas'ud attained such a knowledge of the Qur'an that he would say, "By Him besides Whom there is no god, no verse of the Book of Allah has been revealed without my knowing where it was revealed and the circumstances of its revelation. By Allah, if I know there was anyone who knew more of the Book of Allah, I will do whatever is in my power to be with him."
Ibn Mas'ud was not exaggerating in what he said about himself. Once Umar ibn al-Khattab met a caravan on one of his Journeys as caliph. It was pitch dark and the caravan could not be seen properly. Umar ordered someone to hail the caravan. It happened that ibn Mas'ud was in it.
"From where do you come?" asked Umar.
"From a deep valley," came the reply. (The Qur'anic expression used)
"And where are you going?" asked Umar.
"To the ancient house," came the reply. (The Qur'anic expression used)
"There is a learned person ('alim) among them," said Umar and he commanded someone to ask the person:
"Which part of the Qur'an is the greatest?"
" 'Allah. There is no god except Him, the Living, the Self-Subsisting. Neither slumber overtakes Him nor sleep,' " replied the person answering, quoting the Ayat al-Kursi (the verse of the Throne).
"Which part of the Qur'an is the most clear on justice?"
" 'Allah commands what is just and fair, the feeding of relatives . . .' " came the answer.
"What is the most comprehensive statement of the Qur'an?" " 'Whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil shall see it.' "
"Which part of the Qur'an gives rise to the greatest hope?"
" 'Say, O my servants who have wasted their resources, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Compassionate.' "
Thereupon Umar asked: "Is Abdullah ibn Mas'ud among you?"
"Yes, by Allah," the men in the caravan replied.
ibn Mas'ud was not only a reciter of the Qur'an, a learned man or a fervent worshiper. He was in addition a strong and courageous fighter, one who became deadly serious when the occasion demanded it.
The companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) were together one day in Makkah. They were still few in number, weak and oppressed. They said, "The Quraysh have not yet heard the Qur'an being recited openly and loudly. Who is the man who could recite it for them?"
"I shall recite it for them," volunteered ibn Mas'ud.
"We are afraid for you," they said. "We only want someone who has a clan who would protect him from their
"Let me," ibn Mas'ud insisted, "Allah shall protect me and keep me away from their evil." He then went out to the mosque until he reached Maqam Ibrahim (a few metres from the Ka'bah). It was dawn and the Quraysh were sitting around the Ka'bah. ibn Mas'ud stopped at the Maqam and began to recite:
" 'بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ﴿١﴾ عَلَّمَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ ﴿٢﴾ خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ ﴿٣﴾ عَلَّمَهُ ٱلْبَيَانَ ﴿٤
. . .
(The Most Merciful (1) Taught the Qur'an, (2) Created man, (3) [And] taught him eloquence. (4)..) [Surah Ar-Rahman]
He went on reciting. The Quraysh looked at him intently and some of them asked:
"What is Ibn Umm Abd saying?"
"Damn him! He is reciting some of what Muhammad brought!" they realized.
They went up to him and began beating his face as he continued reciting. When he went back to his companions, the blood was flowing from his face.
"This is what we feared for you," they said.
"By Allah," replied ibn Mas'ud, "the enemies of God are not more comfortable than I at this moment. If you wish. I shall go out tomorrow and do the same."
"You have done enough," they said. "You have made them hear what they dislike."
Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud did Hijrah three times, twice to Ethiopia and once to Madinah. He participated in every Gazwah. It was he who beheaded Abu Jahl in Badr. It was to him that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) presented Abu Jahl’s sword as a share in the booty. The Khalifah Umar sent Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud to Kufa to educate the people and to take charge of the Bait-ul-Maal. When Umar fixed salaries for the Companions, he offered Abdullah a salary too. Abdullah refused and said, ‘Why do you try to turn me to the world.’
Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud lived to the time of Khalifah Uthman. It was during this era that he retired from his post and returned to Madinah. When he was sick and on his death-bed, Uthman came to visit him and said,
'Uthman: What are you suffering from?
Ibn Mas'ud: From my sins.
'Uthman: Do you desire anything?
Ibn Mas'ud: The mercy of my Lord.
'Uthman : Shall I call a doctor for you?
Ibn Mas'ud: It is the doctor who has given me the ailment.
'Uthman: Shall I not give you your stipend which you have refused to take for years now?
Ibn Mas'ud: I have no need for it.
'Uthman: Accept it, [please]. You are leaving daughters behind you. It will help them.
Ibn Mas'ud: Do you fear poverty for my children? I have commanded them to read Surah Al-Waqi'ah every night for I have heard the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying, 'Whoever reads Al-Waqi'ah every night will never suffer from poverty.'
That night, in either 33 or 34 A.H, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud passed away to the company of his Lord, his tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah and with the recitation of the verses of His Book.
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