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Abdullah ibn Masūd, or Abdullah ibn Masood, or Abdullah Ben Messaoud ( ar, عبد الله بن مسعود, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʽūd; c.594-c.653), was a companion of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
who he is regarded the greatest
mufassir Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...
of
Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...
of his time and the second ever. He was also known by the ''kunya'' Abu Abdur Rahman.Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk''. Translated by Landau-Tasseron, E. (1998). ''Volume 39: Biographies of the Prophet's Companions and Their Successors''. Albany: State University of New York Press. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud was born in
Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...
in about 594Muhammad ibn Saad. ''Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir'' vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). ''The Companions of Badr''. Loon:TaHa Publishers. a son of Masud ibn Ghafil and Umm Abd bint Abdwadd, both of whom were from the Hudhayl tribe, believed to be slaves,Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. ''Tarikh wa'l-Rusul wa'l-Muluk''. Translated by Humphreys, R. S. (1990) ''Volume 15: The Crisis of the Early Caliphate''. Albany: State University of New York Press. or otherwise of low social status. However, Umm Abd's mother, Hind bint Al-Harith, was from the Zuhra clan of the
Quraysh The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qu ...
, and Masud made an alliance with her brother. Abdullah had a brother, Utba,Muhammad ibn Ishaq. ''Sirat Rasul Allah''. Translated by Guillaume, A. (1955). ''The Life of Muhammad''. Oxford: Oxford University and at least two wives in Muhammad's lifetime. One was Rayta bint Abdullah, a craftswoman who supported Abdullah and their child through her handcrafts. The other was Zaynab bint Abdullah from the
Thaqif The Banu Thaqif ( ar, بنو ثقيف, Banū Thaqīf) is an Arab tribe which inhabited, and still inhabits, the city of Ta'if and its environs, in modern Saudi Arabia, and played a prominent role in early Islamic history. During the pre-Islamic ...
tribe with whom he had several daughters. He specified in his will that none of his daughters should be married off without their own knowledge. He also had a son named AbdurRahman. He is described as a thin, short man with very dark skin, and smooth hair reaching to his shoulders. Abdullah wore white clothes, and could be recognized in the dark by his distinctive, high-quality perfume. He was reported to be sociable and willing to speak out to put people at ease. In his character and goals, he was said to be the person "most like Muhammad".


Conversion to Islam

Ibn Masʿūd was an early follower of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
, having converted before 616. He appears nineteenth on Ibn Ishaq's list of people who were converted by Abu Bakr. As a youth, he worked as a shepherd for Uqba ibn Abu Mu'ayt. He first met
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
and
Abu Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...
while watching his flocks when they were "fleeing from the idolators". They asked him for milk, but Abdullah said he could not steal from his employer. According to Masʿūd, Muhammad then asked for an unmated ewe and stroked its udder, whereupon milk poured out. Abdullah immediately asked to be taught "some of these words", and Muhammad began to teach him the
Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...
. Abdullah later said that he learned 70 ''
suras The Abhira kingdom in the Mahabharata is either of two kingdoms near the Sarasvati river. They were dominated by the Abhiras, sometimes referred to as Surabhira also, combining both Sura and Abhira kingdoms. Modern day Abhira territory lies wit ...
'' from Muhammad. Later his motherMuhammad ibn Saad. ''Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir'' vol. 8. Translated by Bewley, A. (1995). ''The Women of Madina''. London: Ta-Ha Publishers. and brother also converted to Islam. Around 614 the
Quraysh The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qu ...
began a campaign to suppress Islam through the oppression of Muslims of lower social status. Abdullah, as a foreigner whose allies had withdrawn their protection, was vulnerable to this persecution.
Abu Jahl ʿAmr ibn Hishām al-Makhzūmī ( ar, عمرو بن هشام المخزومي), (570 – 13 March 624), also known as Abu Jahl (lit. 'Father of Ignorance'), was one of the Meccan polytheist pagan leaders from the Quraysh known for his opposition ...
—one of the high-status leaders among the Quraysh—once "clawed at him and punched him". The Muslims remarked one day that the Quraysh had never heard the Qur'an being recited clearly, and that someone needed to make them listen to it. Abdullah volunteered. His friends reminded him that he had no protector and therefore the crowds might attack him, but Abdullah replied, "Allah will protect me." He stood in front of the
Kaaba The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...
and began to recite Surah
Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahman ( ar, الرحمان, ; The Merciful) is the 55th Chapter (''Surah'') of the Qur'an, with 78 verses ('' āyāt''). The title of the surah, Ar-Rahman, appears in verse 1 and means "The Most Beneficent". The divine appellation "ar-R ...
from the Qur'an. When the Quraysh realized that he was reciting Muhammad's teaching, they began to hit his face, but he continued to recite. He returned to the Muslims with the bruises on his face, saying, "I have never despised Allah's enemies more than I do now, and if you like I will go and do the same thing tomorrow." The Muslims told him that he had already done enough, "for you have made them listen to what they don't want to hear". Abdullah and his brother Utba were among those who
emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to Abyssinia in 616. Abdullah returned to Mecca in 619 with
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf ( ar, عبد الرحمن بن عوف) () was one of the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. One of the wealthiest among the companions, he is known for being one of the ten to whom Paradise was promised. ...
.


Emigration to Medina

When the Muslims
emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to
Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
in 622, Abdullah lodged with Muadh ibn Jabal or Saad ibn Khaythama. One tradition states that Muhammad made a pact of brotherhood between Abdullah and Muadh ibn Jabal; but according to another, Abdullah's brother in Islam was Al-Zubayar ibn Al-Awwam. When land in Medina was allocated to the immigrants, the Zuhra clan was given an area behind the mosque, which included plots for Abdullah and his brother Utba.


Relationship with Muhammad

Outsiders perceived Abdullah and his mother as members of Muhammad's household. He worked as a personal servant, taking care of Muhammad's bedding, toothbrush, sandals and traveling hygiene. "He used to screen him when he bathed and wake him when he slept and walk with him in a wild land." He was said to be the "keeper of secrets". Muhammad once told him to climb a tree and bring him a twig. The companions laughed at how thin Abdullah's legs were. Muhammad said: "Why are you laughing? Abdullah's foot will be heavier than Mount Uhud in the scales on the Day of Resurrection." Muhammad recognized Abdullah as one of the four foremost experts on the Qur'an. He once asked him to recite; when Abdullah protested, "Should I recite it to you when you are the one to whom it was sent down and revealed?" Muhammad replied, "I love to hear it from someone else." Abdullah then recited it until Muhammad wept.


Military career

Abdullah fought at the
Battle of Badr The Battle of Badr ( ar, غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ) in the Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan, 2 AH), near the present-day city of Badr, Al Madinah Provin ...
. After the battle, Muhammad ordered the warriors to search among the corpses for his enemy
Abu Jahl ʿAmr ibn Hishām al-Makhzūmī ( ar, عمرو بن هشام المخزومي), (570 – 13 March 624), also known as Abu Jahl (lit. 'Father of Ignorance'), was one of the Meccan polytheist pagan leaders from the Quraysh known for his opposition ...
, who could be recognised by a distinctive scar on his knee. Abdullah found Abu Jahl "at his last gasp" with his leg cut off. He seized his beard and asked, "Are you Abu Jahl?" Abu Jahl replied, "Can there be a man superior to the one you have killed or one whom his own folk has killed?" Abdullah then placed his foot on Abu Jahl's neck, and asked, "Allah's enemy, has Allah put you to shame?" Abu Jahl replied, "How has he shamed me? Am I anything more than a man whom you have killed? Tell me how the battle went." Abdullah told him that the Muslims had won. Abu Jahl responded, "You have climbed high, you little shepherd!" Then Abdullah struck off his head. He brought it to Muhammad, proclaiming, "This is the head of Allah's enemy Abu Jahl!". Abdullah also fought at the
Battle of Uhud The Battle of Uhud ( ar, غَزْوَة أُحُد, ) was fought on Saturday, 23 March 625 AD (7 Shawwal, 3 AH), in the valley north of Mount Uhud.Watt (1974) p. 136. The Qurayshi Meccans, led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, commanded an army of 3,000 ...
, the
Battle of the Trench The Battle of the Trench ( ar, غزوة الخندق, Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq ( ar, معركة الخندق, Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates ( ar, غزوة الاحزاب, Ghazwat al- ...
and "all the battles," including Tabuk. Twenty years later, he said he wished he had died at
Tabuk Tabuk may refer to: *Tabuk, Kalinga, the capital city of Kalinga province of the Philippines *Tabuk Province, a province of Saudi Arabia **Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, capital city of the province ** Tabuk Regional Airport * Battle of Tabuk, a military ex ...
.


Caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar

After the death of Muhammad, Abdullah ibn Masud became the eighth-most prominent transmitter of ''
hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...
'' with a total of 848 narrations. Umar called him "a box full of knowledge".Muhammad ibn Saad. ''Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir''. Translated by Haq, S. M. (1972). ''Ibn Sa'd's Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir Volume II Parts I & II''. Delhi: Kitab Bhavan. The following traditions are among those attributed to him.
I asked Allah's Messenger which deed was the best. He replied: "Prayer at its appointed hour." I said: "Then what?" He replied: "Kindness to the parents." I said: "Then what?" He replied: "''
Jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with G ...
'' in the cause of Allah." And I would not have ceased asking more questions but out of regard.
A man said: "Allah's Messenger, which offense is the most grievous in Allah's eye?" He replied: "That you associate a partner with Allah, who created you." He said: "What next?" He replied: "That you kill your child out of fear that he would join you in food." He said: "What next?" He replied: "That you commit adultery with your neighbor's wife." And the Almighty and Exalted Lord testified it: ''All those who call not unto another god along with Allah, and slay not any soul which Allah has forbidden, except in the cause of justice, nor commit fornication, and he who does this shall meet a requital of sin.'' Qur'an_25:68.html"_;"title="Qur'an_25.html"_;"title="Qur'an_25">Qur'an_25:68">Qur'an_25.html"_;"title="Qur'an_25">Qur'an_25:68/blockquote>
We_were_along_with_Allah's_Messenger_at_Mina,_that_Splitting_of_the_moon.html" ;"title="Qur'an_25">Qur'an_25:68.html" ;"title="Qur'an_25.html" ;"title="Qur'an 25">Qur'an 25:68">Qur'an_25.html" ;"title="Qur'an 25">Qur'an 25:68/blockquote>
We were along with Allah's Messenger at Mina, that Splitting of the moon">moon was split up into two. One of its parts was behind the mountain and the other one was on this side of the mountain. Allah's Messenger said to us: "Bear witness to this."
Umar allotted Abdullah a pension of 6,000 ''dirhams'', and he was said to be very generous with his money. His mother was also granted a pension of 1,000 ''dirhams''. Around 642 Umar appointed him as a preacher, treasurer and magistrate (qāḍī) in Kufa,Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. ''Tarikh wa’l-Rusul wa’l-Muluk''. Translated by Smith, G. R. (1994). ''Volume 14: The Conquest of Iran''. Albany: State University of New York Press. saying: "I have preferred you with him over myself, so take him."


Shia View


Conflict with the Government

Abdullah, in his capacity as treasurer, lent a sum of money to Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, the Governor of Kufa, and when he was unable to repay it, they quarreled. Their quarrel spread to their individual supporters until they became two "wrangling factions" in the city.
Uthman Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prop ...
became angry with both of them; in 646 he recalled Saad, extracted the money from him, and replaced him with
al-Walid ibn Uqba Al-Walīd ibn ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ ( ar, الْوَلِيْد ابْنِ عُقبَة ابْنِ أَبِيّ مُعَيْط, died 680) was the governor of Kufa in 645/46–649/50 during the reign of his half-brother, Caliph Uthman (). Durin ...
. He thought of replacing Abdullah too, but in the end he decided against it. By 650, Abdullah had quarreled with al-Walid. A petition was brought to Abdullah to investigate rumors that Al-Walid was drinking alcohol; Abdullah responded that it was not his business to spy on another man's privacy. Al-Walid felt that this statement was tantamount to a suspicion of his guilt. He accused Abdullah of not defending his reputation, and they insulted one another verbally. Al-Walid also tried to misappropriate state finances, but Abdullah refused to comply with his demands. When Uthman instructed Abdullah to obey al-Walid in everything, Abdullah resigned his post. However, he remained in Kufa and continued to criticise the Governor.Abbott, N. (1942). ''Aishah the Beloved of Mohammed''. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Another long-serving Muslim,
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari Al-Kinani (, '), also spelled Abu Tharr or Abu Zar, born Jundab ibn Junādah (), was the fourth or fifth person converting to Islam, and from the Muhajirun. He belonged to the Banu Ghifar, the Kinanah tribe. No date of bir ...
, was also living in Kufa. He lived in the desert of Al-Rabadha. Sometime later, Abdullah ibn Masud went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. As he passed through Al-Rabadha, his camels almost trod upon a funeral bier. A slave told him that it was the funeral of his master Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, who had died alone. Abdullah burst into tears, exclaiming: "The apostle was right! You walked alone, you died alone and you will be raised alone!" Then he alighted from his camels and helped to bury his old friend.


Uthman's Compilation of Qur'an

Uthman produced a standardized version of the Qur'an in 652. He sent a copy to each province, and ordered that all other Quranic materials "whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies," must be burned. It is said that Ibn Mas’ud was displeased by the finished product; in particular: * That he accused Uthman's scribes of adding three extra ''suras'' ( 1, 113 and 114) that had never been part of the original, and of making many other small changes to the text.Gilchrist, J. (1989). ''Jam' al-Qur'an: The Codification of the Qur'an Text'', pp 67ff. Mondeor, R.S.A.: M.E.R.C.S.A. * That he preached a sermon in Kufa in which he called Uthman's standardized Quran a "deceit". "And whoever deceives like this will bring his deceit on the
Day of Resurrection In Islam, "the promise and threat" () of Judgment Day ( ar, یوم القيامة, Yawm al-qiyāmah, Day of Resurrection or ar, یوم الدین, italic=no, Yawm ad-din, Day of Judgement), when "all bodies will be resurrected" from the dead, ...
… I like it better to read according to the recitation of him whom I love than that of
Zayd ibn Thabit Zayd bin Thabit () was the personal scribe of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, serving as the chief recorder of the Quran text. He hailed from the ansar (helpers), but later joined the ranks of the Muslim army at age 19. After Muhammad's passing i ...
… If I knew anyone to be more conversant with Allah's Book than I am, I would surely go to him if camels could carry me there." When Uthman's agents came to Kufa to burn all the variants, Abdullah hid his copy from them. He justified his own version of the recitation by reminding people: "I recited before Allah's Messenger more than seventy ''suras'' of the Qur'an. His Companions know that I have a better understanding of Allah's Book than they do; and if I were to know that someone had a better understanding than I have, I would have gone to him." It was said that nobody could find fault with Abdullah's version. When Uthman was called to account for his mismanagement as Caliph, one of the grievances against him was that he had destroyed variant readings of the Qur'an. Much later, Abdullah ibn Masud's variant readings were discussed on equal terms with the Uthmanic text by al-Farra (d. 207/822). However, the vast majority of Muslim scholars never accepted these reports due to their weakness, as well as many strong reports indicating the exact opposite to be true. The Qur'an says in 15:87 "We have given thee seven of the oft-repeated (verses) and the great Qur'an." The seven often-repeated verses refer to ''al-Fatihah'', the first ''sura'' of the Qur'an, which Abdullah ibn Masud is alleged to have denied. However, quoting Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ibn adh-Dhurays, Ibn al-Munzar and Ibn Mardwiyah, as-Suyuti narrated the following:
It is narrated from Abdullah Ibn Masud, regarding the word of Allah, "We have given you the seven oft-repeated verses;" he said, "
t is T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is der ...
''Fatihatu al-Kitab''."
In another narration, Abdullah ibn Masud was asked why he did not write ''al-Fatihah'' in his ''
mushaf A muṣḥaf ( ar, مُصْحَفْ, ; plural ''maṣāḥif'') is an Arabic word for a codex or collection of sheets, but also refers to a written copy of the Quran. The chapters of the Quran, which Muslims believe was revealed during a 23-year ...
''. He replied, "If I were to write it, I would write it before every ''sura''." Abu Bakr al-Anbari explains this saying every ''raka’a'' (in prayers) starts with ''al-Fatiha'' and then another ''sura'' is recited. It is as if Ibn Masud said, "I have dropped it for the sake of brevity and I have trusted its preservation by Muslims (collectively)." There are also narrations from Abdullah where he explicitly refers to ''suras'' 113 and 114 as surahs, for example: "Excessively recite two surahs. Allah will make you reach higher ranks in the Hereafter because of them. They are al-Mu'awwidhatayn (i.e. al-Falaq and an-Nas/nos. 113 & 114)…" Four ''
qira'at In Islam, ''Qirāah'', (pl. ''Qirāāt''; ar, قراءات , lit= recitations or readings) are different linguistic, lexical, phonetic, morphological and syntactical forms permitted with reciting the holy book of Islam, the Quran. Differ ...
'' of the Qur'an (Qira'at of Hamzah, 'Aasim, Khalaf, Al-Kisa'i) have chains of transmission (''
isnad Hadith studies ( ar, علم الحديث ''ʻilm al-ḥadīth'' "science of hadith", also science of hadith, or science of hadith criticism or hadith criticism) consists of several religious scholarly disciplines used by Muslim scholars in th ...
'') going through Abdullah ibn Masud, and they all include the above three ''suras''. These are '' mutawatir'' chains and thus Islamic scholars give precedence to them, disregarding much weaker chains that go against it as inauthentic. For these reasons, Islamic scholars rejected the notion of Abdullah ibn Masud rejecting ''suras''.
An-Nawawi Abū Zakariyyā Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī ( ar, أبو زكريا يحيى بن شرف النووي;‎ (631A.H-676A.H) (October 1230–21 December 1277), popularly known as al-Nawawī or Imam Nawawī, was a Sunni Shafi'ite jurist and ha ...
says: "The Muslims have all agreed that al-Mu'awwidhatayn and al-Fatihah are part of the Qur'an and whoever denies this becomes a disbeliever and whatever is quoted from Ibn Masud in this regard is not true."
Ibn Hazm Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm ( ar, أبو محمد علي بن احمد بن سعيد بن حزم; also sometimes known as al-Andalusī aẓ-Ẓāhirī; 7 November 994 – 15 August 1064Ibn Hazm. ' (Preface). Tr ...
also rejected the notion of Ibn Masud denying these ''suras'', along with the vast majority of Islamic scholars.


Conflict with Uthman

Uthman eventually recalled Abdullah to Medina. He walked into the mosque, where Uthman was speaking, but the Caliph broke off his speech to insult Abdullah.
Aisha Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al- muʾminīn), referr ...
then interrupted with protests against this manner of speech "to a companion of Allah's Messenger". Uthman forbade Abdullah ever to leave Medina again and ordered him out of the mosque. His servants removed Abdullah so violently that they broke two of his ribs and, amid loud protests from Aisha, he had to be carried home. Uthman did not pay Abdullah's pension for the rest of his life.


Reading of the Qur'an in Kufa

Ibn Masʿūd read one of the most well documented "companion" readings of the Qur'an, which he taught in Kufa. The non-canonical Kufan reciter
Sulaiman al-Aʽmash Abu Muhammad Sulaiman ibn Mihran al-Asadi al-Kahili (680764/65) (سليمان بن مهران) also known as al-Amash(الأعمش) was a Sunni Muslim scholar of the generation of Tabi'un. He was a notable Muhaddith and Qāriʾ. Due to his poo ...
(d. 147 / 765), who continued the Ibn Masʿūd tradition in parts of his own reading, narrated that "I came to Kufa and the qirāʾa of Zayd was not amongst them, except as the reading ofʿAbd Allāh is amongst you today: no one recited it save one or two men". Ramon Harvey asserts that Ibn Masʿūd's reading continued in use and was even taught as the dominant reading in Kufa for at least a century after his death and has shown that some of his distinctive readings continued to play a role in Hanafi fiqh. Ibn Masʿūd's reading played a greater or lesser role in each of the canonical Kufan readings. Professor Shady Nasser notes that the isnad of ʿĀṣim back to the Prophet passes through two main branches. One of these goes through Ibn Masʿūd via Zirr b. Hubaysh. The influence of Ibn Masʿūd is greater in the canonical readings of
Hamza Hamza ( ar, همزة ') () is a letter in the Arabic alphabet, representing the glottal stop . Hamza is not one of the 28 "full" letters and owes its existence to historical inconsistencies in the standard writing system. It is derived from ...
and his student
Al-Kisa'i Al-Kisā’ī () Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī ibn Ḥamzah ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Uthman (), called Bahman ibn Fīrūz (), surnamed Abū ‘Abd Allāh (), and Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī ibn Hamzah of al-Kūfah ( d. ca. 804 or 812) was preceptor to th ...
. Hamza learned his reading primarily from his fellow Kufans Ibn Abī Laylā, and Al-A'mash, insofar as the latter's was compatible with the Uthmanic rasm. Al-A'mash derived much of his reading from that of Ibn Masʿūd. From numerous sources Arthur Jeffery compiled the hundreds of differences in the reading of Ibn Mas'ud (as well as other companions) compared to the textus receptus, namely the Cairo edition, which is based on the reading of Hafs from 'Asim. Many of these differences were reported by Al-A'mash and appear in Ibn Abi Dawud's ''Kitab al Masahif''. Data is also available showing the extent to which Ibn Masʿūd's reading occurs in the Kufan canonical readings in terms of distinctive dotting of consonants. Codex Mashhad is an early Qur'an manuscript which has been identified as originally using the surah order reported by early sources from the codex of Ibn Masʿūd, though with a standard Uthmanic rasm text. Its surahs were subsequently re-ordered to the standard sequence, but enough evidence remained for the original to be reconstructed.


Death

Abdullah ibn Masud died in Medina in 653 and was buried by the night at
Al-Baqi' ''Jannat al-Baqīʿ'' ( ar, ٱلْبَقِيْع, "The Baqi'") is the oldest and the first Islamic cemetery of Medina in the Hejazi region of present-day Saudi Arabia. It is located to the southeast of the Prophet's Mosque, which contains the g ...
. It is disputed whether it was
Ammar ibn Yasir Abū 'l-Yaqẓān ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir ibn ʿĀmir ibn Mālik al-ʿAnsīy al-Maḏḥiǧī ( ar, أبو اليقظان عمار ابن ياسر ابن عامر ابن مالك العنسي المذحجي) also known as Abū 'l-Yaqẓān ʿAmmār i ...
or Caliph Uthman who led his funeral prayers. He left a fortune of 90,000 ''dirhams''. Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awam petitioned the Caliph to give Abdullah's pension to his heirs "because they need it more than the treasury does." Uthman granted this request, although the exact value of the pension is disputed.


See also

*
Sahaba The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...
*
List of Sahabah A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*


References


Bibliography

* {{Authority control 594 births 653 deaths 7th-century Arabic writers People from Mecca Sahabah who participated in the battle of Uhud Sahabah hadith narrators Burials at Jannat al-Baqī