عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُود
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
First to recite it aloud in Makkah · Early Muslim · Teacher of Kufa
may Allah be pleased with him
Hudhayl; a client of Banu Zuhrah · Makkah, Madinah and Kufa, up to about 32 AH
A shepherd boy with no clan behind him who became one of the first Muslims, the first to recite the Qur'an openly in Makkah, and the man whose teaching shaped a whole city's understanding of it.
Known for
He was the first to recite the Qur'an aloud in Makkah
The Muslims judged it too dangerous, having no clan able to protect the reciter. He did it anyway, and was beaten.
He accepted Islam when the Muslims were still very few
The Prophet ﷺ named him among those to take the Qur'an from
He taught at Kufa, and shaped how the city learned
Story
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
In full
Life & legacy
Makkah
Ibn Mas'ud was a young man looking after other people's sheep when he first met the Prophet ﷺ. He was of Hudhayl and a client of Banu Zuhrah — which in Makkan terms meant he had no clan of his own standing behind him.
He accepted Islam very early, and was among those who suffered for it because there was nobody to make them stop.
The episode he is best remembered for from this period is set out in the moment below.
Madinah and Kufa
He emigrated to Madinah, was present at Badr and the campaigns after it, and was unusually close to the household — the reports describe him going in and out of it freely.
Under Umar he was sent to Kufa, where he taught. A very large part of how that city understood the Qur'an and the law came through him and his students, and the effect on later scholarship was substantial.
He returned to Madinah and died there, in the early 30s AH.
How the sources describe him
He volunteered for the thing nobody else would do
He was in and out of the household like one of its own
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He named him among those to take the Qur'an from, and he was close to the household.
Named together in the same report among those the Prophet ﷺ directed people to take the Qur'an from.
Full timeline
- The early Makkan years
Accepts Islam in Makkah among the first
- The early Makkan years
Recites the Qur'an aloud at the Ka'bah and is beaten
- 2 AH
Present at Badr
- During Umar's caliphate
Sent to Kufa, and teaches there
- Around 32 AH approximate, reports differReports give 32 and 33 AH.
Dies in Madinah
Part of
Sources & review
Draft content — undergoing reviewThis content was written for SahabaMate and has not yet been checked by a reviewer against the works below. Treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyahالسيرة النبوية
Classical biography · Ibn Hisham, from the recension of Ibn Ishaq
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Siyar A'lam an-Nubalaسير أعلام النبلاء
Classical biography · Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
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