Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Hasan Basri that a man said to Sayyiduna Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him): What is your opinion about the person whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) loved throughout his life—would he not be a righteous man? He replied: Why not. So the man said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) departed from this world, he had appointed you as his governor. Sayyiduna Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He did appoint me as governor, but by Allah! I do not know whether he appointed me because of his love for me or to seek my help. However, I will tell you that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) departed from this world, he loved two men: one was Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and the other was Sayyiduna Ammar ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was performing prayer at night when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to him accompanied by Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). He began reciting Surah An-Nisa and completed its recitation. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever wishes to recite the Qur’an as it was revealed, let him recite according to the recitation of Ibn Umm ‘Abd, i.e., Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him). Then he moved forward and Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) began to ask, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Ask Allah, you will be given; ask Allah, you will be given; ask Allah, you will be given. So among his supplications, he also made this supplication: “O Allah! I ask You for faith that does not turn back, for blessings that never end, and for the companionship of Your Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the highest eternal Paradise.” After this, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came to give him glad tidings, but he saw that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had already preceded him in this matter. So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Even though you have done this, the situation is that you always precede me in every good deed.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that I was performing prayer when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by me and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O son of Umm Abd! Ask whatever you wish in supplication, it will be granted to you. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) tried to outdo each other in conveying this glad tidings to me. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says that in whatever matter Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) competed with me, he always surpassed me. Both of them asked Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) what supplication he had made that night. He replied that I made such a supplication which I am not willing to abandon. I said: O Allah! I ask You for blessings that never perish, for the coolness of the eyes that never ends, and for the companionship of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the highest Paradise, the Paradise of Eternity. (O Allah! I ask You for such blessings that never fade, for such coolness of the eyes that never ceases, and for the companionship of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the highest ranks of Paradise, the Paradise of Eternity.)

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If I were to appoint someone as a leader without consulting anyone, I would appoint the son of Umm Abd, that is, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, as the leader.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) instructed Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) to climb a tree and bring something down from it. He climbed the tree, and when the noble Companions saw his thin, weak shins as he was climbing, they began to laugh. But the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Why are you laughing? On the Day of Resurrection, Abdullah’s legs will be heavier on the scale than Mount Uhud.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was breaking a miswak from a peelu tree. His shins were thin, and due to the blowing wind, his garment began to lift, so people started laughing upon seeing his thin shins. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What are you laughing at?" The companions replied: "O Messenger of Allah! We are laughing at the thinness of his shins." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, these shins will be heavier on the scale than the mountain of Uhud."

It is narrated from Abdur Rahman bin Yazid, he says: We went to the service of Sayyiduna Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) and we said, "Guide us to a person who, in his character, conduct, and actions, is closest to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so that we may benefit from him and listen to hadith from him." He said: "In character, conduct, and actions, the son of Umm Abd, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud, is the closest to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), to the extent that he enters his house (i.e., all his outward practices are in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet, and I do not know about his private practices inside his house)." In another narration, it is stated: "The kind of person you are asking about, such a person is Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him); from the time he leaves his house until he returns, all his practices are in accordance with the practices of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Now, I do not know what his practices are inside his house. Among the companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the people of knowledge know that the son of Umm Abd, Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), is the closest to Allah among them." In another narration, the words are: "On the Day of Resurrection, Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) will be the closest to Allah among them all."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The lifting of the curtain is equivalent to granting you permission to come forward, and you are also authorized to listen to my confidential matters, until I prevent you from it. Abu Abdur Rahman said: The meaning of "Siwad" is secret, that is, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had given them permission to listen to confidential matters.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) that I learned seventy surahs directly from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). At that time, Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) was young and under education. He had locks of hair. In another narration, the words are that Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) was a child, he had two locks of hair, and he used to play with the children.

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates, he says: I used to graze the goats of 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Boy! Can you get some milk?" I replied: "Yes, but these are entrusted to me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is there any goat in this herd that has not yet mated with a male?" So I brought a goat to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed his hand over its udders and milk descended. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) milked it into a vessel, drank himself, and gave it to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) as well. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the udder: "Shrink back (i.e., return to its previous state)." So it shrank back to its original state. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: After that, on another occasion, I presented myself to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Teach me that supplication as well." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed his hand over my head and said: "May Allah's mercy be upon you, you are a learned and taught boy." In another narration: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a stone shaped like a bowl or vessel. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) milked into it, drank himself, gave it to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and I also drank. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: After that, on another occasion, I presented myself to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "Teach me some of this Qur'an." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You are a learned and taught boy." Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Thus, I recited seventy surahs directly from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Masruq, he says: We used to go to the service of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) and would sit with him and talk. One day we mentioned Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), so he said: You have mentioned a man whom, since I heard this hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I have loved him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You people should learn the Qur'an from four persons: Ibn Umm Abd, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Ubayy bin Ka'b, and the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifah, Salim. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned first the son of Umm Abd, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).