Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (born in Mecca about 594 CE; died in Medina about 653 CE) was among the earliest followers of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most influential of his Companions (sahaba, the first generation of Muslims). Tradition places him from the Hudhayl tribe and counts him a very early convert, before the migration to Medina. Reports hold that he took part in the emigration to Abyssinia and in early battles such as Badr and Uhud, and that he served the Prophet closely. His exact birth year is unknown; about 594 CE is a traditional estimate.

He is best remembered for his mastery of the Qur'an: in later Sunni tradition he is ranked among the foremost reciters and interpreters of his age. Under the caliph Umar (around 642 CE) he was sent to Kufa, in Iraq, as a teacher, treasurer, and judge (qadi). The circle of students he built there became a wellspring of early Qur'an readings, hadith (reports of the Prophet's words and deeds), and legal reasoning, and is often seen as a root of the later Kufan and Hanafi legal traditions.

Reports also record tension with the caliph Uthman over the project to standardize a single written text (mushaf) of the Qur'an: Ibn Mas'ud is said to have kept his own codex. Some traditions describe his being treated harshly after being recalled to Medina; such accounts are reported, not securely established, and are read differently across communities, with Sunni and Shia sources understanding the episode in markedly different ways. He died at Medina, traditionally in 32 AH (about 653 CE), though 33 AH is also reported, and was buried at the Baqi' cemetery.