I say: This ʿAbd al-Raḥmān was a venerable, noble, and highly esteemed man. He was one of the four persons whom ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān appointed to write the master copies of the Qurʾānic codices that he dispatched to the various lands—an undertaking that met with the unanimous approval of the Muslim community.

A Note on the Prophet’s ﷺ Saʿy between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah

Muslim relates in his Ṣaḥīḥ, in the lengthy ḥadīth of Jābir cited earlier, that after describing the Prophet’s seven circumambulations of the Kaʿbah and his praying two rakʿahs at the Station of Abraham, Jābir said:

“He then returned to the Corner and touched it, after which he went out through the gate to al-Ṣafā. When he approached al-Ṣafā he recited: ‘Surely al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah’ (Qurʾān 2:158). ‘I begin with that with which Allah began.’ He commenced with al-Ṣafā, climbed it until he could see the House, faced the qiblah, declared Allah’s oneness and magnified Him, saying:

‘There is no god but Allah alone, without partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is able to do all things. There is no god but Allah [alone]; He fulfilled His promise, [gave victory to His servant], and defeated the confederates single-handedly.’

He then made supplication between each recital, repeating this three times. Thereafter he descended, and when his feet reached the floor of the valley he quickened his pace; once he began to ascend he walked, until he came to al-Marwah. He climbed it until he could see the House and said upon it what he had said upon al-Ṣafā.”

Imām Aḥmad also reports: “ʿUmar ibn Hārūn al-Balkhī Abū Ḥafṣ narrated to us; Ibn Jurayj narrated to us from one of the descendants of Yaʿlā ibn Umayyah, from his father, who said: ‘I saw the Prophet ﷺ performing the saʿy between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah with his upper garment tucked beneath his right arm, wrapped in a Najrān cloak.’”

Imām Aḥmad likewise states: “Yūnus narrated to us; ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muʾammal narrated to us; ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to us; ʿAṭāʾ narrated to us from Ḥabībah bint Abī Tajrah, who said:”