He migrated to Abyssinia, returned to Mecca, and then made the Hijrah to Madinah. He fought at Badr, and it was he who dispatched Abū Jahl after the two sons of ʿAfrāʾ had first struck him down (1). He was present at all the subsequent battles.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once said to him, “Recite to me.” I replied, “Shall I recite to you when it was sent down upon you?” He answered, “I like to hear it from someone other than myself.” I therefore recited from the beginning of Sūrat al-Nisāʾ until I reached the verse: “Then how will it be when We bring from every nation a witness, and We bring you as a witness over these?” (4:41). At this the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wept and said, “That is enough” (2).

Abū Mūsā said, “My brother and I arrived from Yemen, and we supposed that Ibn Masʿūd and his mother were members of the Prophet’s household ﷺ because of how often they entered his home.”

Ḥudhayfah said, “I have never seen anyone whose guidance, bearing, and demeanor more closely resembled that of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ than Ibn Masʿūd.”

Those Companions who had preserved the Qur’an by heart knew that Ibn Umm ʿAbd was the one among them nearest to Allah in rank. In the ḥadīth it is said, “Hold fast to the covenant of Ibn Umm ʿAbd” (3).

In another report, transmitted by Aḥmad (4) from Muḥammad ibn Fuḍayl, from Mughīrah, from Umm Mūsā (5), from ʿAlī, it is related that Ibn Masʿūd once climbed a tree to gather kabāth (berries of the arak tree) (6). The people were amazed at the slenderness of his shanks, whereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “By Him in whose hand is my soul, they will weigh on the Balance heavier than Mount Uḥud.”

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—may Allah be pleased with him—once looked at his short stature, for when he stood his height was that of a seated man. He kept his gaze upon him and then remarked, “He is a kunayf (7), a small vessel full of knowledge.”

After the death of the Prophet ﷺ, Ibn Masʿūd took part in many campaigns, including Yarmūk and others. He had travelled from Iraq on pilgrimage, and when he passed through al-Rabadha he witnessed the death and burial of Abū Dharr. He then continued to Madinah, where he fell ill, and ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān came to visit him. It is related that