Companions · Master of the reciters
أبي بن كعب
Ubayy ibn Ka'b
Allah named him from above seven heavens to hear Surah al-Bayyinah, and he wept.
The account
Ubayy ibn Ka'b of the Ansar, a scribe of revelation and one of the four collectors of the Qur'an in the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime, holds an honor that staggered him for the rest of his life. The Prophet said: "Allah has commanded me to recite to you: 'Those who disbelieved among the People of the Book...'" Ubayy asked: did He name me? "He named you." And Ubayy wept. The Lord of the worlds had specified one listener in Madinah by name.
The Prophet called him Abu al-Mundhir and tested him: which verse of the Book of Allah is greatest? Ayat al-Kursi, he answered, and the Prophet struck his chest: "May knowledge be pleasant to you, Abu al-Mundhir." He ﷺ ranked him aloud: "The best reciter of my ummah is Ubayy ibn Ka'b." Under Umar, who called him the master of the Muslims, he led the first congregational tarawih of Ramadan; every Ramadan night prayer on earth since stands in a line he started. His mushaf readings remain a resource of tafsir; his fear of the fitnah of position remains a resource of sincerity: he asked Allah to be forgotten, and Allah preserved his name in every science of the Qur'an instead.
The facts
- Named byAllah, for al-Bayyinah
- RankBest reciter of the ummah
- Test wonAyat al-Kursi
- FirstLed congregational tarawih
The narrations
Allah has commanded me to recite to you. He asked: did He name me? He said: He named you. And Ubayy wept.
Bukhari 3809 · Muslim 799
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The words
- تَراويحTarawihWorship
- المَدِينَةMadinahHistory
- المُصْحَفMushafThe Qur'an
- التَّفْسيرTafsirThe Qur'an
- الكُرْسِيّKursiBelief
- القُرْآنQur'anThe Qur'an
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