Lives of Sahaba 59 - Ubay Ibn Ka'b

In this amazing talk by Shaykh yasir Qadhi, we revel in the magnanimous stature and life of the great Sahaba being discussed - Ubay Ibn Ka’b RA, the greatest Qaari of the Qur’an after the Prophet ﷺ or Kitab Ul Wahi. He is adorned with the blessed nickname of Abu Mundhir and he was one amongst the four blessed men who had to their credit the memorisation of the Quran. He had dedicated his life to the teaching of Qur'an after the death of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Prophet’s mosque in Madina. He used to complete recitation of the entire Qur'an every 8 days. The greatest Mufassir, Ibn Abbas was a student of Ubay ibn Ka’b RA. Ibn Umar said that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Take the Qirat from four: Ibn Mas’oud, and from Ubay, and from Muadh, and from Saalim the slave of Abu Hudhayfah.” Various Hadiths have been narrated with reference to and by Ubay Ibn Ka’b RA and deserve a worthy mention: Anas RA said, "The Prophet ﷺ said to Ubay bin Ka’b, ‘Indeed Allah has commanded me to recite the Qur'an to you.’ This shows that Allah had chosen Ubay RA to be recited the Qur'an to which was nothing short of a magnanimous honour. Umar ibn al-khattab RA said, “Whoever wishes to ask about the Qur’an then let him approach Ubay bin Ka’b, and whoever wants to ask about laws of inheritance then let him approach Zayd, and whoever wishes to ask about Fiqh; then let him approach Mu'adh Ibn Jabl, and whoever wants to ask about wealth; then let him come to me, for Allah has made me a safe-keeper and a distributor.” This further reinstates the obvious that Ubay Ibn Ka’b was indeed the greatest when it came to anything pertaining to the Qur'an and he was amongst the greatest scholars of Islam. Al Waqidi said, ‘He was the first one to write for the Prophet ﷺ.’ This refers to the fact that ubay RA was among the firsts who scribed the revelations that came to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Masruq said, ‘I asked Ubay regarding some matter, so he said to me,‘O son of my brother, has this (i.e. your question) occurred?’ So I said: 'No.’ Thus he said, ‘Then let's leave it until if it happens, then we can do Ijtihaad and apply our opinion.’ Ubayy ibn Ka’b reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “O Abu Mundhir, do you know the greatest verse in the book of Allah?” I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “O Abu Mundhir, do you know the greatest verse in the book of Allah?” I recited the verse of the throne (ayat al-kursi), “Allah, there is no God but Him, the Living, the Sustainer.” (2:255). Ubay RA related that the Prophet ﷺ once asked him: “Shall I not teach you a Surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Tawrat, nor in the Injil, nor in the Zabur, nor in the Qur’an?” “I hope you would not leave through that door until you know what it is,” said the Prophet ﷺ, obviously prolonging the suspense for Ubay RA. Ubay then says: “He stood up and I stood up with him.I tried to delay him fearing that he would leave before letting me know what the Surah is. When he reached the door, I asked:‘O Messenger of Allah! The Surah which you promised to tell me…’ The Prophet ﷺ then replied:‘What do you recite when you stand for Salat?’ So, I recited for him Surah Fatihah and he said:‘(That’s) it! (That’s) it! They are the seven oft-repeated verses of which Allah Almighty has said: “We have given you the seven oft-repeated verses and the Mighty Qur’an.'” There are a few Hadiths that have been quoted by Shaykh Yasir regarding the Witr prayer during Salt Isha and also about the Laylatul Qadr in Ramadan. May Allah SWT grant him Jannah and raise us amongst the ranks of Ubay Ibn Ka’b RA.