Hazrat Ubayy Ibn Ka’b (RA)
"O Abu Mundhir!
Which verse of the Book of God is the greatest?" asked the Messenger of
God (SAW). "Allah and His Messenger know best," came the reply. The
Prophet (SAW) repeated the question and Abu Mundhir replied. "Allah, there
is no god but He, the Living the Self-Subsisting. Neither slumber overtakes him
nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth, ."
and most likely he went on to complete the Verse of the Throne (Ayat al-Kursi).
The Prophet (SAW) thumped his chest with his right hand in approval on hearing
the reply and with his features beaming with happiness, said to Abu Mundhir.
"May knowledge delight and benefit you, Abu Mundhir." This Abu
Mundhir whom the Prophet (SAW) congratulated on the knowledge and understanding
which God had bestowed on him was Hazrat Ubayy ibn Ka’b (RA), one of his
distinguished companions and a person of high esteem in the early Muslim
community.
Hazrat Ubayy (RA) was one
of the Ansar and belonged to the Khazraj tribe of Madinah. He was one of the
first persons of Yathrib to accept Islam. He pledged allegiance to the Prophet
(SAW) at Aqabah before the Hijrah. He participated in the Battle of Badr and
other engagements thereafter. Hazrat Ubayy (RA) was one of the selected persons
who committed the Quranic revelations to writing and had a Mushaf of his own.
He acted as a scribe of the Prophet (SAW), writing letters for him. At the passing
of the Prophet (SAW), he was one of the twenty five or so people who knew the
Quran completely by heart. His recitation was so beautiful and his
understanding was so profound that the Prophet (SAW) encouraged his companions
to learn the Quran from him and from three others. Later, Hazrat Umar (RA) too
once told the Muslims as he was dealing with some financial matters of state:
"O people! Whoever wants to ask about the Quran, let him go to Ubayy ibn
Kab..." (Umar went on to say that anyone wishing to ask about inheritance
matters should go to Zayd ibn Thabit, about questions of fiqh to Muadh ibn Jabal
and about questions of money and finance, to himself.)
Hazrat Ubayy (RA) enjoyed
a special honor with regard to the Quran. One day, the Prophet, (SAW), said:
"O Ubayy ibn Kab! I have been commanded to show or lay open the Quran to
you." Hazrat Ubayy (RA) was overjoyed. He knew of course that the Prophet (SAW)
only received commands from on high. Unable to control his excitement, he
asked: "O Messenger of God...Have I been mentioned to you by name?"
"Yes," replied the Prophet, "by your own name and by your
genealogy in the highest heavens." Any Muslim whose name had been conveyed
to the heart of the Prophet (SAW) in this manner must certainly have been of
great ability and of a tremendously high stature. Throughout the years of his
association with the Prophet (SAW), Hazrat Ubayy (RA) derived the maximum
benefit from his sweet and noble personality and from his noble teachings. Hazrat
Ubayy (RA) related that the Prophet once asked him:
"Shall I not teach
you a surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Tawrah, nor in the
Injil, nor in the Zabur, nor in the Quran?" "Certainly," replied
Hazrat Ubayy (RA) "I hope you would
not leave through that door until you know what it is," said the Prophet
obviously prolonging the suspense for Ubayy. Ubayy continues: "He stood up
and I stood up with him. He started to speak, with my hand in his. 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 God! The surah which
you promised to tell me..." He replied: "What do you recite when you
stand for Salat?" So, I recited for him Fatihatu-l Kitab (the Opening
Chapter of the Quran) and he said: "(That's) it! (That's) it! They are the
seven oft-repeated verses of which God Almighty has said: We have given you the
seven oft-repeated verses and the Mighty Quran."
Hazrat Ubayy’s (RA) obdurate devotion to the
Quran
Once he recited part of a
verse which the Khalifah Hazrat Umar (RA) apparently could not remember or did
not know and he said to Ubayy: "You have lied," to which Hazrat Ubayy
(RA) responded; "Rather, you have lied." A person who heard the
exchange was astounded and said to Hazrat Ubayy (RA): "Do you call the
Amir al-Momineen a liar?" "I have greater honor and respect for the
Amir al-Momineen than you," responded Hazrat Ubayy (RA)," but he has
erred in verifying the Book of God and I shall not say the Amir al-Momineen is
correct when he has made an error concerning the Book of God."
"Ubayy is
right," concluded Hazrat Umar RA). Hazrat Ubayy (RA) gave an idea of the
importance of the Quran when a man came to him and said, "Advise me,"
and he replied: "Take the Book of God as (your) leader (imam). Be
satisfied with it as (your) judge and ruler. It is what the Prophet (SAW) has bestowed
to you. ( It is your) liaison with God and should be obeyed..." After the
demise of the Prophet, (SAW), Hazrat Ubayy (RA) remained strong in his
attachment to Islam and his commitment to the Quran and the Sunnah of the
Prophet. He was constant in his prayer and would often be found in the mosque
at night, after the last obligatory Prayer had been performed, engaged in
worship or in teaching. Once he was sitting in the mosque after prayer with a
group of Muslims, making supplication to God. Umar came in and sat with them
and asked each one to recite a dua. They all did until finally Ubayy's turn
came. He was sitting next to Hazrat Umar (RA). He felt somewhat over-awed and
became confused. Hazrat Umar encouraged him and suggested that he say:
"Allahumma ighfir lanaa. Allahumma irhamnaa. O Lord, forgive us, O Lord,
have mercy on us."
Taqwa remained the guiding force in Ubayy's
life.
Hazrat Ubayy (RA) lived a
simple life and did not allow the world to corrupt or deceive him. He had a
good grasp of reality. He knew that however a person lived and whatever
comforts and luxuries he enjoyed, these would all fade away and he would have
only his good deeds to his credit. He was always a sort of warner to Muslims,
reminding them of the times of the Prophet (SAW), devotion to Islam then, of
their simplicity and spirit of sacrifice.
Many people came to him
seeking knowledge and advice. To one such person he said. "The believer
has four characteristics. If he is suffering by any misfortune, he remains
patient and steadfast. If he is given anything, he is grateful. If he speaks,
he speaks the truth. If he passes a judgment on any issue, he is just."
Hazrat Ubayy (RA) attained a position of great honour and esteem among the
early Muslims. Hazrat Umar (RA) called him the "sayyid of the
Muslims" and he came to be widely known by this title.
He was a part of the counseling group
He was part of the
consultative group which was composed of men of good sense and judgment and men
who knew the law (Fiqh) from among the Muhajirin and Ansar. It included Hazrat Umar
(RA), Hazrat Uthman (RA), Hazrat Ali (RA), Hazrat Abdur Rahman ibn Awf (RA) Hazrat
Muadh ibn Jabal (RA), Hazrat Ubayy ibn Ka’b (RA), and Hazrat Zayd ibn Harith (RA).
Hazrat Umar (RA), later consulted the same group when he was Khalifah.
Specifically for fatwas (legal judgments) he referred to Hazrat Uthman, Hazrat Ubayy
and Hazrat Zayd ibn Thabit.
Because of Hazrat Ubayy's
high standing, one might have expected him to have been given positions of
administrative responsibility of the Muslim state. During the time of the
Prophet in fact he had performed the function of a collector of sadaqah.
Indeed, Hazrat Ubayy (RA) once asked "What's the matter with you? Why
don't you appoint me as a governor?" "I do not want your religion to
be corrupted" replied Hazrat Umar (RA). Hazrat Ubayy (RA) was probably
prompted to put the question to Hazrat Umar (RA) when he saw that Muslims were
tending to drift from the purity of faith and self-sacrifice of the days of the
Prophet (SAW). He was known to be especially critical of the excessively polite
and flattering attitude of many Muslims to their governors which he felt
brought ruin both to the governors and those under them. Hazrat Ubayy (RA), for
his part was always honest and frank in his dealings with persons in authority
and feared no one but God. He acted as a sort of morality to the Muslims. One
of Ubayy's major fears for the Muslim Ummah was that a day would come when
there would be severe strife among Muslims. He often became overwhelmed with
emotion when he read or heard the verse of the Quran." "Say: He
(Allah) has power to send calamities on you, from above and below, or to cover
you with confusion in party strife, giving you a taste of mutual vengeance,
each from the other." (Surah al-An'am, 6: 65)
He would then pray eagerly
to God for guidance and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. Hazrat Ubayy (RA)
died in the year 29 AH during the caliphate of Uthman.
May God bless His soul!
