Ubayy b. Ka'b: Difference between revisions

'''Ubayy b. Ka'b''' (Arabic: {{ia| اُبَیّ بن کَعب}}) was a [[Sahaba|companion]] of [[the Prophet Muhammad (s)]] and a [[Scribe of the Revelation]]. He was an expert in the recitation, compilation, [[exegesis]] and teaching of the [[Qur'an]] and [[fiqh]] (Islamic jurisprudence). He was one of the 70 [[Ansar]] who pledged their allegiance to the Prophet (s) in the second [[Pledge of 'Aqaba]]. He also accompanied the Prophet (s) in battles, such as [[Battle of Badr|Badr]], [[Battle of Uhud|Uhud]], and [[Battle of Khandaq|Khandaq]]. During the [[caliphate]] of [['Uthman b. 'Affan]], he and [[Zayd b. Thabit]] were the most prominent members of the 12-member commission for the compilation of [[al-Mushaf al-'Uthmani]].

Ubayy b. Ka'b b. Qays b. 'Ubayd b. Zubayd, known as “Ubayy b. Ka'b”, was from the Banu Najjar clan of [[Ansar]]. Ibn al-Nadim mentioned a different lineage for Ubayy: “Ubayy b. Ka'b b. Qays b. Malik b. Imri' al-Qays”.

[['Umar b. Khattab]] referred to Ubayy as “Abu l-Tufayl” because he had a son, called “Tufayl”. However, there are some [[hadiths]] in which the Prophet (s) referred to him as “Abu l-Mundhir”. According to a hadith, the Prophet (s) gave him the title, “Sayyid al-Ansar” (master of Ansar). He was still alive when Muslims referred to him as “Sayyid al-Muslimin” (master of Muslims). During the period of [[Jahiliyya]] when very few Arabs knew how to read and write, Ubayy had learned writing.

===The Prophet’s (s) Secretary===

In addition to a Scribe of the Revelation, Ubayy served as the secretary of the Prophet (s), and when he was not available, Zayd b. Thabit took care of his tasks. It is reported that Ubayy was the first person who wrote his and his father’s name at the bottom of letters as a scribe (“it was written by such and such the son of such and such”). He was sometimes commissioned by the Prophet (s) to teach Islamic rulings and the Qur'an to new Muslim converts, including the wafd (envoys) of 'Amir and the wafd of Banu Hanifa who went to [[Medina]].

According to Shiite sources, after the demise of [[the Prophet (s)]], Ubayy b. Ka'b was one of the 12 people from [[Muhajirun]] and [[Ansar]] who expressed their objections to the way the Prophet’s (s) successor was elected. Ubayy transmitted a [[hadith]] from the Prophet (s) according to which: “[['Ali b. Abi Talib]] is your [[Imam]] after me and he is the well-wisher for my people”.

In the period of [['Umar b. Khattab]], Ubayy expressed his desire to be in charge of an administrative task, but 'Umar told him: “I do not like this to stain your piety”. However, he accompanied 'Umar to Jabiyya (a village near [[Damascus]]) and wrote a peace treaty with people in [[Jerusalem]].

Ubayy b. Ka'b transmitted hadiths from the Prophet (s), some of which are cited in [[al-Sihah al-Sitta]]. According to al-Nawawi’s enumeration, Ubayy’s hadiths in reliable books are 164, 3 of which are commonly cited by both [[al-Bukhari]] and [[Muslim]], 3 of which are solely cited by al-Bukhari, and 7 of which are solely cited by Muslim.

[[Ahmad b. Hanbal]] cited many of Ubayy’s hadiths in his ''Musnad'' transmitted by [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]], [['Ubada b. Samit]], [[Abu Hurayra]], Rafi' b. Rifa'a, [[Jabir b. 'Abd Allah]], [[Sahl b. Sa'd]], [['Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. 'As]], [['Abd Allah b. 'Abbas]], [[Anas b. Malik]], 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abri, [[Sulayman b. Surad]], [['Abd al-Rahman b. Aswad]], Suwayd b. Ghafla, [['Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Layla]], [[Zarr b. Hubaysh]], Abu 'Uthman al-Nahdi, Abu l-'Aliya al-Riyahi, Tufayl and Muhammad the sons of Ubayy b. Ka'b, and some others. Hadiths transmitted by Ubayy b. Ka'b are concerned with a range of issues from [[fiqh]] (jurisprudence) and the [[exegesis]] of the Qur'an to the tradition of the Prophet (s), asceticism, and ethics.

===Ubay’s Recitation===

It is implied by some hadiths that the popularity of Ubayy’s recitation goes back to the period before the compilation of [[al-Mushaf al-'Uthmani]]. In this period, Ubayy’s recitation was one of the common recitations of the Qur'an. According to reports, some of his recitations were opposed by 'Umar. After the compilation of al-Mushaf al-'Uthmani, to which Ubayy b. Ka'b had a contribution as well, his recitation was still popular and was transmitted to later generations. It was the basis of recitations which were considered as reliable recitations in later centuries. Of the [[seven recitations]], Hijazi recitations of Nafi' and Ibn Kathir, and the Basri recitation of Abu 'Umar b. 'Ala' with its Hijazi tone were originated from Ubayy’s recitation. The recitations of Ubayy b. Ka'b and [[Zayd b. Thabit]] can be considered as the main bases of the Hijazi recitation of the Qur'an. Of the Kufi recitations of the Qur'an, Ubayy b. Ka'b’s influence on the recitations of 'Asim and Kasa'i is remarkable. This might be the reason why Ibn Jazari has considered Ubayy b. Ka'b as the most prominent reciter in Islam.

In the period of 'Uthman, Ubayy b. Ka'b and Zayd b. Thabit were the most prominent members of a 12-member council for the compilation of [[al-Mushaf al-'Uthmani]]. Despite Ubayy’s crucial role in the compilation of the Mushaf, manuscripts under ''Mushaf Ubayy b. Ka'b'' were found in early centuries which were slightly different from al-Mushaf al-'Uthmani. However, non-official manuscripts in the name of Ubayy b. Ka'b were not as common as manuscripts under ''Mushaf Ibn Mas'ud''. This might be partly because of Ubayy’s affirmative position with regard to the compilation of al-Mushaf al-'Uthmani and Ibn Mas'ud’s opposition to it.

It is difficult to reconcile different accounts of when Ubayy passed away (19/640, 22/642, 33/653-39/659). A number of historians believe that he died in the period of [['Umar b. Khattab]], while some events cited in al-Bukhari’s ''al-Tarikh al-saghir'' and al-Hakim al-Nishaburi’s ''al-Mustadrak'' imply that he was alive when people started protesting against 'Uthman. On one account, he died one week or 10 days before the murder of 'Uthman.