followers, and assured his hearers that the salvation of these ten was assured. These ten names are famous in history as, 'Asharah Mubashsharah,’ ‘the ten who received glad tidings.’ Of these ten Abdulla-ibn-Masʿūd was one. He is described as a great scholar and friend of the prophet. In the Mishkāt a tradition of Muhammad is recorded to this effect,
"Abdulla-ibn-ʿUmr related that the prophet (upon whom be blessing and peace) said, 'Learn the Qurān from these four, Abdulla-ibn-Masʿūd, Sālim-mula-ibn-Hazīfa, Ubī-ibn-Kāb, and Mʿāj-ibn-Jabal'.” From this yradition, which could be supplemented by others to the same effect, it is clear that Ibn-Masʿūd was a faithful disciple of the prophet, and had carefully and perfectly learned the Qurān from his master. There is a tradition in the collection of Muslim to the effect that Ibn-Masʿūd once said, ‘I swear by the name of the one God that there is no Sūra in the book of God which I do not know, and concerning the revelation of which I am ignorant; nor is there a single verse which I do not know.”
In another tradition Ibn-Masʿūd is reported as saying, “The companions of the prophet well know that I know the Qurān better than they all.” There is also a tradition recorded by ʿUmr to this effect,
“The prophet of God (on whom be blessing and peace) said, ‘Let him who wishes to read the Qurān as it was sent down, read according to the reading of the son of the mother of Abd (i.e., Abdulla-ibn-Masʿūd) ’.”
