Ubayy ibn Ka'b

Lore & Background

Ubayy was born in Medina into the tribe of the Banu Khazraj. He was one of the first to accept Islam and pledge allegiance to Muhammad at al-Aqabah before the migration to Medina, becoming one of the Ansar. He joined the second pledge at al-Aqabah and later participated in the battle of Badr and other engagements. He acted as a scribe for Muhammad, writing letters for him. Ubayy was one of the few who compiled the surahs of the Quran to write his own codex that had 116 surahs, compared to the 114 of the Uthmanic codex. He believed that the Throne Verse was the greatest verse in the Quran when asked by the Prophet himself on an occasion. Ubayy enjoyed a special honor with regard to the Quran. One day, the Prophet said: 'O Ubayy ibn Ka'b! I have been commanded to show or lay open the Quran to you.' Ubayy was elated and asked if he had been mentioned by name. The Prophet replied: 'Yes, by your own name and by your genealogy (nasab) in the highest heavens.' Following Muhammad's death, he was one of the twenty-five Hafiz, people who knew the Quran completely by heart. He was part of the consultative group (mushawarah) to which the caliph Abu Bakr referred many problems, which included Umar, Uthman, Ali, Abd-al-Rahman ibn Awf, Muadh ibn Jabal, and Zayd ibn Thabit. Umar later consulted the same group when he was caliph, and specifically for fatwas he referred to Ali ibn Abi Talib, Uthman, Ubayy, and Zayd ibn Thabit. Despite his high standing, Umar did not appoint Ubayy to any governing position.

Reader's Guide

Ubayy ibn Ka'b's significance lies primarily in his role as a compiler of the Quran and as a trusted authority on its text in the early Muslim community. His codex, containing 116 surahs, represents one of the earliest attempts to collect the revelations into a single volume, predating the standardized Uthmanic codex. His status as one of the twenty-five Hafiz—those who knew the entire Quran by heart—underscores his importance as a living repository of the scripture after Muhammad's death. Additionally, his membership in the consultative group (mushawarah) for both caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar, and his specific role in issuing fatwas under Umar, demonstrate his influence in legal and administrative matters. The fact that Umar deliberately refrained from appointing him as a governor, fearing corruption of his religion, highlights the high regard for his piety and the perceived vulnerability of religious devotion to worldly power. Ubayy's legacy is thus that of a scholar-scribe whose work on the Quran and whose integrity shaped the early Islamic tradition.

Did You Know?

• Ubayy compiled a Quran codex that had 116 surahs, two more than the standard Uthmanic codex.
• He was one of the twenty-five Hafiz who knew the Quran completely by heart after Muhammad's death.
• The Prophet Muhammad told Ubayy he had been commanded to show or lay open the Quran to him, and that Ubayy had been mentioned by name and genealogy in the highest heavens.
• Caliph Umar refused to appoint Ubayy as a governor, saying 'I do not want your religion to be corrupted.'