Abdullah Ibn Mas'uud
-A Very Beautiful Man
From Men Around the Messenger By : Khaalid Muhammad Khaalid [summarized/somewhat reworded]
Some information is from : http://www.oocities.org/Athens/Oracle/9684/Abdullah_ibn_Masud.htm
People called him "Ibn Umm Abd"--the son of the mother of a slave. He was the sixth one to embrace Islam. He was a shepherd boy who worked for 'Uqbah Ibn Abu Mu'ait. He was very trustworthy; his honesty proved to be amazing from the very first time he met the prophet (SAWS). One may be able to observe this by reading this story:
One day while tending the flocks, Abdullah saw two men coming towards him from far away. They were very tired. They were so thirsty that their lips and throat were quite dry. They came up to him, greeted him and said, "Young man, milk one of these sheep for us that we may quench our thirst and recover our strength."
"I cannot," Ibn Mas'uud said. "The sheep are not mine. I am only responsible for looking after them."
The two men did not argue. Even though they were so thirsty, they were very pleased at his honest reply. The two men were the blessed Prophet (SAWS)and his companion, Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA). They went out to the mountains to escape the violent persecution of the Quraysh. Ibn Mas'uud was impressed with the Prophet and his companion and became attached to them. It was not long before Abdullah ibn Masud became a Muslim and offered to be in the service of the Prophet.
He was a strong believer who defeated the pride of the Quraish. Before Islam, he never passed by a group of Quraish nobleman except with hastened steps and a bowed head; but after Islam, he was capable of going to the Kaaba, where the Quriash would congregate, and recite in the most beautiful voice:
In the Name of God , the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
{ The Most Gracious! Has taught the Qur'aan. He created man. He taught him eloquent speech. The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses calculated with measured out stages for each. And the herbs and the trees both prostrate }
[Al-Rahman 55:1-6]
He would recite while the people of Quraish were very surprised. They never imagined that this shepherd boy was trying to challenge his pride. Abdullah Ibn Mas'uud was the first to recite the Qur'an publicly. Az-Zubair (RA) described it as so: "Abd Allah Ibn MAs'uud was the first one to recite Qur'aan publicly in Makkah after the Prophet (SAWS}. They said, "By Allah, the Quraish have never heard the Qur'aan being recited to them before. Isn't there any man to recite it so that they may hear it?" Thereupon 'Abd Allah Ibn Mas'uud said, "I". They said, "We are afraid they may harm you. We want a man with a strong family to protect him from those people if they want to harm him." He said, "Let me go, Allah will protect me." Ibn Mas'uud went to the Maqaam at the Ka'bah and recited {In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful. The Most Gracious! Has taught the Qur'aan. . .} The Quraish looked at him and said "What does Ibn Umm Abd say? He is reciting some of what Muhammad came with." They went to him and began to beat him while Ibn Mas'uud continued. He went back to his friends with a wounded face and body. They told him, "This is what we were afraid would happen to you." He answered, " Those enemies of Allah have been more worthless to me than this moment, and if you wish I will go back to them and do the same tomorrow." They said, "No, it is enough for you. You have made them hear what they hated."
Note: This is something every single person should take a lesson from [it's such a beautiful story]. Ibn Mas'uud was not shy or scared to recite the Holy Qur'aan in a beautiful voice--in public. He put all his faith in Allah (SWT) and was willing to stand..with Islamic pride against those who seemed and proved to be much stronger than him in physical strength. Nowadays, we have to take this into consideration. Islamic Pride? Everyone should be proud to be a Muslim..and be strong against the disbelievers.
Financially, this man was poor. Physically, he was feeble. Socially, He was nobody. But Islam gave him riches and made him more than the treasures of Khosrau and Caesar. Islam gave him strength--stronger than any oppressor. Islam gave him knowledge and honor.
The Prophet (SAWS) onced called Ibn Mas'uud and said , "Recite to me, 'Abd Allah," and Abdullah said, "How can I recite to you when it was revealed to you?" The Prophet (SAWS) said, "I like to hear it from others." So Ibn Mas'uud recited a part of Surat An-Nisaa until he reached the verse: { How then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you as a witness against those people. On that day those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that they were buried in the earth, but they will never be able to hide a single fact from Allah }[4: 41-42].