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18. ABDULLAH IBN MAS‘ŪD (1) Abdullah (‘Abd Allāh) ibn (son of) Mas‘ūd ( (عبدهللا بن مسعودr.a. (d. 32/650) was one of the earlier companions (ṣaḥābah) of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., and an the sixth person who converted to Islam. In his early life he used to tend the flocks of one of the leaders of the Quraysh in Makkah called ‘Uqbah ibn Mu‘ayṭ ) (عقبة بن معيطfrom early in the morning till nightfall. The boy was used to be called “Ibn Umm ‘Abd” (“ إبن أم عبدthe son of the mother of a slave”). He became qāḍī of Kufa in about 642 CE. One day while tending the flocks, the young Abdullah was approached by two men unknown to him. They were the Prophet s.a.w. and his companion Abū Bakr r.a. who were apparently very thirsty and tired. They had come to the mountains of Makkah to avoid the persecution of the Quraysh. They greeted him and asked if he could milk one of the sheep to quench their thirst. He said that he could not do that, because the sheep did not belong to him, and he was only responsible for looking after them. They were pleased with his honesty. Then they asked him if he had any young goat that did not have milk. He pointed at a goat, and they placed their hands on its udders muttering some Qur’ānic verses. To his amazement the udders became full of milk, and they drank and offered some to him. Then the udders shrank back as before, and the goat was released. Soon after he knew that they were the Prophet and his companion Abū Bakr who had come to him, he embraced Islam and quitted tending flocks. Abdullah’s mother offered the Prophet her son to serve him which he agreed. Now, instead of looking after the sheep, he got a better job, looking after the needs of the Prophet s.a.w. inside as well as outside the house, and was closely attached to him. He became a special servant of the Prophet, helping him put on his shoes, accompanied him on his journeys and expeditions, woke him when he slept, provided cover when he washed, and attended other personal needs, that the ṣaḥābah called him ṣāḥib al-siwāk (“the bearer of the toothbrush”), ṣāḥib al-na‘layn (“the bearer of the