Abdullah ibn Amr

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (616-684 CE) was one of the most devout and learned companions of the Prophet Muhammad. He was the son of the famous military commander Amr ibn al-As, and he accepted Islam before his father. Abdullah was known for his extreme devotion to worship: he would fast every day, pray throughout the night, and complete the recitation of the entire Quran every three days. The Prophet advised him to moderate his worship to sustain it over a lifetime.

Abdullah was one of the few companions who had explicit permission from the Prophet to write down hadith. He compiled a collection called as-Sahifah as-Sadiqah (The Truthful Document), which contained approximately one thousand hadith he personally heard from the Prophet. This was one of the earliest written collections of prophetic traditions and demonstrates that hadith were being recorded in writing during the Prophet's lifetime. He narrated approximately 700 hadith found in the canonical collections.

Abdullah was also deeply learned in the previous scriptures, having studied the Torah and other religious texts. He participated in the conquests of Egypt and Syria alongside his father. Despite his father's political involvement with the Umayyad dynasty, Abdullah preferred a life of scholarship and worship. He spent his later years between Egypt and Mecca, teaching and worshipping until his death in 65 AH (684 CE). He is remembered as one of the most pious and knowledgeable of the Prophet's companions.