Usaid bin Hudair

Usaid ibn Hudayr al-Ansari al-Ashhali, may Allah be pleased with him, was a companion of the Prophet ﷺ and one of the chiefs (naqib) of the Aws tribe of the Ansar — one of twelve chiefs selected at the Second Pledge of Aqabah to oversee their respective tribes. He embraced Islam before the Prophet's ﷺ arrival in Medina and was among the first of the Aws to accept the faith. He was known for his courage, his eloquence, his love of the Quran, and his humor balanced with deep piety. The Prophet ﷺ praised him. He narrated hadiths from the Prophet ﷺ and is particularly known for a remarkable narration about the descent of tranquility (sakina) and angels when reciting the Quran: he reported that while reciting Surah al-Baqarah at night, his horse began to move about and he saw a cloud with lights descending, which the Prophet ﷺ told him were angels who came to listen to his recitation. This narration is preserved in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and is among the most cited reports about the virtue of Quran recitation and the presence of angels. He passed away around 20–21 AH.