Question: Which were the Sahabah who memorized the entire Quran? At what age did they memorize and did they do it at the time of Rasuallah sallahu alahi wassalam or after him? Did they just spent their life memorizing and reciting it or did they implement its teachings too?
Answer: Praise be to Allah.
The Righteous companions of the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam) were the people who excelled to do good and righteous deeds.
One of their greatest concern was memorizing the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, learning it and practice upon it, then teaching it to other people. Even If it was an ayat, they used to learn it from the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam), and would teach it to one another. So whoever missed out on something from the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam), because they were preoccupied with jihad or other cores, they would learn it from one who learned it.
The most famous of the companions who used to teach people the Qur’an include: Uthmaan ibn Affaan, Ali ibn Abi Taalib, and Ubayy ibn Kab (ra). They taught many of the younger Sahaabah and, after that, many of the Taabi‘een.
Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan as-Sulami said: Those who used to teach us the Qur’an (including reciting and memorising) told us that they used to learn it from the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam). When they learned ten verses, they would not move on until they put into practice what those verses said, so we used to learn the Qur’an and how to act upon its teachings together.
So the Sahaabah (sallahu alahi wassalam) were eager to memorize the Book of Allah and teach it to the people and help them to memorize it.
Suwayd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez said: When Abu’d-Darda’ had prayed Fajr in the mosque of Damascus, the people would gather to learn Qur’an from him, so he would put them into groups of ten, with an instructor for each group, and he would stand in the mihrab watching them. If one of them made a mistake, he would refer to his instructor, and if the instructor made a mistake, he would refer to Abu’d-Darda’ and ask him about that.
It was narrated that Ibn Mashkam said: Abud-Darda’ said to me: Count those who are studying the Qur’an with me. I counted them, and they were over one thousand and six hundred, and for each group of ten there was a teacher.(Marifat al-Qurra al-Kibaar)
A great number of the Sahaabah memorized the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, and they were so great in number that they could not all be listed. A number of the scholars mentioned the most prominent of among them who memorized the Holy Quran.
Abu ‘Ubayd mentioned those among the Companions of the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam) who memorised the Qur’an. Among the Muhaajireen he listed the four caliphs, Talhah, Sad, Ibn Mas‘ood, Hudhayfah, Saalim, Abu Hurayrah, Abdullah ibn as-Saaib and the Abdullahs. Among the women he listed ‘Aaishah, Hafsah and Umm Salamah. But some of these only completed its memorisation after the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had died.
In Kitaab ash-Sharee‘ah, Ibn Abi Dawood listed among the Muhaajireen also: Tameem ibn Aws ad-Daari and ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir. Among the Ansaar he listed: Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit, Mu‘aadh who was known by the kunyah Abu Haleemah, Mujammi‘ ibn Haarithah, Fadaalah ibn ‘Ubayd, Maslamah ibn Makhlad, and others. He stated that some of them only memorised it after the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam) had died. Among others who also memorised it was Abu Moosa al-Ashari, who was mentioned by Abu Amr ad-Daani. Some later scholars also listed ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, Sa‘d ibn ‘Abbaad and Umm Waraqah as being among those who memorised the Qur’an.
Among the most prominent of these Sahaabah (ra) are the following:
1) Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (radhiallahu anhu)
He died on a Monday in Jumaada al-ullah 13 AH at the age of sixty-three. ‘Umar led the funeral prayer for him, and he was buried with the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam).
2) Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radhiallahu anhu)
He was killed on a Wednesday 26 Dhu’l-Hijjah 23 AH, at the age of sixty-three; there are other views concerning his age.
3) Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (radhiallahu anhu)
He was one of those who memorised the Qur’an at the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam). He died a martyr, unlawfully killed in his house, on 18 Dhu’l-Hijjah 35 AH, at the age of eighty-two.
4) Ali ibn Abi Taalib (radhiallahu anhu)
He was killed in Kufah on the morning of 17 Ramadan 40 AH. He memorised the Qur’an after the death of the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam), and it was said that he memorised it during his lifetime.
5) Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (radhiallahu anhu)
He was the most prominent of the Qur’an-reciters, the one who had best memorised the Book of Allah. He memorised it at the time of the Messenger of Allah he died in Madinah in 20 AH or 19 AH.
6) Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood ibn Ghaafil (radhiallahu anhu)
He memorised the Qur’an at the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam). He died in Madinah at the end of 32 AH.
7) Zayd ibn Thaabit ibn ad-Dahhaak (radhiallahu anhu)
He memorised the Qur’an at the time of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). He died in 45 AH.
8) Abu Moosa al-Ash‘ari, ‘Abdullah ibn Qays (radhiallahu anhu)
He learned the Qur’an from the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam). He died in Dhu’l-Hijjah 44 AH.
9) Abu’d-Darda’ ‘Uwaymir ibn Zayd al-Ansaari (radhiallahu anhu)
He learned the Qur’an at the time of the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam). He died in 33 AH.
10) Abu Hurayrah ad-Dawsi (radhiallahu anhu)
He learned the Qur’an from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b. He died in 57 or 58 or 59 AH.
11) Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (radhiallahu anhu)
He learned the Qur’an from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b. He died in at-Taa’if in 68 AH.
12) Abdullah ibn as-Saa’ib ibn Abi’s-Saa’ib (radhiallahu anhu), the most prominent reciter of the people of Makkah
He was a companion of the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam) and narrated a few reports. He was one of the younger Sahaabah. He learned the Qur’an from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b.. He died around 70 AH, during the governorship of Ibn az-Zubayr.
13) Mu‘aadh ibn Jabal (radhiallahu anhu)
He learned the Qur’an from the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam). He died in 17 or 18 AH, at the age of thirty-four.
14) Saalim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah (radhiallahu anhuma)
He learned the Qur’an from the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam). He died in 11 AH on the day of al-Yamaamah.
15) Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radhiallahu anhu)
He learned the Qur’an from the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam) and from ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan and Zayd ibn Thaabit. He died in 73 AH or, it was said, in 74 AH.
16) Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him)
Ibn Maajah (1346) narrated that he said: I memorized the Qur’an and once I recited it all in one night. The Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam) said: “I am afraid that you may live a long life and that you may get tired …” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah. He died in 63 AH.
17) Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir
He learned the Qur’an from the Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam). He died in 58 AH.
18) Aa’ishah bint Abi Bakr (radhiallahu anhu), the wife of the Prophet.
She learned the Qur’an from the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam). She died in 57 AH.
19) Hafsah bint ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radhiallahu anhu), the wife of the Prophet.
She learned the Qur’an from the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam). She died in 45 AH.
20) Umm Salamah Hind bint Abi Umayyah (radhiallahu anhu), the wife of the Prophet.
She learned the Qur’an from the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam). She died in Shawwaal 59 AH; it was also said that she died during the caliphate of Yazeed ibn Mu‘aawiyah, or in 62 AH.
And there were many more companions of Prophet (sallahu alahi wassalam) who spent their young age reciting and memorizing the book of Allah! May Allah have mercy upon all of them.