Abdallah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas: The Companion Who Wrote the Truthful Scroll (UK Profile 2026)
By Eaalim Institute on 4/26/2026
Abdallah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas (Arabic: عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص; born approximately 27 BH / 595 CE, died 65 AH / 684 CE) was one of the most prolific narrators of hadith among the younger Sahabah, the son of the famous companion Amr ibn al-Aas (RA), and a unique figure who possessed both the Sahifah as-Sadiqah (the Truthful Scroll) of the Prophet's ﷺ sayings and a deep knowledge of pre-Islamic Christian and Jewish texts. This UK profile presents his life, his unique permission to write down hadith during the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime, his extreme worship that the Prophet ﷺ moderated, and what British Muslim families can take from his example.
His birth and family
Abdallah was born in Makkah around 595 CE, only about twelve years younger than his father Amr ibn al-Aas (RA). This unusual closeness in age — the son and father born only twelve years apart — was a feature of pre-Islamic Arabian early-marriage customs. By the time the Prophet ﷺ began his mission, Abdallah was already a young adolescent.
His father Amr ibn al-Aas (RA) initially opposed Islam, was sent by Quraysh as an envoy to Abyssinia to try to extradite the Muslim refugees, and only embraced Islam in 8 AH (629 CE), about two years before the Prophet's ﷺ death. But Abdallah himself embraced Islam earlier than his father — sources suggest he became Muslim several years before Amr (RA), perhaps as early as 6-7 AH.
He died in Egypt (or, in some accounts, Ta'if or Makkah) in 65 AH (684 CE), aged about 72.
The Sahifah as-Sadiqah — the Truthful Scroll
One of Abdallah's most distinctive features was his unique permission to write down the Prophet's ﷺ sayings during the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime. The general practice in the early years was for hadith to be transmitted orally; the Prophet ﷺ initially restricted writing to avoid confusion with the Quran. But for Abdallah, the Prophet ﷺ specifically permitted recording, saying:
"Write, for by Him in whose hand is my soul, nothing comes out from this (and he pointed to his mouth) except the truth." (Sunan Abu Dawud 3646, sahih)
Abdallah called this collection of around a thousand hadith the Sahifah as-Sadiqah — the Truthful Scroll. It was one of the earliest written hadith collections in Islamic history. Abu Hurayrah (RA), despite narrating more hadith than any other companion (over 5,000 in total), said: "There is none among the companions of the Messenger of Allah who knows more hadith than I, except Abdallah ibn Amr, for he used to write while I did not." (Sahih al-Bukhari 113)
The Sahifah was preserved by Abdallah's family and his student ʿAmr ibn Shu'ayb. Many of its hadith are now scattered through the major collections (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasaʾi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad's Musnad).
His extreme worship that the Prophet ﷺ moderated
One of the most relatable stories in Abdallah's biography is when the Prophet ﷺ moderated his over-zealous worship. As a young man, Abdallah used to fast every day and recite the entire Quran every night. The Prophet ﷺ heard about it and called him in.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do you fast every day and pray throughout every night?" Abdallah said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not do so. Fast and break your fast; pray and sleep. For your body has a right over you, your eye has a right over you, your wife has a right over you, and your guest has a right over you. It is enough for you to fast three days every month... and recite the Quran in one month." Abdallah said: "I am capable of more, O Messenger of Allah." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Then in twenty days." Abdallah said: "I am capable of more." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Then in ten." Abdallah said: "I am capable of more." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Then in seven, and do not exceed that." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5052, Sahih Muslim 1159)
Years later, in his old age, Abdallah said: "How I wish I had accepted the concession of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5052) — meaning, his older body could no longer sustain the pace he had committed to as a young man, and he wished he had accepted the moderate Sunnah pace.
For British Muslim teenagers and young adults full of enthusiasm, this is one of the most important stories in the Sunnah. Sustainable worship, the moderate path, the rights of the body and family — all were emphasised by the Prophet ﷺ.
His knowledge of pre-Islamic scripture
Abdallah is also notable for having studied earlier scriptures — possibly Hebrew Bible texts and Christian Gospels — before Islam, and continuing to engage with their content afterwards. He owned manuscripts in Aramaic or Hebrew. The Prophet ﷺ permitted reading from the People of the Book under specific conditions: do not believe what they say if it contradicts what we have been given, do not deny what they say if it agrees with us, and treat their reports as a third category neither confirmed nor denied (Sahih al-Bukhari 7362).
This makes Abdallah a unique figure for understanding Islamic engagement with previous Abrahamic traditions. His position is not "ignore them" or "follow them blindly" but a measured, scholarly engagement with the authentic texts of the People of the Book filtered through the Quran and Sunnah.
His role in later years
During the conflicts of the First Civil War (35-40 AH / 656-661 CE), Abdallah's father was a prominent figure on Mu'awiya's side. Abdallah himself was reluctant to fight in inter-Muslim conflicts and reportedly later regretted any participation he had been pressured into. He spent his later years in Egypt (where his father had been governor under Caliph Umar (RA) and later under Mu'awiya), teaching hadith and tafsir to a circle of students.
What British Muslim families can take from his life
- Write things down. Abdallah's preservation of the Sahifah saved a thousand hadith for the ummah. UK Muslim children should be encouraged to keep notebooks of what they learn — surahs memorised, ayahs reflected on, family practices.
- Moderation in worship is the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ specifically corrected over-zealous practice. UK Muslim teenagers should not aspire to fasting every day or reciting the whole Quran weekly — the Prophetic pace is sustainable.
- Engage with non-Muslim scholarship critically. Abdallah's careful approach to earlier scripture — neither rejecting nor accepting blindly — is a model for British Muslim children studying philosophy, science, and other religions in school and at university.
- Avoid inter-Muslim conflict where possible. Abdallah's reluctance to fight other Muslims even when his side was politically pressured is an example for British Muslim community life today, where tribal or sectarian divisions sometimes pull people into unnecessary conflict.
- The body has rights, the family has rights. The Prophet's ﷺ specific list — body, eye, spouse, guest — should shape how British Muslim adults plan their worship around their physical health, marriage, and obligations.
How Eaalim helps British Muslim children learn the hadith Abdallah preserved
The Sahifah as-Sadiqah's hadith are scattered through the six major collections. Eaalim's one-to-one online lessons introduce British Muslim children to authentic hadith alongside Quran study, with brief context and meanings in plain English. Lessons are 30 minutes, GMT/BST, in pounds, with a free real trial. Start here.
Frequently asked questions
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Abdallah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas (595-684 CE / 27 BH-65 AH) was the son of the companion Amr ibn al-Aas (RA), and one of the most prolific narrators of hadith among the younger Sahabah. He compiled the Sahifah as-Sadiqah (the Truthful Scroll) — one of the earliest written hadith collections — with the Prophet's specific permission to record his sayings during his lifetime. He died in Egypt in 65 AH at around 72 years old.
The Sahifah as-Sadiqah ('the Truthful Scroll') is the collection of around a thousand hadith that Abdallah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas wrote down directly from the Prophet (peace be upon him) during the Prophet's lifetime. It is one of the earliest written hadith records in Islamic history. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had given Abdallah specific permission to write, saying: 'Write, for by Him in whose hand is my soul, nothing comes out from this except the truth' (Sunan Abu Dawud 3646).
Yes, according to most sources. Abdallah embraced Islam earlier than his father — possibly as early as 6-7 AH, while Amr ibn al-Aas (RA) only embraced Islam in 8 AH (629 CE), shortly before the conquest of Makkah. This unusual situation — son becoming Muslim before father — was true of several early Muslim families and shows that the Prophet's message was reaching young people through their own conviction, not just family inheritance.
As a young man, Abdallah used to fast every day and recite the entire Quran every night. The Prophet (peace be upon him) called him in and explained that his body, his eye, his wife, and his guest all had rights over him. He instructed Abdallah to fast at most three days a month and recite the Quran in not less than seven days. Years later in old age, Abdallah famously said: 'How I wish I had accepted the concession of the Messenger of Allah' (Sahih al-Bukhari 5052).
In the early years of his mission, the Prophet (peace be upon him) restricted general writing of hadith to avoid confusion with the Quran, which was being preserved through specific channels of careful memorisation and recording. Once the Quran's preservation was secure, the restriction was relaxed — and in cases of trusted, careful companions like Abdallah ibn Amr, written records were specifically encouraged. Later companions wrote extensively, especially after the Prophet's death.
Both were major scholars among the younger Sahabah but they were different people. Abdallah ibn Abbas (born 619 CE) was the Prophet's cousin and the founder of Quranic tafsir. Abdallah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas (born 595 CE) was the son of Amr ibn al-Aas, the conqueror of Egypt, and the compiler of the Sahifah as-Sadiqah hadith collection. Both narrated extensively, but Ibn Abbas was the tafsir authority and Ibn Amr was the hadith authority. Abu Hurayrah said only Ibn Amr knew more hadith than himself.
Yes — sources indicate he had access to and studied texts of earlier prophets in Aramaic or Hebrew, possibly inherited or acquired from People of the Book sources. The Prophet (peace be upon him) permitted reading from earlier scriptures under specific conditions: do not believe what contradicts what we have been given, do not deny what agrees with what we have, and treat the rest as neither confirmed nor denied (Sahih al-Bukhari 7362). Abdallah's measured engagement is a model for Muslim scholarly engagement with non-Muslim texts.
There is some difference among classical sources. The strongest reports place his death and burial in Egypt — possibly in or near Cairo (Fustat at the time). Other reports suggest Ta'if or Makkah. He died in 65 AH (684 CE) during the Second Civil War, at around the age of 72. His descendants continued to be active in Egyptian Muslim scholarship for generations.
Three lessons stand out. First, his Islam came from personal conviction, not family inheritance — his father was still anti-Muslim when he embraced Islam. Second, his early over-zealous worship and the Prophet's correction teach British Muslim teenagers full of energy that the Sunnah is moderation, not extremism in practice. Third, his careful written records show the value of taking notes, keeping journals, and preserving knowledge that you do not yet fully understand. Eaalim teachers help British Muslim teenagers build this kind of disciplined, sustainable Islamic practice.
His most famous student was his great-grandson ʿAmr ibn Shu'ayb ibn Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas, known in hadith chains as ʿAmr ibn Shu'ayb 'an abeehi 'an jaddihi ('from his father from his grandfather') — a chain that appears throughout the Sunan collections. Other major narrators included Mujahid ibn Jabr, ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr, and a number of Egyptian and Madinan scholars who travelled to learn from him in his later years in Egypt.
