Messenger of Allah ﷺ neither talked in an insulting manner nor did he ever speak evil intentionally. He used to say, "The most beloved to me amongst you is the one who has the best character and manners." He added, " Learn the Qur'an from (any of these) four persons. ʿAbdullah bin Masʿud, Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifa, Ubai bin Kaʿb, and Muʿadh bin Jabal."  

عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَكُنْ فَاحِشًا وَلاَ مُتَفَحِّشًا وَقَالَ إِنَّ مِنْ أَحَبِّكُمْ إِلَىَّ أَحْسَنَكُمْ أَخْلاَقًا وَقَالَ اسْتَقْرِئُوا الْقُرْآنَ مِنْ أَرْبَعَةٍ مِنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَسَالِمٍ مَوْلَى أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ وَأُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ وَمُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ  

I went to Sham and was offering a two-rakʿat prayer; I said, "O Allah! Bless me with a (pious) companion." Then I saw an old man coming towards me, and when he came near I said, (to myself), "I hope Allah has given me my request." The man asked (me), "Where are you from?" I replied, "I am from the people of Kufa." He said, "Weren't there amongst you the Carrier of the (Prophet's) shoes, Siwak and the ablution water container? Weren't there amongst you the man who was given Allah's Refuge from the Satan? And weren't there amongst you the man who used to keep the (Prophet's) secrets which nobody else knew? How did Ibn Um ʿAbd (i.e. ʿAbdullah bin Masʿud) use to recite Surat-al-lail (the Night:92)?" I recited:-- "By the Night as it envelops By the Day as it appears in brightness. And by male and female." (92.1- 3) On that, Abu Darda said, "By Allah, the Prophet ﷺ made me read the Verse in this way after listening to him, but these people (of Sham) tried their best to let me say something different."  

عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ دَخَلْتُ الشَّأْمَ فَصَلَّيْتُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ يَسِّرْ لِي جَلِيسًا فَرَأَيْتُ شَيْخًا مُقْبِلاً فَلَمَّا دَنَا قُلْتُ أَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ اسْتَجَابَ قَالَ مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ قُلْتُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ قَالَ أَفَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيكُمْ صَاحِبُ النَّعْلَيْنِ وَالْوِسَادِ وَالْمِطْهَرَةِ أَوَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيكُمُ الَّذِي أُجِيرَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ أَوَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيكُمْ صَاحِبُ السِّرِّ الَّذِي لاَ يَعْلَمُهُ غَيْرُهُ كَيْفَ قَرَأَ ابْنُ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ {وَاللَّيْلِ} فَقَرَأْتُ {وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى * وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى * وَالذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَى} قَالَ أَقْرَأَنِيهَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَاهُ إِلَى فِيَّ فَمَا زَالَ هَؤُلاَءِ حَتَّى كَادُوا يَرُدُّونِي  

We asked Hudhaifa to tell us of a person resembling (to some extent) the Prophet ﷺ in good appearance and straight forward behavior so that we may learn from him (good manners and acceptable conduct). Hudhaifa replied, "I do not know anybody resembling the Prophet (to some extent) in appearance and conduct more than Ibn Um ʿAbd.  

عَنْ رَجُلٍ قَرِيبِ السَّمْتِ وَالْهَدْىِ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ حَتَّى نَأْخُذَ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ مَا أَعْرِفُ أَحَدًا أَقْرَبَ سَمْتًا وَهَدْيًا وَدَلاًّ بِالنَّبِيِّ ﷺ مِنِ ابْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ  

My brother and I came from Yemen, and for some time we continued to consider ʿAbdullah bin Masʿud as one of the members of the family of the Prophet ﷺ because we used to see him and his mother going in the house of the Prophet ﷺ very often.  

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيَّ ؓ يَقُولُ قَدِمْتُ أَنَا وَأَخِي مِنَ الْيَمَنِ فَمَكُثْنَا حِينًا مَا نُرَى إِلاَّ أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ لِمَا نَرَى مِنْ دُخُولِهِ وَدُخُولِ أُمِّهِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ