Wikipedia's first sentence called it “confidant amongst the companions of ali ibn abi talib”. Today it says “prominent tabi'un and a close companion of the first shia imam and fourth rashidun caliph”. Sections present on October 6, 2023 no longer exist: “Converting to Islam; Conflicts with the governor of Kufa and the event of Al-Rabathah; The event of al-Rabathan”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Kumayl bin Ziyad an-Nakha'i was a confidant amongst the companions of Ali Ibn Abi Talib , the fourth Caliph and first Shi'a Imam .1He is best know for the du'a or supplication in the Shi'a anthologies that bears his name, du'a al-Kumayl . Kumayl fought alongside Sa'id bin Jubayr at the battle of Jamājim in 82 AH (699-701 CE) against the provincial governor of the Iraqi region, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi . Kumayl commanded the ‘Battalion of Qur’an Reciters’.2Kumayl was put to death by al-Hajjaj because of his staunch Shi'a beliefs. It is said that al-Hajjaj had asked Kumayl to disown Ali before his execution. The shrine of Kumayl is on a hill at Wadi al-Salaam in Najaf .3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16875724.
The opening as it stood in 2010 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Kumayl bin Ziyad an-Nakha'i ( ) a companion of Muhammad , and later Ali , the final Sunni Caliph and first Shi'a Imam . He is best known for the du'a or supplication in the Shi'a anthologies that bears his name, du'a al-Kumayl . Kumayl fought alongside Sa'id ibn Jubayr at the battle of Jamājim in 82 AH (699-701 CE) against the provincial governor of the Iraqi region, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi . Kumayl commanded the ‘ Battalion of Qur’an Reciters ’ . The shrine of Kumayl is in Kufa , Iraq .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 358607351.
The opening as it stood in 2015 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Kumayl bin Ziyad an-Nakha'i ( ) was among the most loyal companions of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib .Moreover, Kumayl occupies a prominent position in Shia Islam.Converting to Islam during the time of Islamic prophet Muhammad, he earned to learn the secrets of this world while purifying his soul.His desire to purify his soul and increase his understanding of knowledge raised him to a position of prominence during the caliphates of Uthman and Imam Ali.In the caliphate of Imam Ali, Kumayl flourished and served his best friend, Imam Ali, in the most disciplined of ways.However, he is recognized for his pious and humble nature as well as preserving Imam Ali's teachings.In retrospect, Kumayl is best known for the du'a (supplication) of Prophet Khidr , which has been renamed to du'a Kumayl .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 667712928.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Kumayl bin Ziyad an-Nakha'i ( ) was among the most loyal companions of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib . Moreover, Kumayl occupies a prominent position in Shia Islam . Converting to Islam during the time of Islamic prophet Muhammad , he rose to a position of prominence during the caliphates of Uthman and Ali . In the caliphate of Ali, Kumayl flourished and served him in the most disciplined of ways. However, he is recognized for his pious and humble nature as well as preserving Imam Ali's teachings. Kumayl is best known for the du'a (supplication) of Prophet Khidr , which is commonly known by the name du'a Kumayl .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 954093067.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Companion of Ali ibn Abi Talib Kumayl bin Ziyad an-Nakha'i ( Arabic : كُميل بن زياد النخعي , romanized : Kumayl ibn Ziyād an-Nakhaʿī ) was among the most loyal companions of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib . Moreover, Kumayl occupies a prominent position in Shia Islam . Converting to Islam during the time of Islamic prophet Muhammad , he rose to a position of prominence during the caliphates of Uthman and Ali . In the caliphate of Ali, Kumayl flourished and served him in the most disciplined of ways. However, he is recognized for his pious and humble nature as well as preserving Imam Ali's teachings. Kumayl is best known for the du'a (supplication) of Prophet Khidr , which is commonly known by the name du'a Kumayl .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1254458274. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “confidant amongst the companions of ali ibn abi talib”. Today it says “prominent tabi'un and a close companion of the first shia imam and fourth rashidun caliph”. Sections present on October 6, 2023 no longer exist: “Converting to Islam; Conflicts with the governor of Kufa and the event of Al-Rabathah; The event of al-Rabathan”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
confidant amongst the companions of ali ibn abi talib
Now
prominent tabi'un and a close companion of the first shia imam and fourth rashidun caliph
Sections that no longer exist
Present on October 6, 2023, absent today, with no near-matching heading in the current article and the article shorter overall, so this is not a renamed heading or a topic absorbed into a fuller treatment. 3 sections of 400 characters or more gone since October 6 2023, with the article 3,602 characters shorter.
Converting to Islam
Conflicts with the governor of Kufa and the event of Al-Rabathah
The event of al-Rabathan
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.