6/50. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 824c — Abu Darda' on Abdullah's Recitation
Concerning various recitations
Hadith About Abdullah ibn Mas'ud's Recitation of Surah Al-Lail
Sahih Muslim : 824c
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 824c
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ السَّعْدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ أَبِي، هِنْدٍ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، قَالَ لَقِيتُ أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ فَقَالَ لِي مِمَّنْ أَنْتَ قُلْتُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ . قَالَ مِنْ أَيِّهِمْ قُلْتُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ . قَالَ هَلْ تَقْرَأُ عَلَى قِرَاءَةِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ . قَالَ فَاقْرَأْ { وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى} قَالَ فَقَرَأْتُ { وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى * وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى * وَالذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَى} . قَالَ فَضَحِكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ هَكَذَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقْرَؤُهَا .
Alqama Narrated from:
I met Abu Darda', and he said to me: To which country do you belong? I said: I am one of the people of Iraq. He again said: To which city? I replied: City of Kufa. He again said: Do you recite according to the recitation of 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud? I said: Yes. He said: Recite this verse (By the night when it covers) So I recited it: (By the night when it covers, and the day when it shines, and the creating of the male and the female). He laughed and said: I have heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reciting like this.
[1] Al-Lail 92:1.Reference : Sahih Muslim 824cIn-book reference : Book 6, Hadith 346USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1801
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 824c
This hadith about Abdullah ibn Mas'ud's recitation gives the scene in a personal way. 'Alqama met Abu Darda', who asked where he was from. When 'Alqama said he was from Kufa, Abu Darda' asked whether he recited according to the recitation of 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud. He then asked him to recite the verse beginning with the night when it covers. 'Alqama recited it, and Abu Darda' laughed and said he heard the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم reciting like that. The report is about a heard recitation being checked, remembered, and affirmed by another Companion. It keeps the reader close to the wording that was actually reported and avoids turning the scene into a broader claim.
What we learn from this hadith
- Abu Darda' asked careful questions before asking for the recitation.
- 'Alqama recited according to what he knew from 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud.
- Abu Darda' linked the recitation to what he heard from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
- The hadith shows careful preservation of Qur'an recitation.
