What is Sunan an-Nasa'i 942 about?

This hadith from Sunan an-Nasa'i (Book of The Book of the Commencement of the Prayer), narrated by It was narrated that Ubayy bin Ka'b said:, states: ""The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught me a surah, and when I was sitting in the masjid I heard a man reciting it in a way that was different from mine. I said to him: 'Who taught you this surah?' He said…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan an-Nasa'i, which contains 5,768 hadiths across 52 books. It is hadith number 942 in the Book of The Book of the Commencement of the Prayer.

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#941

#942

Sunan an-Nasa'i

#943

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Sunan an-Nasa'i #942

The Book of the Commencement of the Prayer

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو جَعْفَرِ بْنُ نُفَيْلٍ، قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَعْقِلِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنْ أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ، قَالَ أَقْرَأَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُورَةً فَبَيْنَا أَنَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ جَالِسٌ إِذْ سَمِعْتُ رَجُلاً يَقْرَؤُهَا يُخَالِفُ قِرَاءَتِي فَقُلْتُ لَهُ مَنْ عَلَّمَكَ هَذِهِ السُّورَةَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ لاَ تُفَارِقْنِي حَتَّى نَأْتِيَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ هَذَا خَالَفَ قِرَاءَتِي فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي عَلَّمْتَنِي ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ اقْرَأْ يَا أُبَىُّ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَرَأْتُهَا فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَحْسَنْتَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ ‏"‏ اقْرَأْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَرَأَ فَخَالَفَ قِرَاءَتِي فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَحْسَنْتَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ يَا أُبَىُّ إِنَّهُ أُنْزِلَ الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ كُلُّهُنَّ شَافٍ كَافٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ مَعْقِلُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ لَيْسَ بِذَلِكَ الْقَوِيِّ ‏.‏

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught me a surah, and when I was sitting in the masjid I heard a man reciting it in a way that was different from mine. I said to him: 'Who taught you this surah?' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' I said: 'Stay with me until we go to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' So we came to him and I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, this man recites a surah that you taught me differently.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Recite, O Ubayy.' So I recited it, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: 'You have done well.' Then he said to the man: 'Recite.' So he recited it and it was different to my recitation. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: 'You have done well.' Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'O Ubayy, the Quran has been revealed with seven different modes of reciation, all of which are good and sound."

Narrated by It was narrated that Ubayy bin Ka'b said:

Context

In this hadith, Ubayy bin Ka'b recounts an experience where he heard a man reciting a surah differently than he had learned it from the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). This prompted him to seek clarification from the Prophet (ﷺ), who confirmed that the Quran was revealed in seven different modes of recitation, each valid and sound. This illustrates the diversity within the Quranic recitation and emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting different readings.

Modern Application

Today, this principle can be applied by recognizing and appreciating the various ways the Quran can be recited. It encourages individuals to engage with the Quran in a way that resonates with them, fostering a deeper connection to the text and its meanings during personal or communal recitation.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Quran and Divine Revelation because it highlights the different modes of recitation of the Quran as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

Quran Divine Revelation