their best (1), solely so that he may sing to them” (2).
They said: Ziyād al-Numayrī (3) came to Anas ibn Mālik (4) with the reciters. He was told, “Recite,” so he raised his voice and recited melodiously; he had a powerful voice. Anas, whose face was covered with a black cloth, uncovered it and said, “You there, that is not how they used to do it.” Whenever he saw something he disapproved of, he would uncover his face (5).
They said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade a caller to prayer from making his call melodious. Ibn Jurayj narrated from ‘Atā’, from Ibn ‘Abbās, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had a caller to prayer who delivered the call melodiously. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The call to prayer is easy and unstrained. If your call is unstrained and easy, then continue; otherwise, do not make the call.” Narrated by al-Dāraqutnī (6).
(1) This is the reading in all manuscript copies, Ibn Battāl’s Sharh Sahīh al-Bukhārī (10:276), and al-Mughnī (2:613).
(2) Narrated by Ahmad (no. 16040) from ‘Ābis, with the wording: “Hasten to meet death before six things occur: rule by fools, a proliferation of police, the sale of judicial rulings, disregard for bloodshed, severing family ties, and a rising generation who turn the Quran into musical entertainment, putting someone forward to sing it to them even if he has less religious understanding than they do.” The hadith is weak. For details, see the editors’ commentary on al-Musnad.
(3) All copies except ك and ع read “al-Nuhayrī,” a scribal error. مب reads “al-Nahdī,” as do the Maymaniyyah edition and subsequent editions.
(4) “Ibn Mālik” is absent from م and ق.
(5) Narrated by Ibn Sa‘d in al-Tabaqāt (5:338), Ibn Abī Shaybah (no. 30570), al-Hārith in his Musnad (no. 233, Bughyat al-Bāhith), and Ibn al-Jawzī in al-Qussās wa-l-Mudhakkirīn (p. 332), through Ibn Sa‘d. Its chain includes Ziyād ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Numayrī al-Basrī, who is weak.
(6) Nos. 917 and 1877. The author draws on al-Qurtubī’s Tafsīr (1:31, al-Risālah edition). Also narrated by Ibn Shāhīn in al-Targhīb fī Fadā’il al-A‘māl (p. 161). Its chain includes Ishāq ibn Abī Yahyā al-Ka‘bī, of whom al-Dhahabī said in al-Mīzān (1:205): “Hopelessly unreliable; he transmits objectionable reports from firmly reliable narrators.” See also Lisān al-Mīzān (2:84).