He replied, “Had I known you were listening, I would have embellished it for you with the finest embellishment”—that is, I would have recited it for you in an even more beautiful manner.

The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Adorn the Qur’an with your voices.”

He also said, “Allah listens more attentively to a man who recites the Qur’an with a pleasant voice than the owner of a qīnah (singing slave-girl) listens to his qīnah.”

And he—peace and blessings be upon him—said to Ibn Masʿūd, “Recite the Qur’an to me.” He replied, “Shall I recite…?”