in every rak'ah. (1)
Abu Ja‘far Ahmad ibn Abi Ahmad ibn Mathawayh informed us; al-Sharif Abu al-Qasim Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayni al-Harrani informed us in what he wrote to me; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Ajurri informed us (2); Abu Bakr Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Humayd al-Wasiti informed us; Zayd ibn Akhzam narrated to us; Muhammad ibn al-Fadl narrated to us; Sa‘id ibn Zayd narrated to us from Abu Hamzah, from Ibrahim, from Alqamah, from Abd Allah—meaning Ibn Mas‘ud—who said: “Do not scatter it as inferior dates are scattered, nor recite it hastily as poetry is recited. Pause at its wondrous passages and stir the hearts with it. Let none of you be concerned merely with reaching the end of the surah.” (3)
Abu Ja‘far Ahmad ibn Abi Ahmad ibn Mathawayh informed us; al-Sharif Abu al-Qasim Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Harrani informed us in what he wrote to me; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Ajurri narrated to us; Abu Muhammad Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan al-Marwazi narrated to us; Ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us; and through another chain: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi Tawbah informed us; Abu Tahir Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Harith informed us; Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub al-Kisa’i informed us; Abd Allah ibn Muhammad informed us; Ibrahim ibn Abd Allah al-Khallal informed us; Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us from Musa ibn Ubaydah, from Abd Allah ibn Ubaydah—his brother—from Sahl ibn Sa‘d al-Sa‘idi, who said:
While we were reciting, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came out to us and said: “Praise be to Allah. The Book of Allah is one, and among you are the virtuous, as well as the fair-skinned and the dark-skinned. Recite the Quran (4) before there come people who recite it, articulating its letters as an arrow is straightened, though it does not pass beyond their collarbones. They hasten to reach its end and do not take their time over it.” (5)
Abu Uthman al-Dabbi informed us; Abu Muhammad al-Jarrahi informed us; Abu al-Abbas al-Mahbubi narrated to us; Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi narrated to us; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Nafi‘ al-Basri narrated to us; Abd al-Samad ibn Abd al-Warith narrated to us from Isma‘il ibn Muslim al-Abdi, from Abu al-Mutawakkil al-Naji, from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, stood in prayer one night reciting a single verse from the Quran. (6)