“Had I known that the Messenger of Allah was listening to my recitation, I would have adorned it with even greater beauty.” 2. Narrated by Abu Salama ibn Abd al-Rahman: The Messenger of Allah used to say to Abu Musa—whose voice in reciting the Quran was exceptionally melodious—“This man has indeed been granted…,” and so forth. This version is mursal. Al-Darimi (2/472) records it from Yunus, from Ibn Shihab (al-Zuhri), who said: Abu Salama related it to me. The report is, however, sound with a connected chain. Al-Bukhari in Afal al-Ibad (79) transmits it through Ishaq ibn Rashid; al-Nasa’i (1/157) and al-Tahawi in al-Mushkil (2/58) through Amr ibn al-Harith; and Ahmad (2/369) through Muhammad ibn Abi Hafsa—each of them from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurayra: The Messenger of Allah heard Abu Musa’s recitation and said… (the hadith). This chain is sound according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim. Muhammad ibn Amr also corroborated it from Abu Salama. It is reported by al-Darimi (2/473), Ahmad (2/354, 450), and Ibn Majah (1/403) with a hasan chain. Al-Zuhri provides a second chain: 3. Al-Nasa’i, al-Darimi (1/349), Ibn Nasr (no. 54), al-Tahawi, and Ahmad (6/37) narrate it through Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, from al-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aisha with the same wording. Ma‘mar likewise reports it from al-Zuhri.