The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Recite to me

Arabic text

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضيَ اللهُ عنهُ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «اقْرَأْ عَلَيَّ»، قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَأَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكَ، وَعَلَيْكَ أُنْزِلَ؟ قَالَ: «نَعَمْ» فَقَرَأْتُ سُورَةَ النِّسَاءِ حَتَّى أَتَيْتُ إِلَى هَذِهِ الآيَةِ: {فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ، وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَى هَؤُلاَءِ شَهِيدًا} [النساء: 41]، قَالَ: «حَسْبُكَ الآنَ» فَالْتَفَتُّ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِذَا عَيْنَاهُ تَذْرِفَانِ.

Translation

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Recite to me". I said: O Messenger of Allah, shall I recite to you while it has been revealed to you? He replied: "Yes." So I recited Surat an-Nisā’ until I reached this verse: {How will it be when We bring a witness from every community, and bring you [O Prophet] as a witness against these [people]?} [Surat an-Nisā’: 41] He said: "Enough for now." As I looked at him, I saw that his eyes were shedding tears.

Explanation

The Prophet (ﷺ) asked ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) to recite something from the Qur’an to him. Ibn Mas‘ūd said: O Messenger of Allah, how can I recite it to you when it was revealed to you? The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: Indeed, I love to hear it from others. So he recited to him from Surat an-Nisā’ and upon reaching the verse that reads: {How will it be when We bring a witness from every community, and bring you [O Prophet] as a witness against these [people]?} Meaning: What will be your condition—and that of your Ummah—when We bring you as a witness over your people, testifying that you conveyed to them your Lord's message? At that point, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Stop reading now. Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I turned to him, and his eyes were flowing with tears—out of awe for that scene and mercy for his Ummah.

Benefits

• An-Nawawi said: It is recommended to listen attentively to the recitation of the Qur’an, to weep while listening, and to reflect upon it. It is also recommended to ask someone else to recite so that one may listen, as this is more effective for understanding and contemplation than reciting it oneself.
• Listening to the Qur’an entails reward just as reciting it does.
• The virtue of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him), as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) loved to hear his recitation of the Qur’an. This indicates Ibn Mas‘ūd's diligence in learning, memorizing, and mastering the Qur’an.
• The virtue of weeping out of fear of Allah Almighty when hearing His verses—while maintaining calmness, proper silence, and avoiding loud crying.

Topics

• The Noble Qur'an and Qur'anic Sciences
• General Qur'anic Topics
• Manners of Reading and Memorizing the Qur'an