Messenger of Allah, who will lead us in prayer? He said: The one of you who knows most of the Qur’an, or memorizes most of the Qur’an, (should act as your imam). There was none in the clan who knew more of the Qur’an than I did. They, therefore, put me in front of them and I was only a boy. And I wore a mantle, Whenever I was present in the gathering of Jarm (name of his clan), I would act as their Imam, and lead them in their funeral prayer until today. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by ‘Amr b. Salamah through a different chain of transmitter. This version has: “When my clan visited the Prophet( may peace be upon him) ....” He did not report it on the authority of his father. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 587)   

عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّهُمْ وَفَدُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَلَمَّا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَنْصَرِفُوا قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَنْ يَؤُمُّنَا؟ قَالَ أَكْثَرُكُمْ جَمْعًا لِلْقُرْآنِ أَوْ أَخْذًا لِلْقُرْآنِ قَالَ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ جَمَعَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا جَمَعْتُ قَالَ فَقَدَّمُونِي وَأَنَا غُلَامٌ فَكُنْتُ أَؤُمُّهُمْ وَعَلَيَّ شَمْلَةٌ لِي قَالَ فَمَا شَهِدْتُ مَجْمَعًا مِنْ جَرْمٍ إِلَّا كُنْتُ إِمَامَهُمْ وَأُصَلِّي عَلَى جَنَائِزِهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِي هَذَا  

[Machine] And Ismail said: "Once, the people passed by us on their way back from the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ . So, I approached them and listened until I memorized the Quran. The people were waiting for the conquest of Makkah to embrace Islam. When Makkah was conquered, a man would come to the Messenger of Allah and say, 'O Messenger of Allah, I am the envoy of the tribe of so-and-so, and I have come to embrace Islam.' Then, my father would go to his people to announce their Islam and return to them. So, the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , said, 'Let those who have memorized the most Quran among you come forward.' They looked and I was only a boy, yet they did not find anyone who had memorized more Quran than me. They brought me forward, and I led them in prayer while I was wearing a sheet. Whenever I bowed or prostrated, my nakedness would be exposed. After we finished praying, an elderly woman said to us, 'O people, I have been blind for a long time, so protect us from your reader.' They cut a piece of their garment for me as I remembered how happy he, the Prophet, was with it, very delighted."  

وَقَالَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ مَرَّةً النَّاسُ يَمُرُّونَ بِنَا رَاجِعِينَ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَدْنُو مِنْهُمْ فَأَسْمَعُ حَتَّى حَفِظْتُ قُرْآنًا وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَنْتَظِرُونَ بِإِسْلَامِهِمْ فَتْحَ مَكَّةَ فَلَمَّا فُتِحَتْ جَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَأْتِيهِ فَيَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَنَا وَافِدُ بَنِي فُلَانٍ وَجِئْتُكَ بِإِسْلَامِهِمْ فَانْطَلَقَ أَبِي بِإِسْلَامِ قَوْمِهِ فَرَجَعَ إِلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ قَدِّمُوا أَكْثَرَكُمْ قُرْآنًا قَالَ فَنَظَرُوا وَأَنَا لَعَلَى حِوَاءٍ عَظِيمٍ فَمَا وَجَدُوا فِيهِمْ أَحَدًا أَكْثَرَ قُرْآنًا مِنِّي فَقَدَّمُونِي وَأَنَا غُلَامٌ فَصَلَّيْتُ بِهِمْ وَعَلَيَّ بُرْدَةٌ وَكُنْتُ إِذَا رَكَعْتُ أَوْ سَجَدْتُ قَلَصَتْ فَتَبْدُو عَوْرَتِي فَلَمَّا صَلَّيْنَا تَقُولُ عَجُوزٌ لَنَا دَهْرِيَّةٌ غَطُّوا عَنَّا اسْتَ قَارِئِكُمْ قَالَ فَقَطَعُوا لِي قَمِيصًا فَذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ فَرِحَ بِهِ فَرَحًا شَدِيدًا  

[Machine] The caravans used to come to us from the side of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and we would sit and learn from them. They would tell us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The one among you who knows the most Quran should lead you in prayer."  

كَانَتْ تَأْتِينَا الرُّكْبَانُ مِنْ قِبَلِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَنَسْتَقْرِئُهُمْ فَيُحَدِّثُونَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لِيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قُرْآنًا