Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
ahmad:15601 – Ismāʿīl > Khālid al-Ḥadhhāʾ > Abū Qilābahaʿan Mālik b. al-Ḥūwayrith

[Machine] "The Prophet ﷺ said to him and to his companion: 'When the prayer is due, both of you give the Adhan and establish it.' He said once, 'Then establish it, then let the one with the most knowledge among you lead the prayer.' Khalid said, 'So I asked Abu Qilaba, 'Where is the recitation?' He said, 'Indeed, they used to recite in a similar manner.'"  

أحمد:١٥٦٠١ – حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ عَنْ خَالِدٍ الْحَذَّاءِ عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَعَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَهُ وَلِصَاحِبٍ لَهُ إِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَأَذِّنَا وَأَقِيمَا وَقَالَ مَرَّةً فَأَقِيمَا ثُمَّ لِيَؤُمَّكُمَا أَكْبَرُكُمَا قَالَ خَالِدٌ فَقُلْتُ لِأَبِي قِلَابَةَ فَأَيْنَ الْقِرَاءَةُ؟ قَالَ إِنَّهُمَا كَانَا مُتَقَارِبَيْنِ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Abū Dāwūd, Ṭabarānī, Bayhaqī
abudawud:589 – [Chain 1] Musaddad > Ismāʿīl [Chain 2] Musaddad > Maslamah b. Muḥammad al-Maʿná Wāḥid > Khālid > Abū Qilābah > Mālik b. al-Ḥūwayrith

When the time of prayer comes, call the Adhan, then call the iqamah, then the one who is oldest of you should act as your imam. The version narrated by Maslamah goes : He said: On that day we were almost equal in knowledge. The version narrated by Isma’il says: Khalid said: I said to Abu Qilabah: where is the Qur’an(i.e. why did the Prophet ﷺ not say: The one who knows the Qur’an most should act as imam)? He replied: Both of them were equal in the knowledge of the Qur’an.  

أبو داود:٥٨٩ – حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ حَدَّثَنَا مَسْلَمَةُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمَعْنَى وَاحِدٌ عَنْ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي قِلاَبَةَ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَهُ أَوْ لِصَاحِبٍ لَهُ إِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلاَةُ فَأَذِّنَا ثُمَّ أَقِيمَا ثُمَّ لْيَؤُمَّكُمَا أَكْبَرُكُمَا وَفِي حَدِيثِ مَسْلَمَةَ قَالَ وَكُنَّا يَوْمَئِذٍ مُتَقَارِبَيْنِ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ قَالَ خَالِدٌ قُلْتُ لأَبِي قِلاَبَةَ فَأَيْنَ الْقُرْآنُ قَالَ إِنَّهُمَا كَانَا مُتَقَارِبَيْنِ  

tabarani:16751 – ʿUbayd b. Ghannām > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Ismāʿīl b. ʿUlayyah > Khālid al-Ḥadhhāʾ > Abū Qilābah > Mālik b. al-Ḥūwayrith

[Machine] "That the Prophet ﷺ said to him and to his companion, 'When the prayer is due, then give the adhan and then establish it, and let the one amongst you who knows the Qur'an most, lead the prayer.'"  

الطبراني:١٦٧٥١ – حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ بْنُ غَنَّامٍ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ثنا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عُلَيَّةَ عَنْ خَالِدٍ الْحَذَّاءِ عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَهُ وَلِصَاحِبٍ لَهُ «إِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَأَذِّنَا ثُمَّ أَقِيمَا وَلْيَؤُمَّكُمَا أَكْبَرُكُمَا»  

tabarani:16752 – ʿUbayd b. Ghannām > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Ismāʿīl b. ʿUlayyah > Khālid al-Ḥadhhāʾ > Abū Qilābah > Mālik b. al-Ḥūwayrith

[Machine] The Prophet ﷺ said to him and his companion, "When the prayer is due, give the call to prayer and then establish the prayer, and let the one with the loudest voice lead you." So I said to Abu Qilabah, "Where is the recitation?" He said, "They used to have similar recitations."  

الطبراني:١٦٧٥٢ – حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ بْنُ غَنَّامٍ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ثنا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عُلَيَّةَ عَنْ خَالِدٍ الْحَذَّاءِ عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَهُ وَلِصَاحِبٍ لَهُ «إِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَأَذِّنَا ثُمَّ أَقِيمَا وَلْيَؤُمَّكُمَا أَكْبَرُكُمَا» فَقُلْتُ لِأَبِي قِلَابَةَ فَأَيْنَ الْقِرَاءَةُ؟ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُمَا كَانَا مُتَقَارِبَيْنِ  

bayhaqi:5294 – Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī > Abū Bakr b. Dāsah > Abū Dāwud > Musaddad > Ismāʿīl And Maslamah b. Muḥammad al-Maʿná Wāḥid > Khālid > Abū Qilābah > Mālik b. Ḥūwayrith

When the time of prayer comes, call the Adhan, then call the iqamah, then the one who is oldest of you should act as your imam. The version narrated by Maslamah goes : He said: On that day we were almost equal in knowledge. The version narrated by Isma’il says: Khalid said: I said to Abu Qilabah: where is the Qur’an(i.e. why did the Prophet ﷺ not say: The one who knows the Qur’an most should act as imam)? He replied: Both of them were equal in the knowledge of the Qur’an. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 589)   

البيهقي:٥٢٩٤ – أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيُّ أنبأ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ دَاسَةَ ثنا أَبُو دَاوُدَ ثنا مُسَدَّدٌ ثنا إِسْمَاعِيلُ وَمَسْلَمَةُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمَعْنَى وَاحِدٌ عَنْ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ حُوَيْرِثٍ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَهُ أَوْ لِصَاحِبٍ لَهُ إِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَأَذِّنَا ثُمَّ أَقِيمَا ثُمَّ لِيَؤُمَّكُمَا أَكْبَرُكُمَا وَفِي حَدِيثِ مَسْلَمَةَ قَالَ كُنَّا يَوْمَئِذٍ مُتَقَارِبَيْنِ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ قَالَ خَالِدٌ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي قِلَابَةَ فَأَيْنَ الْقِرَاءَةُ؟ قَالَ إِنَّهُمَا كَانَا مُتَقَارِبَيْنِ