[Machine] I was covered with the coverings of the Kaaba, when three confident men, two Quraishites, who were very fat with little understanding in their hearts, came and talked amongst themselves. One of them said, "Do you think that Allah, the Almighty, hears what we say?" The other replied, "I see that He hears when we speak out loud, but He does not hear when we lower our voices." The third said, "If He hears anything from us, then He hears everything." I mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , and Allah, the Almighty, revealed the verse, "And you were not covering yourselves lest your hearing testify against you" (Quran 41:22) until "the losers" (Quran 41:23).
إِنِّي لَمُسْتَتِرٌ بِأَسْتَارِ الْكَعْبَةِ إِذْ جَاءَ ثَلَاثَةُ نَفَرٍ ثَقَفِيٌّ وَخَتْنَاهُ قُرَشِيَّانِ كَثِيرٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ قَلِيلٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَتَحَدَّثُوا بَيْنَهُمْ بِحَدِيثٍ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ تُرَى أَنَّ اللهَ ﷻ يَسْمَعُ مَا قُلْنَا؟ قَالَ الْآخَرُ أُرَاهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا وَلَا يَسْمَعُ إِذَا خَفَضْنَا قَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ شَيْئًا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَسْمَعُهُ كُلَّهُ قَالَ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ} [فصلت 22] حَتَّى {الْخَاسِرِينَ} [فصلت 23]