We were at a place which was a thoroughfare for the people, and the caravans used to pass by us and we would ask them, "What is wrong with the people? What is wrong with the people? Who is that man?. They would say, "That man claims that Allah has sent him (as an Apostle), that he has been divinely inspired, that Allah has revealed to him such-and-such." I used to memorize that (Divine) Talk, and feel as if it was inculcated in my chest (i.e. mind) And the 'Arabs (other than Quraish) delayed their conversion to Islam till the Conquest (of Mecca). They used to say." "Leave him (i.e. Muhammad) and his people Quraish: if he overpowers them then he is a true Prophet. So, when Mecca was conquered, then every tribe rushed to embrace Islam, and my father hurried to embrace Islam before (the other members of) my tribe. When my father returned (from the Prophet) to his tribe, he said, "By Allah, I have come to you from the Prophet ﷺ for sure!" The Prophet ﷺ afterwards said to them, 'Offer such-and-such prayer at such-and-such time, and when the time for the prayer becomes due, then one of you should pronounce the Adhan (for the prayer), and let the one amongst you who knows Qur'an most should, lead the prayer." So they looked for such a person and found none who knew more Qur'an than I because of the Qur'anic material which I used to learn from the caravans. They therefore made me their Imam ((to lead the prayer) and at that time I was a boy of six or seven years, wearing a Burda (i.e. a black square garment) proved to be very short for me (and my body became partly naked). A lady from the tribe said, "Won't you cover the anus of your reciter for us?" So they bought (a piece of cloth) and made a shirt for me. I had never been so happy with anything before as I was with that shirt. (Using translation from Bukhārī 4302)   

كُنَّا بِحَضْرَةِ مَاءٍ مَمَرٍّ لِلنَّاسِ وَكَانَ يَمُرُّ بِنَا الرُّكْبَانُ فَنَسْأَلُهُمْ مَا هَذَا الْأَمْرُ مَا لِلنَّاسِ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ نَبِيُّنَا يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ اللهَ ﷻ أَرْسَلَهُ وَأَنَّ اللهَ أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَجَعَلْتُ أَحْفَظُ ذَلِكَ الْكَلَامَ فَكَأَنَّمَا يُغْرَى فِي صَدْرِي بِغِرَاءٍ وَكَانَتِ الْعَرَبُ تَلَوَّمُ بِإِسْلَامِهَا الْفَتْحَ وَيَقُولُونَ أَنْظِرُوهُ فِي قَوْمِهِ فَإِنْ ظَهَرَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَهُوَ نَبِيٌّ وَهُوَ صَادِقٌ فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ وَقْعَةُ الْفَتْحِ بَادَرَ كُلُّ قَوْمٍ بِإِسْلَامِهِمْ وَانْطَلَقَ أَبِي بِإِسْلَامِ حِوَائِنَا ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ تَلَقَّيْنَاهُ فَلَمَّا رَآنَا قَالَ جِئْتُكُمْ وَاللهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ حَقًّا وَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِكَذَا وَيَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ كَذَا وَقَالَ صَلُّوا صَلَاةَ كَذَا فِي حِينِ كَذَا وَصَلَاةَ كَذَا فِي حِينِ كَذَا فَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ لَكُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ وَلْيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قُرْآنًا فَنَظَرُوا فِي أَهْلِ حِوَائِنَا ذَلِكَ فَمَا وَجَدُوا أَحَدًا أَكْثَرَ مِنِّي قُرْآنًا لِمَا كُنْتُ أَلْقَى مِنَ الرُّكْبَانِ فَقَدَّمُونِي بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَنَا ابْنُ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ أَوْ سِتِّ سِنِينَ وَكَانَتْ عَلَيَّ بُرْدَةٌ فِيهَا صِغَرٌ فَإِذَا سَجَدْتُ تَقَلَّصَتْ عَنِّي فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنَ الْحِيِّ أَلَا تُغَطُّونَ عَنَّا اسْتَ قَارِئِكُمْ؟ فَكَسَوْنِي قَمِيصًا مِنْ مُعَقَّدِ الْبَحْرَيْنِ فَمَا فَرِحْتُ بِشَيْءٍ فَرَحِي بِذَلِكَ الْقَمِيصِ  

"When my people came back from the Prophet ﷺthey said that he had said: 'Let the one who recites the Quran most lead you in prayer.' So they called me and taught me how to bow and prostrate, and I used to lead them in prayer, wearing a torn cloak, and they used to say to my father: 'Will you not conceal your son's backside from us?"' (Using translation from Nasāʾī 767)   

لَمَّا رَجَعَ قَوْمِي مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّهُ قَالَ لَنَا لِيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قِرَاءَةً لِلْقُرْآنِ قَالَ فَدَعَوْنِي فَعَلَّمُونِي الرُّكُوعَ وَالسُّجُودَ فَكُنْتُ أُصَلِّي بِهِمْ وَأَنَا غُلَامٌ وَعَلَيَّ بُرْدَةٌ مَفْتُوقَةٌ فَكَانُوا يَقُولُونَ لِأَبِي أَلَا تُغَطِّي عَنَّا اسْتَ ابْنِكَ وَرَوَاهُ مِسْعَرُ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَلَمَةَ  

[Machine] "My people came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ after they had finished reading the Qur'an, and when they had fulfilled their needs, they asked him who would lead them in prayer. He said, 'The one among you who has memorized the most of the Qur'an or who has learned the most from the Qur'an.' They returned to their people and asked them, but they did not find anyone who had memorized or learned more of the Qur'an than me. So they appointed me as their leader, even though I was just a young boy, and I used to lead them in prayer."  

قَدِمَ قَوْمِي إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ بَعْدَ مَا قَرَءُوا الْقُرْآنَ فَلَمَّا قَضَوْا حَوَائِجَهُمْ فَسَأَلُوهُ مَنْ يَؤُمُّهُمْ؟ فَقَالَ أَكْثَرُكُمْ جَمْعًا لِلْقُرْآنِ أَوْ أَخْذًا لِلْقُرْآنِ قَالَ فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى قَوْمِهِمْ فَسَأَلُوهُمْ فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا أَحَدًا أَجْمَعَ أَوْ آخِذًا لِلْقُرْآنِ مِنِّي قَالَ فَقَدَّمُونِي وَأَنَا غُلَامٌ وَكُنْتُ أُصَلِّي لَهُمْ أَوْ أُصَلِّي بِهِمْ قَالَ فَمَا شَهِدْتُ مَجْمَعًا إِلَّا كُنْتُ إِمَامَهُمْ