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.  

لِي أَبُو قِلاَبَةَ أَلاَ تَلْقَاهُ فَتَسْأَلَهُ قَالَ فَلَقِيتُهُ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ كُنَّا بِمَاءٍ مَمَرَّ النَّاسِ وَكَانَ يَمُرُّ بِنَا الرُّكْبَانُ فَنَسْأَلُهُمْ مَا لِلنَّاسِ مَا لِلنَّاسِ مَا هَذَا الرَّجُلُ فَيَقُولُونَ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَرْسَلَهُ أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ أَوْ أَوْحَى اللَّهُ بِكَذَا فَكُنْتُ أَحْفَظُ ذَلِكَ الْكَلاَمَ وَكَأَنَّمَا يُغْرَى فِي صَدْرِي وَكَانَتِ الْعَرَبُ تَلَوَّمُ بِإِسْلاَمِهِمِ الْفَتْحَ فَيَقُولُونَ اتْرُكُوهُ وَقَوْمَهُ فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ ظَهَرَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَهْوَ نَبِيٌّ صَادِقٌ فَلَمَّا كَانَتْ وَقْعَةُ أَهْلِ الْفَتْحِ بَادَرَ كُلُّ قَوْمٍ بِإِسْلاَمِهِمْ وَبَدَرَ أَبِي قَوْمِي بِإِسْلاَمِهِمْ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ قَالَ جِئْتُكُمْ وَاللَّهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ حَقًّا فَقَالَ صَلُّوا صَلاَةَ كَذَا فِي حِينِ كَذَا وَصَلُّوا كَذَا فِي حِينِ كَذَا فَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلاَةُ فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ أَحَدُكُمْ وَلْيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قُرْآنًا فَنَظَرُوا فَلَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ أَكْثَرَ قُرْآنًا مِنِّي لِمَا كُنْتُ أَتَلَقَّى مِنَ الرُّكْبَانِ فَقَدَّمُونِي بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَنَا ابْنُ سِتٍّ أَوْ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ وَكَانَتْ عَلَىَّ بُرْدَةٌ كُنْتُ إِذَا سَجَدْتُ تَقَلَّصَتْ عَنِّي فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنَ الْحَىِّ أَلاَ تُغَطُّوا عَنَّا اسْتَ قَارِئِكُمْ فَاشْتَرَوْا فَقَطَعُوا لِي قَمِيصًا فَمَا فَرِحْتُ بِشَىْءٍ فَرَحِي بِذَلِكَ الْقَمِيصِ  

[Machine] "My father, Abu Qilabah, is still alive. Have you not met him to hear from him? So, I met Umar and he narrated to me. He said, we were in the gathering of the people, and the travelers used to pass by us. We would ask them about this matter and what it meant for the people. They would say, there is a prophet who claims that Allah has sent him and that Allah has revealed to him such and such. The Arabs blamed themselves for not embracing Islam earlier and they said, let us wait until he appears, and if he does, then he is a prophet, so believe in him. After the conquest of Mecca, every group quickly embraced Islam and rushed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . They came to him and stayed with him. Then he came to us and we met him. He said, 'I have come to you from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with the truth, and indeed he "commands you to do such and such, and when the prayer is due, let one of you call the Adhan and lead you in prayer, the one among you who has the most knowledge of the Quran.' So, they looked and could not find anyone among them who had more knowledge of the Quran than me, so they made me their Imam, and I was seven or six years old. I used to perform Salah and when I would prostrate, my garment would become tight on me. A woman from our neighborhood would say, 'Cover your reciter for us.' He said, 'So I would scrunch up my garment, from the scrunching of the people of Yemen, for six or seven Dirhams, and nothing would make me happier than that, just as being happy with that.' Al-Bukhari has narrated this Hadith from Sulayman bin Harb in a shortened form, so I have mentioned it in its complete form."  

لِي أَبُو قِلَابَةَ هُوَ حَيٌّ أَلَا تَلْقَاهُ فَتَسْمَعَ مِنْهُ؟ فَلَقِيتُ عَمْرًا فَحَدَّثَنِي بِالْحَدِيثِ قَالَ كُنَّا بِمَمَرِّ النَّاسِ فَتُحَدِّثُنَا الرُّكْبَانُ فَنَسْأَلُهُمْ مَا هَذَا الْأَمْرُ وَمَا لِلنَّاسِ فَيَقُولُونَ نَبِيٌّ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَرْسَلَهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَكَانَتِ الْعَرَبُ تَلُومُ بِإِسْلَامِهَا الْفَتْحَ وَيَقُولُونَ أَنْظِرُوهُ فَإِنْ ظَهَرَ فَهُوَ نَبِيٌّ فَصَدِّقُوهُ فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدَ وَقْعَةِ الْفَتْحِ بَادَرَ كُلُّ قَوْمٍ بِإِسْلَامِهِمْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَدِمَ فَأَقَامَ عِنْدَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا ثُمَّ جَاءَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ فَتَلَقَّيْنَاهُ فَقَالَ جِئْتُكُمْ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَقًّا وَإِنَّهُ «يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِكَذَا وَكَذَا فَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ أَحَدُكُمْ وَلْيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قُرْآنًا» فَنَظَرُوا فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا أَكْثَرَ قُرْآنًا مِنِّي فَقَدَّمُونِي وَأَنَا ابْنُ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ أَوْ سِتِّ سِنِينَ فَكُنْتُ أُصَلِّي فَإِذَا سَجَدْتُ تَقَلَّصَتْ بُرْدَتِي عَلَيَّ قَالَ تَقُولُ امْرَأَةٌ مِنَ الْحَيِّ غَطُّوا عَنَّا اسْتَ قَارِئِكُمْ قَالَ فَكُسِيتُ مُعَقَّدَةً مِنْ مُعَقَّدَاتِ الْيَمَنِ بِسِتَّةِ دَرَاهِمَ أَوْ سَبْعَةٍ فَمَا فَرِحْتُ بِشَيْءٍ كَفَرَحِي بِذَلِكَ «قَدْ رَوَى الْبُخَارِيُّ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ حَرْبٍ مُخْتَصَرًا فَأَخْرَجْتُهُ بِطُولِهِ» أخرج البخاري بعضه  

[Machine] "We were in the presence of a man who was passing by people, so we would ask them about this matter. They would say, 'He is a man who claims to be a prophet and that Allah has sent him, and that Allah has revealed to him such and such.' I would not hear anything except that I would memorize it as if it were being engraved on my heart with glue. Until I gathered a lot of Qur'an from him. The Arabs would criticize Islam, saying, 'Look, if victory comes to him, then he is truthful and he is a prophet.' So when the Battle of Fath (conquest) came to us, every tribe rushed to embrace Islam. My father also became a Muslim. So he stayed with the Prophet ﷺ whatever Allah willed. Then he came to us, and when we saw him, he said, 'I have come to you, I swear by Allah, from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with the truth.' Then he said, 'He orders you to do such and such and prohibits you from doing such and such, and that you should pray such and such prayer at such and such time. So when the prayer time comes, one of you should give the call to prayer and lead you in prayer, the one with the most Qur'an among you.' So they looked at our people and found no one who had more Qur'an than me, so they brought me forward and I would lead them in prayer, even though I was only six years old.' He said, 'So I would wear a cloak, and when I prostrated, it would shrink from me.' He said, 'A woman from the neighborhood said, 'Shouldn't we cover you from the gaze of your readers?' So she gave me a shirt made of fine Bahraini fabric. I have never been happier with anything more than I was with that shirt.'"  

كُنَّا بِحَضْرَةِ مَاءٍ مَمَرِّ النَّاسِ فَكُنَّا نَسْأَلُهُمْ مَا هَذَا الْأَمْرُ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ رَجُلٌ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ وَأَنَّ اللهَ أَرْسَلَهُ وَأَنَّ اللهَ أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَجَعَلْتُ لَا أَسْمَعُ شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا حَفِظْتُهُ كَأَنَّمَا يُغْرَى فِي صَدْرِي بِغِرَاءٍ حَتَّى جَمَعْتُ مِنْهُ قُرْآنًا كَثِيرًا قَالَ فَكَانَتِ الْعَرَبُ تُلَوَّمُ بِإِسْلَامِهَا الْفَتْحَ وَيَقُولُونَ انْظُرُوا فَإِنْ ظَهَرَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَهُوَ صَادِقٌ وَهُوَ نَبِيٌّ فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْنَا وَقْعَةُ الْفَتْحِ بَادَرَ كُلُّ قَوْمٍ بِإِسْلَامِ قَوْمِهِمْ فَانْطَلَقَ أَبِي بِإِسْلَامِ أَهْلِ حِوَائِنَا ذَلِكَ فَأَقَامَ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَا شَاءَ اللهُ أَنْ يُقِيمَ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ فَلَمَّا دَنَا مِنَّا تَلَقَّيْنَاهُ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَاهُ قَالَ جِئْتُكُمْ وَاللهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ حَقًّا قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ «إِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِكَذَا وَكَذَا وَيَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَأَنْ تُصَلُّوا صَلَاةَ كَذَا فِي حِينِ كَذَا فَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ أَحَدُكُمْ وَلْيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قُرْآنًا» قَالَ فَنَظَرُوا إِلَى أَهْلِ حِوَائِنَا فَمَا وَجَدُوا أَحَدًا أَكْثَرَ مِنِّي قُرْآنًا لِلَّذِي كُنْتُ أَحْفَظُ مِنَ الرُّكْبَانِ فَقَدَّمُونِي بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَكُنْتُ أُصَلِّي بِهِمْ وَأَنَا ابْنُ سِتِّ سِنِينَ قَالَ فَكَانَتْ عَلَيَّ بُرْدَةٌ كُنْتُ إِذَا سَجَدْتُ تَقَلَّصَتْ عَنِّي قَالَ فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنَ الْحَيِّ أَلَا تُغَطُّوا عَنَّا اسْتَ قَارِئِكُمْ قَالَ فَكَسَوْنِي قَمِيصًا مِنْ مَعْقِدِ الْبَحْرَيْنِ فَمَا فَرِحْتُ بِشَيْءٍ أَشَدَّ مِنْ فَرَحِي بِذَلِكَ الْقَمِيصِ  

[Machine] We were by a great body of water on the side of the road, and travelers would come to us, so we would ask them, "What does this man say?" They would mean the Prophet Mohammed, ﷺ , and they would say, "He says so and so, and he commands them to do this, and he forbids you from doing that." I was a boy of six years old, and I did not hear anything except as if it were written in my heart. And the people would say, "Look at what the people of this man do." So when Mecca was conquered, the people sent their delegations to the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ . And my father was one of the delegations of his people. So he came to them and said, "I come to you from the Messenger of Allah, who commands you to do this and forbids you from doing that. And when the prayer is due, let the one with the most Quran among you lead the prayer." So they looked and did not find anyone with more Quran than me, so they made me lead and I prayed with them. I had a cloak or a shawl. An old woman said, "Don't you cover your reciters?" So I bought a garment from Bahrain and a woman from the neighborhood made it into a shirt for me. I have never been so happy with anything after Islam as I was with that shirt.  

كُنَّا بِحَاضِرِ مَاءٍ عَظِيمٍ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الطَّرِيقِ فَيَأْتِينَا الرُّكْبَانُ فَنَسْأَلُهُمْ مَا يَقُولُ هَذَا الرَّجُلُ؟ يَعْنُونَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَيَقُولُونَ يَقُولُ كَذَا وَيَأْمُرُهُمْ بِكَذَا وَيَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ كَذَا وَأَنَا غُلَامٌ ابْنُ سِتِّ سِنِينَ لَا أَسْمَعُ شَيْئًا إِلَّا كَأَنَّمَا كُتِبَ فِي قَلْبِي وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقُولُونَ انْظُرُوا مَا يَصْنَعُ قَوْمُ الرَّجُلِ فَلَمَّا فُتِحَتْ مَكَّةُ بَعَثَ النَّاسُ وُفُودَهُمْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَكَانَ أَبِي وَافِدَ قَوْمِهِ فَأَتَاهُمْ فَقَالَ «أَتَيْتُكُمْ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِكَذَا وَيَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ كَذَا وَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَلْيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قُرْآنًا» فَنَظَرُوا فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا أَكْثَرَ قُرْآنًا مِنِّي فَقَدَّمُونِي فَصَلَّيْتُ بِهِمْ عَلَيَّ بُرْدَةٌ لِي أَوْ شَمْلَةٌ لِي فَقَالَتْ عَجُوزٌ أَلَا تُغَطُّونَ عَنَّا اسْتَ قَارِئِكُمْ؟ فَاشْتُرِيَ ثَوْبٌ مِنْ مَقْعَدَةِ الْبَحْرَيْنِ فَقَطَعَتْهُ لِيَ امْرَأَةٌ مِنَ الْحَيِّ قَمِيصًا فَمَا فَرِحْتُ بِشَيْءٍ قَطُّ بَعْدَ الْإِسْلَامِ فَرَحِي بِذَلِكَ الْقَمِيصِ