I have come from Koofah, O Ameer al-­Mu'mineen, and I left behind in it a man who dictates the Mushaf From memory. ‘Umar got exceedingly angry and said: Who is he, woe to you? He said: 'Abdullah bin Mas'ood. ‘Umar began to calm down, and went back to normal, then he said: Woe to you, I do not know of anyone who is more qualified to do that than him, and I will tell you about that. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to stay up at night talking with Abu Bakr ؓ discussing some affairs of the Muslims. He stayed up talking with him one night, and I was with him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out, and we went out with him, and we saw a man standing and praying in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ listened to his recitation, and as soon as we recognised him the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ʿWhoever would like to recite the Qur'an fresh as it was revealed, let him recite it according to the recitation of Ibn Umm 'Abd.ʿ Then the same man sat and offered supplication (du'a') and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ started saying to him: ʿAsk, you will be given;ask, you will be given.” ‘Umar said: By Allah, I shall go to him tomorrow and tell hirm the glad tidings. I went to him the next morning to tell him the glad tidings, and I found that Abu Bakr had beaten me to it and given him the glad tidings. By Allah, I never competed with him to do good but he beat me to it.

عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ قَالَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى عُمَرَ وَهُوَ بِعَرَفَةَ قَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ وَحَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُعَنْ خَيْثَمَةَ عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ مَرْوَانَ أَنَّهُ أَتَى عُمَرَ فَقَالَ جِئْتُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنَ الْكُوفَةِ وَتَرَكْتُ بِهَا رَجُلًا يُمْلِي الْمَصَاحِفَ عَنْ ظَهْرِ قَلْبِهِ فَغَضِبَ وَانْتَفَخَ حَتَّى كَادَ يَمْلَأُ مَا بَيْنَ شُعْبَتَيِ الرَّحْلِ فَقَالَ وَمَنْ هُوَ وَيْحَكَ؟ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ فَمَا زَالَ يُطْفَأُ وَيُسَرَّى عَنْهُ الْغَضَبُ حَتَّى عَادَ إِلَى حَالِهِ الَّتِي كَانَ عَلَيْهَاثُمَّ قَالَ وَيْحَكَ وَاللهِ مَا أَعْلَمُهُ بَقِيَ مِنَ النَّاسِ أَحَدٌ هُوَ أَحَقُّ بِذَلِكَ مِنْهُ وَسَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَا يَزَالُ يَسْمُرُ عِنْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ اللَّيْلَةَ كَذَاكَ فِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِنَّهُ سَمَرَ عِنْدَهُ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ وَأَنَا مَعَهُ فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَخَرَجْنَا مَعَهُ فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَسْتَمِعُ قِرَاءَتَهُ فَلَمَّا كِدْنَا أَنْ نَعْرِفَهُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ رَطْبًا كَمَا أُنْزِلَ فَلْيَقْرَأْهُ عَلَى قِرَاءَةِ ابْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ جَلَسَ الرَّجُلُ يَدْعُو فَجَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَهُ سَلْ تُعْطَهْ سَلْ تُعْطَهْ قَالَ عُمَرُ قُلْتُ وَاللهِ لَأَغْدُوَنَّ إِلَيْهِ فَلَأُبَشِّرَنَّهُ قَالَ فَغَدَوْتُ إِلَيْهِ لِأُبَشِّرَهُ فَوَجَدْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ قَدْ سَبَقَنِي إِلَيْهِ فَبَشَّرَهُ وَلا وَاللهِ مَا سَابَقْتُهُ إِلَى خَيْرٍ قَطُّ إِلَّا سَبَقَنِي إِلَيْهِ

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out to visit a man from the Ansar, and when he entered upon him, he placed his hand on his forehead and said, "How do you find yourself?" He did not feel any pain, so it was said, "O Messenger of Allah, he is preoccupied with you." So he said, "Leave me alone with him." The women left him and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his hand and the sick man indicated that he should move his hand where it was. Then he called out, "O so-and-so, how do you find yourself?" He said, "I find myself well and I have been visited by two, one of them is black and the other is white." So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Which of them is closer to you?" He said, "The black." He said, "Indeed, good is only a little, and evil is abundant." He said, "So grant me something from your prayer, O Messenger of Allah." So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "O Allah, forgive the many sins and grant me the little good." Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "What do you see?" He said, "I see good, by my father and mother, good is growing and I see evil declining, and the blackness has been delayed from me." He said, "What work did you do when you were most devoted to it?" He said, "I used to water the water." So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Listen, O Salman, do you deny anything from me?" He said, "Yes, by my father and mother, I have seen you in places where I did not see you in the same condition as you are today." He said, "I know what will meet every vein, except that it is death approaching rapidly."

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ خَرَجَ يَعُودُ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ وَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى جَبِينِهِ فَقَالَ «كَيْفَ تَجِدُكَ؟» فَلَمْ يُحِرْ إِلَيْهِ شَيْئًا فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّهُ عَنْكَ مَشْغُولٌ فَقَالَ «خَلُّوا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ» فَخَرَجَ النِّسَاءُ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ وَتَرَكُوا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَرَفَعَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَدَهُ وَأَشَارَ الْمَرِيضُ أَنْ أَعِدْ يَدَكَ حَيْثُ كَانَتْ ثُمَّ نَادَى «يَا فُلَانُ مَا تَجِدُ؟» قَالَ أَجِدُ خَيْرًا وَقَدْ حَضَرَنِي اثْنَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَسْوَدُ وَالْآخَرُ أَبْيَضُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «أَيُّهُمَا أَقْرَبُ مِنْكَ؟» قَالَ الْأَسْوَدُ قَالَ «إِنَّ الْخَيْرَ قَلِيلٌ وَإِنَّ الشَّرَّ كَثِيرٌ» قَالَ فَمَتِّعْنِي مِنْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ بِدَعْوَةٍ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «اللهُمَّ اغْفِرِ الْكَثِيرَ وَأَنْمِ الْقَلِيلَ» ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «مَا تَرَى؟» قَالَ خَيْرًا بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَأُمِّي الْخَيْرُ يَنْمُو وَأَرَى الشَّرَّ يَضْمَحِلُّ وَقَدِ اسْتَأْخَرَ مِنِّي الْأَسْوَدُ قَالَ «أَيُّ عَمَلِكَ كَانَ أَمْلَكُ بِكَ؟» قَالَ كُنْتُ أَسْقِي الْمَاءَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «اسْمَعْ يَا سَلْمَانُ هَلْ تُنْكِرُ مِنِّي شَيْئًا؟» قَالَ نَعَمْ بِأَبِي وَأُمِّي قَدْ رَأَيْتُكَ فِي مَوَاطِنَ فَمَا رَأَيْتُكَ عَلَى مِثْلِ حَالِكَ الْيَوْمَ قَالَ «إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا يَلْقَى مَا مِنْهُ عِرْقٌ إِلَّا وَهُوَ الْمَوْتُ عَلَى حِدَتِهِ»