There gathered near the House (i.e. the Kaʿba) two Quraishi persons and a person from Thaqif (or two persons from Thaqif and one from Quraish), and all of them with very fat bellies but very little intelligence. One of them said, "Do you think that Allah hears what we say?" Another said, "He hears us when we talk in a loud voice, but He doesn't hear us when we talk in a low tone." The third said, "If He can hear when we talk in a loud tone, then He can also hear when we speak in a low tone." Then Allah, the Honorable, the Majestic revealed: 'And you have not been screening against yourself lest your ears, and eyes and your skins should testify against you....' (41.22-23) This hadith has been narrated through another chain as well.  

اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ قُرَشِيَّانِ وَثَقَفِيٌّ أَوْ ثَقَفِيَّانِ وَقُرَشِيٌّ كَثِيرَةٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ قَلِيلَةٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَتُرَوْنَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا نَقُولُ قَالَ الآخَرُ يَسْمَعُ إِنْ جَهَرْنَا وَلاَ يَسْمَعُ إِنْ أَخْفَيْنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا جَهَرْنَا فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷻ {وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلاَ جُلُودُكُمْ} الآيَةَ وَكَانَ سُفْيَانُ يُحَدِّثُنَا بِهَذَا فَيَقُولُ حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ أَوِ ابْنُ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ أَوْ حُمَيْدٌ أَحَدُهُمْ أَوِ اثْنَانِ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ ثَبَتَ عَلَى مَنْصُورٍ وَتَرَكَ ذَلِكَ مِرَارًا غَيْرَ وَاحِدَةٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَنْصُورٌ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي مَعْمَرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِنَحْوِهِ  

Do you think that Allah hears as we speak? The other one said: He does hear when we speak loudly and He does not hear when we speak in undertones, and still the other one said: If He listens when we speak loudly, He also listens when we speak in undertones. It was on this occasion that this verse was revealed:" You did not conceal yourselves lest your ears, your eyes and your skins would stand witness against you" (xli. 22).  

اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ ثَلاَثَةُ نَفَرٍ قُرَشِيَّانِ وَثَقَفِيٌّ أَوْ ثَقَفِيَّانِ وَقُرَشِيٌّ قَلِيلٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ كَثِيرٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَتَرَوْنَ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا نَقُولُ وَقَالَ الآخَرُ يَسْمَعُ إِنْ جَهَرْنَا وَلاَ يَسْمَعُ إِنْ أَخْفَيْنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا جَهَرْنَا فَهُوَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷻ { وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلاَ جُلُودُكُمْ} الآيَةَ  

"Three men whose bellies were fat, but whose hearts had little understanding, were arguing at the House. Two of them were from Quraish and one was from Thaqif - or two from Thaqif, and one from Quraish. One of them said: 'Do you think that Allah can hear what we are saying?' Another said: 'He can hear if we are loud, but He can not hear when we are quiet.' Another said: 'If He can hear when we are loud then He can hear when we are quiet.' So Allah, the Mighty and Sublime revealed: And you have not been hiding yourselves, lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should testify against you (41:22)."  

اخْتَصَمَ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ ثَلاَثَةُ نَفَرٍ قُرَشِيَّانِ وَثَقَفِيٌّ أَوْ ثَقَفِيَّانِ وَقُرَشِيٌّ قَلِيلاً فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ كَثِيرًا شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَتَرَوْنَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا نَقُولُ فَقَالَ الآخَرُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا جَهَرْنَا وَلاَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا جَهَرْنَا فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ( ومَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلاَ جُلُودُكُمْ )  

[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]  

[Machine] "I was hidden behind the curtains of the Kaaba when two men entered, one of them being from the Quraysh and the other from the Thaqif. Both of them were circumcised, but the Qurayshi had excessive belly fat while the Thaqafi had less. Their understanding was limited, and they started conversing among themselves. One of them asked his companion, 'Do you think Allah, the Almighty, hears what we say?' The other replied, 'I believe He hears us when we raise our voices but not when we speak softly.' The first one said, 'If He hears anything from us, He hears it all.' So, I went to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him about this. Then Allah, the Almighty, revealed the verse: 'And you were not covering yourselves lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allah does not know much of what you do.' (Surah Fussilat, 41: 22)"

Note: The Arabic phrase "ﷺ" is a respectful way to refer to the Prophet Muhammad. It stands for "Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam," which means "Peace be upon him."  

إِنِّي لَمُسْتَتِرٌ بِأَسْتَارِ الْكَعْبَةِ إِذْ دَخَلَ رَجُلَانِ ثَقَفِيَّانِ وَخَتَنُهُمَا قُرَشِيٌّ أَوْ قُرَشِيَّانِ وَخَتَنُهُمَا ثَقَفِيٌّ كَثِيرَةٌ شُحُومُ بُطُونِهِمْ قَلِيلٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَتَحَدَّثُوا بِحَدِيثٍ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ لِصَاحِبِهِ أَتُرَى اللهَ ﷻ يَسْمَعُ مَا نَقُولُ؟ قَالَ الْآخَرُ أُرَاهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا أَصْوَاتَنَا وَلَا يَسْمَعُ إِذَا خَافَتْنَا قَالَ الْآخَرُ لَئِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا إِنَّهُ لَيَسْمَعُهُ كُلَّهُ فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ} الْآيَةَ [فصلت 22]  

[Machine] "I was covered with the covering of the Kaaba, and in the mosque, there was a man from Thaqeef, whom the Quraysh people circumcised. They said, 'Do you think that Allah hears our conversation?' One of them said, 'Indeed, He hears us when we raise our voices.' Another man said, 'If He hears us when we raise our voices, then He would also hear us if we lower our voices.' And the other man said, 'I can only see that Allah hears our conversation.' Ibn Mas'ud said, 'So I went to the Prophet of Allahﷺ and informed him of their statement. Then Allah revealed the verse, 'And you were not covering yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins' until the end of the verse.'"  

كُنْتُ مُسْتَتِرًا بِحِجَابِ الْكَعْبَةِ وَفِي الْمَسْجِدِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ ثَقِيفٍ وَخَتَنَاهُ قُرَشِيَّانِ فَقَالُوا تَرَوْنَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ حَدِيثَنَا؟ فقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا فقَالَ رَجُلٌ لَئِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا لَيَسْمَعَنَّ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ مَا أَرَى إِلَّا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ حَدِيثَنَا قَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ فَأَتَيْتُ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِقَوْلِهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ {وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ} إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةِ  

[Machine] "I was hidden behind the cover of the Ka'aba when three Khath'ami people arrived, who were well-off but lacked knowledge. They began to engage in conversation among themselves. One of them said, 'Do you think Allah hears what we say?' Another said, 'When we raise our voices, He hears us, but when we lower our voices, He does not.' The third one said, 'If He hears us when we raise our voices, then He hears us when we lower them.' I then went to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him about this, so Allah revealed the verse, 'And you were not covering yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins.''"  

إِنِّي لَمُسْتَتِرٌ بِأَسْتَارِ الْكَعْبَةِ إِذْ جَاءَ ثَلَاثَةُ نَفَرٍ ثَقَفِيٌّ وَخَتَنَاهُ قُرَشِيَّانِ كَثِيرٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ قَلِيلٌ فِقْهُهُمْ فَتَحَدَّثُوا الْحَدِيثَ بَيْنَهُمْ فقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَتَرَى اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا قُلْنَا؟ وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا سَمِعَ وَإِذَا خَفَضْنَا لَمْ يَسْمَعْ وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا خَفَضْنَا فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ «{وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ}» الْآيَةَ  

[Machine] I was hidden behind the curtains of the Kaaba when three individuals arrived: Thaqafi and two Qurayshi men, who were extremely fat but lacked knowledge. They engaged in conversation, and one of them said, "Do you think Allah hears what we say?" The other replied, "If we raise our voices, He hears us, but if we lower them, He does not." The third said, "If He hears us when we raise our voices, then He surely hears us when we lower them." I then went to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him of this. Allah revealed the verse {And you were not covering yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allah does not know much of what you do} until [the phrase] {from the losers}. This narration is reported by Sufyan al-Thawri, while Abu Muawiya and the companions of al-A'mash disagree with him.  

إِنِّي لَمُسْتَتِرٌ بِأَسْتَارِ الْكَعْبَةِ إِذْ جَاءَ ثَلَاثَةُ نَفَرٍ؛ ثَقَفِيٌّ وَخَتَنَاهُ قُرَشِيَّانِ كَثِيرٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ قَلِيلٌ فِقْهُهُمْ فَتَحَدَّثُوا الْحَدِيثَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ تَرَى اللهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا قُلْنَا؟ قَالَ الْآخَرُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا يَسْمَعُ وَإِذَا خَفَضْنَا لَمْ يَسْمَعْ فَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا خَفَضْنَا فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {وَمَا كُنْتُمُ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَكِنْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنَّ اللهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ} إِلَى قَوْلِهِ {مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ} هَكَذَا رَوَاهُ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَخَالَفَهُ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ وَأَصْحَابُ الْأَعْمَشِ  

[Machine] Abdullah, I was hiding behind the curtains of the Kaaba when three individuals came, their bellies were full but their understanding was little. One was from the Quraysh, and the other two were from the Thaqif. They spoke in a language that I did not understand. One of them said, "Do you think Allah hears our conversation?" The other replied, "When we raise our voices, he hears them, but if we don't raise them, he won't hear." The third individual said, "If he hears anything from us, he hears everything." I mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , and then Allah revealed the verse, "And you were not hiding yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins" (Quran 41:22).  

عَبْدُ اللهِ كُنْتُ مُسْتَتِرًا بِأَسْتَارِ الْكَعْبَةِ فَجَاءَ ثَلَاثَةُ نَفَرٍ كَثِيرٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ قَلِيلٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ قُرَشِيٌّ وَخَتَنَاهُ ثَقَفِيَّانِ أَوْ ثَقَفِيٌّ وَخَتَنَاهُ قُرَشِيَّانِ فَتَكَلَّمُوا بِكَلَامٍ لَمْ أَفْقَهْهُ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ تَرَى اللهَ يَسْمَعُ كَلَامَنَا وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا أَصْوَاتَنَا سَمِعَهَا فَإِذَا لَمْ نَرْفَعْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهَا وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنْ سَمِعَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا سَمِعَهُ كُلَّهُ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ} الْآيَةَ  

[Machine] "I was hiding behind the Kaaba's cover, and in the mosque, there was a man from Thaqeef who had been circumcised by the Quraishites. He said, 'Do you think Allah can hear our whispers?' One of them said, 'He can hear us when we raise our voices.' The other one said, 'If He can hear us when we raise our voices, then He can hear us when we lower them.' Ibn Mas'ud said, 'So I went to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him of what they said.' So Allah revealed the verse, 'And you were not covering yourselves lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins,' until the end of the verse. And Ibn Mas'ud differed from them."  

كُنْتُ مُسْتَتِرًا بِحِجَابِ الْكَعْبَةِ وَفِي الْمَسْجِدِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ ثَقِيفٍ وَخَتَنَاهُ قُرَشِيَّانِ فَقَالَ تَرَوْنَ اللهَ يَسْمَعُ دَنْدَنَتَنَا؟ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَنْ يَسْمَعَ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا فَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا رَفَعْنَا لَيَسْمَعَنَّ إِذَا خَفَضْنَا قَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِقَوْلِهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ} إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةِ وَخَالَفَهُمُ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ