Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
darimi:3391 – And Hb b. Jarīr > Mūsá / Ibn ʿUlay from my father > ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Learn the Book of Allah, abide by its teachings, sing its verses, and recite it frequently. I swear by the One in whose hand is my soul, or by the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, it is harder to deviate from the right path than the pain of giving birth in the intellect."  

الدارمي:٣٣٩١ – حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى يَعْنِي ابْنَ عُلَيٍّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُقْبَةَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ يَقُولُ

«قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ» تَعَلَّمُوا كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَتَعَاهَدُوهُ وَتَغَنَّوْا بِهِ وَاقْتَنُوهُ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ أَوْ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ تَفَلُّتًا مِنَ الْمَخَاضِ فِي الْعُقُلِ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad, Dārimī, Ibn Ḥibbān, Ṭabarānī, Nasāʾī's Kubrá, Suyūṭī
ahmad:17317 – ʿAlī b. Isḥāq > Ibn al-Mubārak ʿAbdullāh > Mūsá b. ʿAlī from my father > ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Learn the Book of Allah, hold onto it, and recite it, for I swear by the One in whose hand is my soul, it is more deviant than the throes of childbirth in the intellect."  

أحمد:١٧٣١٧ – حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ عَبْدُ اللهِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عُقْبَةَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ يَقُولُ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ تَعَلَّمُواكِتَابَ اللهِ وَتَعَاهَدُوهُ وَتَغَنُّوا بِهِ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ تَفَلُّتًا مِنَ الْمَخَاضِ فِي الْعُقُلِ  

darimi:3392 – ʿAbdullāh b. Ṣāliḥ > Mūsá from his father > ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] The phrase translates to: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Learn the Quran, memorize it, keep it close, and let it be a source of enrichment for you. By the One in whose hand is my soul, it is more prone to slipping away from one's intellect than a difficult birth."  

الدارمي:٣٣٩٢ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ صَالِحٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُوسَى عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ «تَعَلَّمُوا كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَتَعَاهَدُوهُ وَاقْتَنُوهُ وَتَغَنَّوْا بِهِ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ تَفَلُّتًا مِنَ الْمَخَاضِ فِي الْعُقُلِ»  

ذِكْرُ الْأَمْرِ بِاقْتِنَاءِ الْقُرْآنِ مَعَ تَعْلِيمِهِ

ibnhibban:119 – al-Ḥasan b. Sufyān > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Zayd b. Ḥubāb > Mūsá b. ʿAlī from my father > ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Learn the Quran and keep it with you, for by the One in whose hand is my soul, it is more intricate than the separation of the placenta in the womb."  

ابن حبّان:١١٩ – أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سُفْيَانَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ حُبَابٍ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عُقْبَةَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ يَقُولُ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «تَعَلَّمُوا الْقُرْآنَ وَاقْتَنُوهُ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ تَفَصِّيًا مِنَ الْمَخَاضِ فِي الْعُقُلِ»  

tabarani:14929 – [Chain 1] Bishr b. Mūsá > Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥman al-Muqriʾ > Qabāth [Chain 2] Bakr b. Sahl And Muṭṭalib b. Shuʿayb al-Azdī > ʿAbdullāh b. Ṣāliḥ > Qabāth b. Razīn > ʿAlī b. Rabāḥ > ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out while we were studying the Quran, and he said, "Learn the Book of Allah and spread it, and sing with it. By the One in whose hand is my soul, it is more detailed in explanation than the struggle of childbirth in the mind."  

الطبراني:١٤٩٢٩ – حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ مُوسَى ثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْمُقْرِئُ عَنْ قَبَاثٍ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا بَكْرُ بْنُ سَهْلٍ وَمُطَّلِبُ بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ الْأَزْدِيُّ قَالَا ثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ صَالِحٍ حَدَّثَنِي قَبَاثُ بْنُ رَزِينٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رَبَاحٍ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ

خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَنَحْنُ نَتَدَارَسُ الْقُرْآنَ فَقَالَ «تَعَلَّمُوا كِتَابَ اللهِ وَأَفْشُوهُ وَتَغَنَّوْا بِهِ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ تَفَصِّيًا مِنَ الْمَخَاضِ فِي الْعُقُلِ»  

tabarani:14930 – ʿUbayd b. Ghannām > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Wakīʿ > Mūsá b. ʿAlī b. Rabāḥ from his father > ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Learn the Quran, sing with it, and possess it, for by the One in whose hand is my soul, it is more intense in detail than the throes of childbirth in the mind."  

الطبراني:١٤٩٣٠ – حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ بْنُ غَنَّامٍ ثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ثَنَا وَكِيعٌ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رَبَاحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «تَعَلَّمُوا الْقُرْآنَ وَغَنُّوا بِهِ وَاقْتَنُوهُ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ تَفَصِّيًا مِنَ الْمَخَاضِ فِي الْعُقُلِ»  

nasai-kubra:7995 – Muḥammad b. Ḥātim > Ḥabbān > ʿAbdullāh > Qubāth b. Razīn > ʿAlī b. Rabāḥ > ʿUqbah

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Learn the Book of Allah, hold onto it, and recite it with melodious intonation. By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, it is more malleable than giving birth in the intellect."  

الكبرى للنسائي:٧٩٩٥ – أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا حَبَّانُ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ عَنْ قُبَاثَ بْنِ رَزِينٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رَبَاحٍ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ نَحْوَهُ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «تَعَلَّمُوا كِتَابَ اللهِ وَتَعَاهَدُوهُ وَتَغَنَّوْا بِهِ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَهُوَ أَشَدُّ تَفَلُّتًا مِنَ الْمَخَاضِ فِي الْعُقُلِ»  

suyuti:12767a –
Request/Fix translation

  

السيوطي:١٢٧٦٧a –

"تَعَلَّمُوا كِتَابَ الله، وَاقْتَنُوهُ، وتعاهدوه وَتَغَنَّوْا به فَوَالَّذى نَفْسُ مُحَمدٍ بيَدِهِ لهُوَ أَشَدُّ تَفَصِّيًا مِن صُدُورِ الرِّجَال مِنَ المَخَاضِ فِي العُقُل".  

[ش] ابن أبى شيبة [حم] أحمد ومحمد بن نصر، [حب] ابن حبّان [طب] الطبرانى في الكبير [هب] البيهقى في شعب الإيمان عن عقبة بن عامر