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.
ibnhibban:2541Muḥammad b. Isḥāq b. Khuzaymah > al-Rabīʿ b. Sulaymān > Ibn Wahb > Muslim b. Khālid > al-ʿAlāʾ from his father > Abū Hurayrah

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out and saw that the people were praying during (the night of) Ramadan in the corner of the mosque. He asked: Who are these people ? It was said to him that those were people who had not learnt Quran. But Ubayy b. Ka'b is praying and they would pray behind him. The Prophet ﷺ said: They did right and it is good what they did. Abu Dawud said: This tradition is not strong, the narrator Muslim b. Khalid is weak. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 1377)   

ابن حبّان:٢٥٤١أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ خُزَيْمَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَإِذَا النَّاسُ فِي رَمَضَانَ يُصَلُّونَ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ ﷺ «مَا هَؤُلَاءِ؟ » فَقِيلَ نَاسٌ لَيْسَ مَعَهُمْ قُرْآنٌ وَأُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ يُصَلِّي بِهِمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ بِصَلَاتِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «أَصَابُوا أَوْ نِعْمَ مَا صَنَعُوا»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Abū Dāwūd, Bayhaqī
abudawud:1377Aḥmad b. Saʿīd al-Hamdānī > ʿAbdullāh b. Wahb > Muslim b. Khālid > al-ʿAlāʾ b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman from his father > Abū Hurayrah

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out and saw that the people were praying during (the night of) Ramadan in the corner of the mosque. He asked: Who are these people ? It was said to him that those were people who had not learnt Quran. But Ubayy b. Ka'b is praying and they would pray behind him. The Prophet ﷺ said: They did right and it is good what they did. Abu Dawud said: This tradition is not strong, the narrator Muslim b. Khalid is weak.  

أبو داود:١٣٧٧حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ أَخْبَرَنِي مُسْلِمُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ عَنِ الْعَلاَءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَإِذَا أُنَاسٌ فِي رَمَضَانَ يُصَلُّونَ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ مَا هَؤُلاَءِ فَقِيلَ هَؤُلاَءِ نَاسٌ لَيْسَ مَعَهُمْ قُرْآنٌ وَأُبَىُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ يُصَلِّي وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ بِصَلاَتِهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَصَابُوا وَنِعْمَ مَا صَنَعُوا  

قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ لَيْسَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ بِالْقَوِيِّ مُسْلِمُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ ضَعِيفٌ
bayhaqi:4612Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī > Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. Bakr > Abū Dāwud > Aḥmad b. Saʿīd al-Hamadhānī > ʿAbdullāh b. Wahb > Muslim b. Khālid > al-ʿAlāʾ b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman from his father > Abū Hurayrah

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out and saw that the people were praying during (the night of) Ramadan in the corner of the mosque. He asked: Who are these people ? It was said to him that those were people who had not learnt Quran. But Ubayy b. Ka'b is praying and they would pray behind him. The Prophet ﷺ said: They did right and it is good what they did. Abu Dawud said: This tradition is not strong, the narrator Muslim b. Khalid is weak. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 1377)   

البيهقي:٤٦١٢أنبأ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيُّ أنبأ أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ ثنا أَبُو دَاوُدَ ثنا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْهَمَذَانِيُّ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ أَخْبَرَنِي مُسْلِمُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَإِذَا أُنَاسٌ فِي رَمَضَانَ يُصَلُّونَ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ مَا هَؤُلَاءِ؟ فَقِيلَ هَؤُلَاءِ أُنَاسٌ لَيْسَ مَعَهُمْ قُرْآنٌ وَأُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ يُصَلِّي وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ بِصَلَاتِهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَصَابُوا وَنِعْمَ مَا صَنَعُوا قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ لَيْسَ بِالْقَوِيِّ مُسْلِمُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ ضَعِيفٌ