Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, "Once Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban and I were sitting down, and Muhammad called a man over to him and said to him, 'Tell me what you have heard from your father.' The man replied that his father had told him that he went to Zayd ibn Thabit and asked him, 'What do you think of reciting the whole Qur'an in seven days?' Zayd said, 'That's good, but I prefer to recite it in two weeks, or ten days. Ask me why that is.' He said, 'I ask you then.' Zayd said, 'So that I can reflect on it and pause in it.' "
أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ أَنَا وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ حَبَّانَ جَالِسَيْنِ فَدَعَا مُحَمَّدٌ رَجُلاً فَقَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي بِالَّذِي سَمِعْتَ مِنْ أَبِيكَ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي أَنَّهُ أَتَى زَيْدَ بْنَ ثَابِتٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ كَيْفَ تَرَى فِي قِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ فِي سَبْعٍ فَقَالَ زَيْدٌ حَسَنٌ وَلأَنْ أَقْرَأَهُ فِي نِصْفٍ أَوْ عَشْرٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ وَسَلْنِي لِمَ ذَاكَ قَالَ فَإِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ قَالَ زَيْدٌ لِكَىْ أَتَدَبَّرَهُ وَأَقِفَ عَلَيْهِ