I heard Hisham b. Hakim b. Hizam reciting Surah al-Furqan in a style different from that in which I used to recite it, and in which Messenger of Allah ﷺ had taught me to recite it. I was about to dispute with him (on this style) but I delayed till he had finished that (the recitation). Then I caught hold of his cloak and brought him to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: Messenger of Allah, I heard this man reciting Surah al-Furqan in a style different from the one in which you taught me to recite. Upon this the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told (me) to leave him alone and asked him to recite. He then recited in the style in which I beard him recite it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said: Thus was it sent down. He then told me to recite and I recited it, and he said: Thus was it sent down. The Qur'an was sent down in seven dialects. So recite what seems easy therefrom.  

سَمِعْتُ هِشَامَ بْنَ حَكِيمِ بْنِ حِزَامٍ يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ الْفُرْقَانِ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَا أَقْرَؤُهَا وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَقْرَأَنِيهَا فَكِدْتُ أَنْ أَعْجَلَ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَمْهَلْتُهُ حَتَّى انْصَرَفَ ثُمَّ لَبَّبْتُهُ بِرِدَائِهِ فَجِئْتُ بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ هَذَا يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ الْفُرْقَانِ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَا أَقْرَأْتَنِيهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَرْسِلْهُ اقْرَأْ فَقَرَأَ الْقِرَاءَةَ الَّتِي سَمِعْتُهُ يَقْرَأُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ هَكَذَا أُنْزِلَتْ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِيَ اقْرَأْ فَقَرَأْتُ فَقَالَ هَكَذَا أُنْزِلَتْ إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ أُنْزِلَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ  

" I heard Hisham b. Hakim reciting Surah al-Furqan during the lifetime of Messenger of Allah ﷺ." The rest is the same but with this addition:" I was about to catch hold of him in prayer, but I exercised patience till he pronounced salutation.  

سَمِعْتُ هِشَامَ بْنَ حَكِيمٍ يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ الْفُرْقَانِ فِي حَيَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَزَادَ فَكِدْتُ أُسَاوِرُهُ فِي الصَّلاَةِ فَتَصَبَّرْتُ حَتَّى سَلَّمَ  

This hadith has been transmitted by Zuhri.  

عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ كَرِوَايَةِ يُونُسَ بِإِسْنَادِهِ  

Gabriel taught me to recite in one style. I replied to him and kept asking him to give more (styles), till he reached seven modes (of recitation). Ibn Shibab said: It has reached me that these seven styles are essentially one, not differing about what is permitted and what is forbidden.  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ أَقْرَأَنِي جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَرَاجَعْتُهُ فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَسْتَزِيدُهُ فَيَزِيدُنِي حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ تِلْكَ السَّبْعَةَ الأَحْرُفَ إِنَّمَا هِيَ فِي الأَمْرِ الَّذِي يَكُونُ وَاحِدًا لاَ يَخْتَلِفُ فِي حَلاَلٍ وَلاَ حَرَامٍ  

This hadith has been narrated by Zuhri with the same chain of trans- mitters.  

عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ  

I was in the mosque when a man entered and prayed and recited (the Qur'in) in a style to which I objected. Then another man entered (the mosque) and recited in a style different from that of his companion. When we had finished the prayer, we all went to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said to him: This man recited in a style to which I objected, and the other entered and recited in a style different from that of his companion. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked them to recite and so they recited, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ expressed approval of their affairs (their modes of recitation). and there occurred In my mind a sort of denial which did not occur even during the Days of Ignorance. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw how I was affected (by a wrong idea), he struck my chest, whereupon I broke into sweating and felt as though I were looking at Allah with fear. He (the Holy Prophet) said to me: Ubayy. a message was sent to me to recite the Qur'an in one dialect, and I replied: Make (things) easy for my people. It was conveyed to me for the second time that it should be recited in two dialects. I again replied to him: Make affairs easy for my people. It was again conveyed to me for the third time to recite in seven dialects And (I was further told): You have got a seeking for every reply that I sent you, which you should seek from Me. I said: O Allah! forgive my people, forgive my people, and I have deferred the third one for the day on which the entire creation will turn to me, including even Ibrahim (peace be upon him) (for intercession).  

كُنْتُ فِي المَسْجِدِ، فَدَخَلَ رَجُلٌ يُصَلِّي، فَقَرَأ قِراءَةً أنْكَرْتُها عَلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ دَخَلَ آخَرُ فَقَرَأ قِراءَةً سِوى قَراءَةِ صاحِبِهِ، فَلَمّا قَضَيْنا الصَّلاةَ دَخَلْنا جَمِيعًا عَلى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ، فَقُلْتُ: إنَّ هَذا قَرَأ قِراءَةً أنْكَرْتُها عَلَيْهِ، ودَخَلَ آخَرُ فَقَرَأ سِوى قِراءَةِ صاحِبِهِ، فَأمَرَهُما رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ، فَقَرَآ، فَحَسَّنَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ شَأْنَهُما، فَسَقَطَ فِي نَفْسِي مِنَ التَّكْذِيبِ، ولا إذْ كُنْتُ فِي الجاهِلِيَّةِ، فَلَمّا رَأى رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ما قَدْ غَشِيَنِي، ضَرَبَ فِي صَدْرِي، فَفِضْتُ عَرَقًا وكَأنَّما أنْظُرُ إلى اللهِ ﷻ فَرَقًا، فَقالَ لِي: «يا أُبَيُّ أُرْسِلَ إلَيَّ أنِ اقْرَأِ القُرْآنَ عَلى حَرْفٍ، فَرَدَدْتُ إلَيْهِ أنْ هَوِّنْ عَلى أُمَّتِي، فَرَدَّ إلَيَّ الثّانِيَةَ اقْرَأْهُ عَلى حَرْفَيْنِ، فَرَدَدْتُ إلَيْهِ أنْ هَوِّنْ عَلى أُمَّتِي، فَرَدَّ إلَيَّ الثّالِثَةَ اقْرَأْهُ عَلى سَبْعَةِ أحْرُفٍ، فَلَكَ بِكُلِّ رَدَّةٍ رَدَدْتُكَها مَسْألَةٌ تَسْألُنِيها، فَقُلْتُ: اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِأُمَّتِي، اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِأُمَّتِي، وأخَّرْتُ الثّالِثَةَ لِيَوْمٍ يَرْغَبُ إلَيَّ الخَلْقُ كُلُّهُمْ، حَتّى إبْراهِيمُ ﷺ»  

Ubayy b. Ka'b reported that he was sitting in a mosque that a person entered it and he observed prayer, and made recitation, the rest of the hadith is the same.  

أَنَّهُ كَانَ جَالِسًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ إِذْ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ فَصَلَّى فَقَرَأَ قِرَاءَةً وَاقْتَصَّ الْحَدِيثَ بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ نُمَيْرٍ  

Allah has commanded you to recite to your people the Qur'an in one dialect. Upon this he said: I ask from Allah pardon and forgiveness. My people are not capable of doing it. He then came for the second time and said: Allah has commanded you that you should recite the Qur'an to your people in two dialects. Upon this he (the Holy prophet) again said: I seek pardon and forgiveness from Allah, my people would not be able to do so. He (Gabriel) came for the third time and said: Allah has commanded you to recite the Qur'an to your people in three dialects. Upon this he said: I ask pardon and forgiveness from Allah. My people would not be able to do it. He then came to him for the fourth time and said: Allah has commanded you to recite the Qur'an to your people in seven dialects, and in whichever dialect they would recite, they would be right.  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ عِنْدَ أَضَاةِ بَنِي غِفَارٍ قَالَ فَأَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تَقْرَأَ أُمَّتُكَ الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَقَالَ أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ مُعَافَاتَهُ وَمَغْفِرَتَهُ وَإِنَّ أُمَّتِي لاَ تُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ الثَّانِيَةَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تَقْرَأَ أُمَّتُكَ الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى حَرْفَيْنِ فَقَالَ أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ مُعَافَاتَهُ وَمَغْفِرَتَهُ وَإِنَّ أُمَّتِي لاَ تُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ جَاءَهُ الثَّالِثَةَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تَقْرَأَ أُمَّتُكَ الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى ثَلاَثَةِ أَحْرُفٍ فَقَالَ أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ مُعَافَاتَهُ وَمَغْفِرَتَهُ وَإِنَّ أُمَّتِي لاَ تُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ جَاءَهُ الرَّابِعَةَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تَقْرَأَ أُمَّتُكَ الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ فَأَيُّمَا حَرْفٍ قَرَءُوا عَلَيْهِ فَقَدْ أَصَابُوا  

This hadith has been narrated by Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters.  

حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ مِثْلَهُ