Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, how do you recite this word (alif) or (ya)? Would you read It as: min ma'in ghaira asin or au min ma'in ghaira ghaira yasin. (al-Qur'an, xlvii. 15)? 'Abdullah said: You (seem to) have memorised the whole of the Qur'an except this. He (again) said: I recite all the mufassal surahs in one rak'ah. Upon this 'Abdullah said: (You must have been reciting It) hastily like the recitation of poetry. Verily. there are people who recite the Qur'an, but it does not go down beyond their collar bones. It is (a fact with the Qur'an) that it is beneficial only when it settles in the heart and is rooted deeply in it. The best of (the acts) in prayer are bowing and prostration. I am quite aware of the occasions when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ combined together two surahs in every rak'ah. 'Abdullah then stood up and went out with 'Alqama following in his footstep. He said Ibn Numair had told him that the narration was like that:" A person belonging to Banu Bajila came to 'Abdullah," and he did not mention (the name of) Nahik b. Sinan.  

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ نَهِيكُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ كَيْفَ تَقْرَأُ هَذَا الْحَرْفَ أَلِفًا تَجِدُهُ أَمْ يَاءً مِنْ مَاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ أَوْ مِنْ مَاءٍ غَيْرِ يَاسِنٍ قَالَ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَكُلَّ الْقُرْآنِ قَدْ أَحْصَيْتَ غَيْرَ هَذَا قَالَ إِنِّي لأَقْرَأُ الْمُفَصَّلَ فِي رَكْعَةٍ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذًّا كَهَذِّ الشِّعْرِ إِنَّ أَقْوَامًا يَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ لاَ يُجَاوِزُ تَرَاقِيَهُمْ وَلَكِنْ إِذَا وَقَعَ فِي الْقَلْبِ فَرَسَخَ فِيهِ نَفَعَ إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الصَّلاَةِ الرُّكُوعُ وَالسُّجُودُ إِنِّي لأَعْلَمُ النَّظَائِرَ الَّتِي كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقْرُنُ بَيْنَهُنَّ سُورَتَيْنِ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ ثُمَّ قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فَدَخَلَ عَلْقَمَةُ فِي إِثْرِهِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَقَالَ قَدْ أَخْبَرَنِي بِهَا قَالَ ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي بَجِيلَةَ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ نَهِيكُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ  

A person came to 'Abdullah, who was called Nahik b. Sinan, and the rest of the hadith is the same but for this:" Alqama came to him ('Abdullah b. Mas'ud) and we said to him: Ask him about the manners in which he combined (two surahs) in one rak'ah. So he went to him and asked him and then came to us and said: Twenty are the mufassal surahs in the compilation (of the Qur'an) made by 'Abdullah."  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ فَجَاءَ عَلْقَمَةُ لِيَدْخُلَ عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُ سَلْهُ عَنِ النَّظَائِرِ الَّتِي كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقْرَأُ بِهَا فِي رَكْعَةٍ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ فَسَأَلَهُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا فَقَالَ عِشْرُونَ سُورَةً مِنَ الْمُفَصَّلِ فِي تَأْلِيفِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ  

" I know the manners in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited the two surahs in one rak'ah and then twenty surahs in ten rak'ahs."  

حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ فِي هَذَا الإِسْنَادِ بِنَحْوِ حَدِيثِهِمَا وَقَالَ إِنِّي لأَعْرِفُ النَّظَائِرَ الَّتِي كَانَ يَقْرَأُ بِهِنَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ اثْنَتَيْنِ فِي رَكْعَةٍ عِشْرِينَ سُورَةً فِي عَشْرِ رَكَعَاتٍ  

One day we went to 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud after we had observed the dawn prayer and we paid salutation at the door. He permitted us to enter, but we stayed for a while at the door, when the slave-girl came out and said: Why don't you come in? So we went in and (we found 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud) sitting and glorifying Allah (i. e. he was busy in dhikr) and he said: What obstructed you from coming in though you had been granted permission for it? We said: There was nothing (behind it) but we entertained the idea that some inmate of the house might be sleeping. He said: Do you presume any idleness on the part of the family of Ibn Umm 'Abd (the mother of Abdullah b. Mas'ud)? He was again busy with the glorification of Allah till he thought that the sun had risen. He said: Girl, see whether (the sun) has arisen. She glanced but it had not risen (by that time). He was again busy with the glorification (of Allah) and he (again) thought that the sun had arisen. She glanced (and confirmed) that, it had risen. Upon this he ('Abdullah b. Mas'ud) said: Praise be to Allah Who did not call us to account for our sins today. Mahdi said: I think that he said, He did not destroy us for our sins. One among the people said: I recited all the mufassal surahs during the night. 'Abdullah said: (You must have recited them) like the (recitation) of poetry. I heard (the Holy Prophet) combining (the sarahs) and I remember the combinations which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made In the recitation (of surahs). These were constituted of eighteen mufassal surahs and two surahs (commencing with) Ha-Mim.  

أَلاَ تَدْخُلُونَ فَدَخَلْنَا فَإِذَا هُوَ جَالِسٌ يُسَبِّحُ فَقَالَ مَا مَنَعَكُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا وَقَدْ أُذِنَ لَكُمْ فَقُلْنَا لاَ إِلاَّ أَنَّا ظَنَنَّا أَنَّ بَعْضَ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ نَائِمٌ قَالَ ظَنَنْتُمْ بِآلِ ابْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ غَفْلَةً قَالَ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ يُسَبِّحُ حَتَّى ظَنَّ أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ قَدْ طَلَعَتْ فَقَالَ يَا جَارِيَةُ انْظُرِي هَلْ طَلَعَتْ قَالَ فَنَظَرَتْ فَإِذَا هِيَ لَمْ تَطْلُعْ فَأَقْبَلَ يُسَبِّحُ حَتَّى إِذَا ظَنَّ أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ قَدْ طَلَعَتْ قَالَ يَا جَارِيَةُ انْظُرِي هَلْ طَلَعَتْ فَنَظَرَتْ فَإِذَا هِيَ قَدْ طَلَعَتْ فَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَقَالَنَا يَوْمَنَا هَذَا فَقَالَ مَهْدِيٌّ وَأَحْسِبُهُ قَالَ وَلَمْ يُهْلِكْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا قَالَ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ قَرَأْتُ الْمُفَصَّلَ الْبَارِحَةَ كُلَّهُ قَالَ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذًّا كَهَذِّ الشِّعْرِ إِنَّا لَقَدْ سَمِعْنَا الْقَرَائِنَ وَإِنِّي لأَحْفَظُ الْقَرَائِنَ الَّتِي كَانَ يَقْرَؤُهُنَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ مِنَ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَسُورَتَيْنِ مِنْ آلِ حم  

A person from Banu Bajila who was called Nabik b. Sinan came to Abdullah and said: I recite mufassal surahs in one rak'ah. Upon this 'Abdullah said: (You recite) like the recitation of poetry. I know the manner in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited two surahs in one rak'ah.  

إِنِّي أَقْرَأُ الْمُفَصَّلَ فِي رَكْعَةٍ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذًّا كَهَذِّ الشِّعْرِ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ النَّظَائِرَ الَّتِي كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقْرَأُ بِهِنَّ سُورَتَيْنِ فِي رَكْعَةٍ  

A person came to 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud and said: I recited all the mufassal surahs in one rak'ah during the night. 'Abdullah said: You must have recited hastily like the recitation of poetry. 'Abdullah said: I remember well the manner in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to combine them, and he then mentioned twenty of the mufassal surahs, and (their combinations in) two in every rak'ah.  

إِنِّي قَرَأْتُ الْمُفَصَّلَ اللَّيْلَةَ كُلَّهُ فِي رَكْعَةٍ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذًّا كَهَذِّ الشِّعْرِ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ عَرَفْتُ النَّظَائِرَ الَّتِي كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقْرُنُ بَيْنَهُنَّ قَالَ فَذَكَرَ عِشْرِينَ سُورَةً مِنَ الْمُفَصَّلِ سُورَتَيْنِ سُورَتَيْنِ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ