I was with Ibn 'Abbas and a man asked him: "Did the Messenger of Allah recite during Zuhr and 'Asr?" He said: "No." He said: "Perhaps he used to recite to himself?" He said: "May your face be scratched! This question is worse than the first one. The Messenger of Allah was a slave whose Lord commanded him and he conveyed (the message). By Allah, the Messenger of Allah did not specify anything for us above the people, except for three things: He commanded us to perform Wudu' properly, not to consume charity, and not to mate donkeys with horses."  

كُنْتُ عِنْدَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فَسَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ أَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقْرَأُ فِي الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ قَالَ لاَ قَالَ فَلَعَلَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي نَفْسِهِ قَالَ خَمْشًا هَذِهِ شَرٌّ مِنَ الأُولَى إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَبْدٌ أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِأَمْرِهِ فَبَلَّغَهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا اخْتَصَّنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِشَىْءٍ دُونَ النَّاسِ إِلاَّ بِثَلاَثَةٍ أَمَرَنَا أَنْ نُسْبِغَ الْوُضُوءَ وَأَنْ لاَ نَأْكُلَ الصَّدَقَةَ وَلاَ نُنْزِيَ الْحُمُرَ عَلَى الْخَيْلِ  

Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah said: I went to Ibn Abbas accompanying some youths of Banu Hashim. We said to one of them: Ask Ibn Abbas: Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recite (the Qur'an) in the noon and afternoon prayers? He replied: No. People said to him: Perhaps he might recite the Qur'an quietly. He said: May your face be scratched (a kind of curse)! This (statement) is worse than the former. He was only a servant (of Allah) receiving Commands from Him. He preached (the divine) message which he brought with him. He did not command anything to us (Banu Hashim) specially excluding other people except three points: he commanded us to perform ablution perfectly, and not to accept charity (sadaqah) and not to make pairing of donkey with horse.  

دَخَلْتُ عَلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي شَبَابٍ مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ فَقُلْنَا لِشَابٍّ مِنَّا سَلِ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ أَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقْرَأُ فِي الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ فَقَالَ لاَ لاَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ فَلَعَلَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ خَمْشًا هَذِهِ شَرٌّ مِنَ الأُولَى كَانَ عَبْدًا مَأْمُورًا بَلَّغَ مَا أُرْسِلَ بِهِ وَمَا اخْتَصَّنَا دُونَ النَّاسِ بِشَىْءٍ إِلاَّ بِثَلاَثِ خِصَالٍ أَمَرَنَا أَنْ نُسْبِغَ الْوُضُوءَ وَأَنْ لاَ نَأْكُلَ الصَّدَقَةَ وَأَنْ لاَ نُنْزِيَ الْحِمَارَ عَلَى الْفَرَسِ  

[Machine] They asked him, "Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recite in the Dhuhr and Asr prayers?" He said, "No." They said, "Maybe he used to recite inwardly?" He said, "That is evil. Surely the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was a servant obeying orders, conveying what he was sent with. And he did not differentiate between us and others except in three matters: he ordered us to perform ablution thoroughly, not to eat charity, and not to saddle a donkey on a horse."  

فَسَأَلُوهُ هَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَقْرَأُ فِي الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ؟ قَالَ لَا قَالَ فَقَالُوا فَلَعَلَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي نَفْسِهِ قَالَ خَمْشًا هَذِهِ شَرٌّ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ عَبْدًا مَأْمُورًا بَلَّغَ مَا أُرْسِلَ بِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَخُصَّنَا دُونَ النَّاسِ إِلا بِثَلاثٍ أَمَرَنَا أَنْ نُسْبِغَ الْوُضُوءَ وَلا نَأْكُلَ الصَّدَقَةَ وَلا نُنْزِيَ حِمَارًا عَلَى فَرَسٍ  

"عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ أَكَانَ النَّبِىُّ ﷺ يَقْرَأُ فِى الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ؟ فَقَالَ: لاَ، فَقَالَ: لَعَلَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ سِرًا فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ نَفْسِهِ، فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ سِرٌّ مِنَ الأُولَى، كَانَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ عَبْدًا مَأمُورًا، بَلَّغَ مَا أُرْسِلَ بِهِ، وَمَا اخْتَصَّنَا بِشَىْءٍ دُونَ النَّاسِ، لَيْسَ ثَلاثًا: أَمَرَنَا أَنْ نُسْبِغَ الوُضُوءَ، وَلاَ نَأكُلَ الصَّدَقَةَ، وَلاَ يُنْزَى حِمَارٌ عَلَى فَرَسٍ".