"Riders used to pass by us and we would leam the Qur'an from them. My father came to the Prophet ﷺ and he said: 'Let the one of you who knows most Qur'an leads the prayer.' My father came and said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had said: 'Let the one of you who knows most Quran lead you in prayer.' They looked and found that I was the one who knew most Qur'an, so I used to lead them in prayer when I was eight years old.'
كَانَ يَمُرُّ عَلَيْنَا الرُّكْبَانُ فَنَتَعَلَّمُ مِنْهُمُ الْقُرْآنَ فَأَتَى أَبِي النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لِيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قُرْآنًا فَجَاءَ أَبِي فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ لِيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْثَرُكُمْ قُرْآنًا فَنَظَرُوا فَكُنْتُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ قُرْآنًا فَكُنْتُ أَؤُمُّهُمْ وَأَنَا ابْنُ ثَمَانِ سِنِينَ