Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
nasai:940ʿAmr b. Manṣūr > Abū Jaʿfar b. Nufayl > Maʿqil b. ʿUbaydullāh > ʿIkrimah b. Khālid > Saʿīd b. Jubayr > Ibn ʿAbbās > Ubay b. Kaʿb

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me a surah, and when I was sitting in the masjid I heard a man reciting it in a way that was different from mine. I said to him: 'Who taught you this surah?' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ.' I said: 'Stay with me until we go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.' So we came to him and I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, this man recites a surah that you taught me differently.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Recite, O Ubayy.' So I recited it, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: 'You have done well.' Then he said to the man: 'Recite.' So he recited it and it was different to my recitation. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him: 'You have done well.' Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'O Ubayy, the Quran has been revealed with seven different modes of reciation, all of which are good and sound."  

النسائي:٩٤٠أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو جَعْفَرِ بْنُ نُفَيْلٍ قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَعْقِلِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنْ أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ قَالَ

أَقْرَأَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ سُورَةً فَبَيْنَا أَنَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ جَالِسٌ إِذْ سَمِعْتُ رَجُلاً يَقْرَؤُهَا يُخَالِفُ قِرَاءَتِي فَقُلْتُ لَهُ مَنْ عَلَّمَكَ هَذِهِ السُّورَةَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ لاَ تُفَارِقْنِي حَتَّى نَأْتِيَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ هَذَا خَالَفَ قِرَاءَتِي فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي عَلَّمْتَنِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ اقْرَأْ يَا أُبَىُّ فَقَرَأْتُهَا فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَحْسَنْتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ اقْرَأْ فَقَرَأَ فَخَالَفَ قِرَاءَتِي فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَحْسَنْتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَا أُبَىُّ إِنَّهُ أُنْزِلَ الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ كُلُّهُنَّ شَافٍ كَافٍ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ مَعْقِلُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ لَيْسَ بِذَلِكَ الْقَوِيِّ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī's Kubrá
nasai-kubra:1014ʿAmr b. Manṣūr > Abū Jaʿfar b. Nufayl > Maʿqil > ʿIkrimah b. Khālid > Saʿīd b. Jubayr > Ibn ʿAbbās > Ubay b. Kaʿb

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me a surah, and when I was sitting in the masjid I heard a man reciting it in a way that was different from mine. I said to him: 'Who taught you this surah?' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ.' I said: 'Stay with me until we go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.' So we came to him and I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, this man recites a surah that you taught me differently.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Recite, O Ubayy.' So I recited it, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: 'You have done well.' Then he said to the man: 'Recite.' So he recited it and it was different to my recitation. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him: 'You have done well.' Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'O Ubayy, the Quran has been revealed with seven different modes of reciation, all of which are good and sound." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 940)  

الكبرى للنسائي:١٠١٤أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو جَعْفَرِ بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَعْقِلٍ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنْ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ قَالَ

أَقْرَأَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ سُورَةً فَبَيْنَا أَنَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ جَالِسٌ إِذْ سَمِعْتُ رَجُلًا يَقْرَؤُهَا يُخَالِفُ قِرَاءَتِي فَقُلْتُ لَهُ مَنْ عَلَّمَكَ هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ لَا تُفَارِقْنِي حَتَّى نَأْتِي رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَتَيْنَاهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّ هَذَا خَالَفَ قِرَاءَتِي فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي عَلَّمْتَنِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «اقْرَأْ يَا أُبَيُّ» فَقَرَأْتُهَا فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «أَحْسَنْتَ» ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ «اقْرَأْ» فَخَالَفَ قِرَاءَتِي فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «أَحْسَنْتَ» ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «يَا أُبَيُّ إِنَّهُ قَدْ أُنْزِلَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ كُلِّهِنَّ شَافٍ كَافٍ» قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ مَعْقِلُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللهِ لَيْسَ بذَاكَ الْقَوِيِّ