Ubay b. Kaʿb told me while he was reciting Sūrat al-Aḥzāb and said, "I said ˹it was˺ seventy three Āyāt ˹long˺." He said, "Exactly." I said, "Exactly." He said, "I saw it and it was definitely ˹similar in size˺ to al-Baqarah, and we use to recite in it what we recited in it. It had 'The ˹married˺ man and the, if they commit adultery, then absolutely stone them as a deterrent from Allah; for Allah is Mighty and Wise'.  

لِي أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ الْأَحْزَابِ قَالَ: قُلْتُ ثَلَاثًا وَسَبْعِينَ آيَةً قَالَ «قَطُّ» قُلْتُ قَطُّ۔ قَالَ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهَا وَإِنَّهَا لَتَعْدِلُ الْبَقَرَةَ، وَلَقَدْ قَرَأْنَا فِيمَا قَرَأْنَا فِيهَا {الشَّيْخُ وَالشَّيْخَةُ إِذَا زَنَيَا فَارْجُمُوهُمَا الْبَتَّةَ نَكَالًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ}  

[Machine] "Ubayy said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ : 'Tell us, how many verses are in Surah Al-Ahzab?' He replied, 'Seventy-three.' Ubayy said, 'By the one I swear by, if it were as long as Surah Al-Baqarah, we would have recited in it the verse of stoning for the old man and the old woman. But indeed, we have recited in it, 'And stoning to death is the penalty for an old man and an old woman.'"  

أُبَيٌّ قِيلَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لَنَا فَنَحْنُ نَقُولُ «كَمْ تَعُدُّونَ سُورَةَ الْأَحْزَابِ مِنْ آيَةٍ؟ » قَالَ قُلْتُ ثَلَاثًا وَسَبْعِينَ قَالَ أُبَيٌّ وَالَّذِي يُحْلَفُ بِهِ إِنْ كَانَتْ لَتَعْدِلُ سُورَةَ الْبَقَرَةِ وَلَقَدْ قَرَأْنَا فِيهَا آيَةَ الرَّجْمِ الشَّيْخُ وَالشَّيْخَةُ فَارْجُمُوهُمَا الْبَتَّةَ نَكَالًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ