When Abu Bakr and I were with him, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by ʿAbdullah bin Masʿood, when he was reciting [in prayer]. He stood and listened to his recitation, then ‘Abdullah bowed and prostrated, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ʿAsk, you will be given; ask, you will be given.ʿ Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went away and said: “Whoever would like to recite the Qurʿan fresh as it was revealed, let him learn it from Ibn Umm ʿAbd,ʿ Then I went at night to ‘Abdullah bin Masʿood to tell him the good news of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had said, and when I knocked on the door - or he said: when he heard my voice - he said: What brings you here at this time? I said: I have come to tell you the glad tidings of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said. He said: Abu Bakr beat you to it. I said: If he did that, he is always ahead in doing righteous deeds. We never competed in doing good deeds but Abu Bakr beat us to it.  

مَرَّ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَنَا مَعَهُ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ عَلَى عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَهُوَ يَقْرَأُ فَقَامَ فَتَسَمَّعَ قِرَاءَتَهُ ثُمَّ رَكَعَ عَبْدُ اللهِ وَسَجَدَ قَالَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ سَلْ تُعْطَهْ سَلْ تُعْطَهْ قَالَ ثُمَّ مَضَى رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَقَالَ مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ غَضًّا كَمَا أُنْزِلَ فَلْيَقْرَأْهُ مِنَ ابْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ قَالَ فَأَدْلَجْتُ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ لِأُبَشِّرَهُ بِمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَلَمَّا ضَرَبْتُ الْبَابَ أَوْ قَالَ لَمَّا سَمِعَ صَوْتِي قَالَ مَا جَاءَ بِكَ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ؟ قُلْتُ جِئْتُ لِأُبَشِّرَكَ بِمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ قَدْ سَبَقَكَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ قُلْتُ إِنْ يَفْعَلْ فَإِنَّهُ سَبَّاقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ مَا اسْتَبَقْنَا خَيْرًا قَطُّ إِلَّا سَبَقَنَا إِلَيْهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered the mosque while Abu Bakr and Umar were with him. They saw Ibn Mas'ud praying and reciting the Quran in a low voice. He continued until he reached one hundred verses. Then, Ibn Mas'ud started making supplications while still standing in prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Ask, and you shall be granted. Ask, and you shall be granted." Then he said, "Whoever wants to recite the Quran as it was revealed should recite it in the manner of Ibn Umm Abd." The next morning, Abu Bakr went to him to give him the good news and asked, "What did you ask Allah for last night?" Ibn Mas'ud replied, "I asked Allah for unwavering faith that never falters, endless blessings, and to be in the company of Muhammad in the highest level of Paradise." Then Umar came and was told that Abu Bakr had preceded him. Umar said, "May Allah have mercy on Abu Bakr. I have never preceded him to any good except this time."  

دَخَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ الْمَسْجِدَ وَهُوَ بَيْنَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَإِذَا ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ يُصَلِّي وَإِذَا هُوَ يَقْرَأُ النِّسَاءَ فَانْتَهَى إِلَى رَأْسِ الْمِائَةِ فَجَعَلَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ يَدْعُو وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ اسْأَلْ تُعْطَهْ اسْأَلْ تُعْطَهْ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ غَضًّا كَمَا أُنْزِلَ فَلْيَقْرَأْهُ بِقِرَاءَةِ ابْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ غَدَا إِلَيْهِ أَبُو بَكْرٍ لِيُبَشِّرَهُ وَقَالَ لَهُ مَا سَأَلْتَ اللهَ الْبَارِحَةَ؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ إِيمَانًا لَا يَرْتَدُّ وَنَعِيمًا لَا يَنْفَدُ وَمُرَافَقَةَ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي أَعْلَى جَنَّةِ الْخُلْدِ ثُمَّ جَاءَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَاللهُ عَنْهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ قَدْ سَبَقَكَ قَالَ يَرْحَمُ اللهُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ مَا سَبَقْتُهُ إِلَى خَيْرٍ قَطُّ إِلَّا سَبَقَنِي إِلَيْهِ