Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ أَخْبَرَنَا حُصَيْنٌ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ أَخْبَرَنَا عَدِيُّ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ قَالَ لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ { وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنْ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ } قَالَ عَمَدْتُ إِلَى عِقَالَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَسْوَدُ وَالْآخَرُ أَبْيَضُ فَجَعَلْتُهُمَا تَحْتَ وِسَادِي قَالَ ثُمَّ جَعَلْتُ أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمَا فَلَا تُبِينُ لِي الْأَسْوَدَ مِنْ الْأَبْيَضِ وَلَا الْأَبْيَضَ مِنْ الْأَسْوَدِ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْتُ غَدَوْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِالَّذِي صَنَعْتُ فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ وِسَادُكَ إِذًا لَعَرِيضٌ إِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ بَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ مِنْ سَوَادِ اللَّيْلِ.
English Translation
Hushaym narrated to us: Husayn informed us, from al-Sha’bi: Adi ibn Hatim informed us, who said: When this verse came down — "And eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread" — he said: I took two cords, one black and the other white, and put them under my pillow. Then I began to look at them, but I could not distinguish the black from the white, nor the white from the black. When morning came, I went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and told him what I had done. He said, "Your pillow must then be very wide indeed! That refers only to the whiteness of day from the blackness of night."