Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ ثَابِتِ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ قَالَ قَالَ زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تُحْسِنُ السُّرْيَانِيَّةَ إِنَّهَا تَأْتِينِي كُتُبٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ فَتَعَلَّمْهَا فَتَعَلَّمْتُهَا فِي سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا.
English Translation
Jarir told us, from al-A'mash, from Thabit ibn Ubayd, who said: Zayd ibn Thabit said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to me: "Do you know Syriac? Letters come to me [in that language]." I said: "No." He said: "Then learn it." So I learned it in seventeen days.