English Translation

'Uthman ibn 'Umar narrated to us: Malik informed us, from Ibn Buraydah, from his father, who said: Buraydah went out one night and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, met him, and took him by the hand and brought him into the mosque. There was the voice of a man reciting. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Do you think he is showing off?' So Buraydah fell silent. Then there was a man supplicating, saying, 'O Allah, I ask You by virtue of my bearing witness that You are Allah, there is no god but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Who begets not nor was begotten, and there is none equal to Him.' The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, he has indeed asked Allah by His Greatest Name, which, if He is asked by it, He gives, and if He is called upon by it, He answers.' He said: The next night, Buraydah went out and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, met him and took him by the hand and brought him into the mosque. There was the voice of the man reciting. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Do you say he is showing off?' Buraydah said, 'Do you say he is showing off, O Messenger of Allah?' The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'No — rather he is a believer who turns often to Allah; no, rather he is a believer who turns often to Allah.' And it was al-Ash'ari, reciting in his voice in a corner of the mosque. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Indeed al-Ash'ari,' or 'Indeed 'Abdullah ibn Qays, has been given a melodious voice from among the melodious voices of the family of Dawud.' I said, 'Shall I not inform him, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'Yes, inform him.' So I informed him, and he said, 'You are indeed a friend to me — you have informed me of a saying from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.'