Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ شَقِيقِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مِنْ بَنِي بَجِيلَةَ يُقَالُ لَهُ نَهِيكُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ كَيْفَ تَقْرَأُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ أَيَاءً تَجِدُهَا أَوْ أَلِفًا { مِنْ مَاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ } أَوْ { غَيْرِ يَاسِنٍ } فَقَالَ لَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ أَوَكُلَّ الْقُرْآنِ أَحْصَيْتَ غَيْرَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ قَالَ إِنَّنِي لَأَقْرَأُ الْمُفَصَّلَ فِي رَكْعَةٍ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذًّا كَهَذِّ الشِّعْرِ إِنَّ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ الصَّلَاةِ الرُّكُوعَ وَالسُّجُودَ وَلَيَقْرَأَنَّ الْقُرْآنَ أَقْوَامٌ لَا يُجَاوِزُ تَرَاقِيَهُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُ إِذَا قَرَأَهُ فَرَسَخَ فِي الْقَلْبِ نَفَعَ إِنِّي لَأَعْرِفُ النَّظَائِرَ الَّتِي كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَأُ سُورَتَيْنِ فِي رَكْعَةٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَدَخَلَ فَجَاءَ عَلْقَمَةُ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ فَقُلْنَا لَهُ سَلْهُ لَنَا عَنْ النَّظَائِرِ الَّتِي كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَأُ سُورَتَيْنِ فِي رَكْعَةٍ قَالَ فَدَخَلَ فَسَأَلَهُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا فَقَالَ عِشْرُونَ سُورَةً مِنْ أَوَّلِ الْمُفَصَّلِ فِي تَأْلِيفِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ.
English Translation
Abu Mu'awiyah told us: al-A'mash told us, from Shaqiq ibn Salamah, who said: "A man from Banu Bajilah came to Abdullah, called Nahik ibn Sinan, and said: 'O Abu Abd al-Rahman, how do you recite this verse - do you find it with a ya' or an alif: "min ma'in ghayri asin" or "ghayri yasin"?' Abdullah said to him: 'Have you memorized the whole Qur'an except this verse?' He said: 'Indeed I recite the shorter surahs in a single rak'ah.' Abdullah said: 'That is rushing like the rushing of poetry. Indeed, among the best of prayer are the bowing and prostration. Some people will recite the Qur'an, but it will not pass beyond their collarbones; rather, when he recites it, if it settles firmly in the heart, it benefits. I indeed know the paired surahs that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to recite - two surahs in one rak'ah.'" He said: "Then he got up and went in, and Alqamah came and went in to him." He said: "So we said to him: 'Ask him for us about the paired surahs that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to recite, two surahs in a rak'ah.'" He said: "So he went in and asked him, then came out to us and said: 'Twenty surahs from the beginning of the shorter surahs, according to the arrangement of Abdullah's codex.'"