حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى، عَنْ أَبِي عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ مُغِيرَةَ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، دَخَلْتُ الشَّأْمَ فَصَلَّيْتُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ يَسِّرْ لِي جَلِيسًا‏.‏ فَرَأَيْتُ شَيْخًا مُقْبِلاً، فَلَمَّا دَنَا قُلْتُ أَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ اسْتَجَابَ‏.‏ قَالَ مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ قُلْتُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ‏.‏ قَالَ أَفَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيكُمْ صَاحِبُ النَّعْلَيْنِ وَالْوِسَادِ وَالْمِطْهَرَةِ أَوَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيكُمُ الَّذِي أُجِيرَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ أَوَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيكُمْ صَاحِبُ السِّرِّ الَّذِي لاَ يَعْلَمُهُ غَيْرُهُ كَيْفَ قَرَأَ ابْنُ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ ‏{‏وَاللَّيْلِ‏}‏ فَقَرَأْتُ ‏{‏وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى * وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى * وَالذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَى‏}‏‏.‏ قَالَ أَقْرَأَنِيهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَاهُ إِلَى فِيَّ، فَمَا زَالَ هَؤُلاَءِ حَتَّى كَادُوا يَرُدُّونِي‏.‏

I went to Sham and was offering a two-rak`at prayer; I said, "O Allah! Bless me with a (pious) companion." Then I saw an old man coming towards me, and when he came near I said, (to myself), "I hope Allah has given me my request." The man asked (me), "Where are you from?" I replied, "I am from the people of Kufa." He said, "Weren't there amongst you the Carrier of the (Prophet's) shoes, Siwak and the ablution water container? Weren't there amongst you the man who was given Allah's Refuge from the Satan? And weren't there amongst you the man who used to keep the (Prophet's) secrets which nobody else knew? How did Ibn Um `Abd (i.e. `Abdullah bin Mas`ud) use to recite Surat-al-lail (the Night:92)?" I recited:-- "By the Night as it envelops By the Day as it appears in brightness. And by male and female." (92.1- 3) On that, Abu Darda said, "By Allah, the Prophet (ﷺ) made me read the Verse in this way after listening to him, but these people (of Sham) tried their best to let me say something different."