حَدَّثَنَا شَيْبَانُ بْنُ فَرُّوخَ، حَدَّثَنَا مَهْدِيُّ بْنُ مَيْمُونٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وَاصِلٌ الأَحْدَبُ، عَنْ أَبِي، وَائِلٍ قَالَ غَدَوْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ يَوْمًا بَعْدَ مَا صَلَّيْنَا الْغَدَاةَ فَسَلَّمْنَا بِالْبَابِ فَأَذِنَ لَنَا - قَالَ - فَمَكَثْنَا بِالْبَابِ هُنَيَّةً - قَالَ - فَخَرَجَتِ الْجَارِيَةُ فَقَالَتْ أَلاَ تَدْخُلُونَ فَدَخَلْنَا فَإِذَا هُوَ جَالِسٌ يُسَبِّحُ فَقَالَ مَا مَنَعَكُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا وَقَدْ أُذِنَ لَكُمْ فَقُلْنَا لاَ إِلاَّ أَنَّا ظَنَنَّا أَنَّ بَعْضَ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ نَائِمٌ ‏.‏ قَالَ ظَنَنْتُمْ بِآلِ ابْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ غَفْلَةً قَالَ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ يُسَبِّحُ حَتَّى ظَنَّ أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ قَدْ طَلَعَتْ فَقَالَ يَا جَارِيَةُ انْظُرِي هَلْ طَلَعَتْ قَالَ فَنَظَرَتْ فَإِذَا هِيَ لَمْ تَطْلُعْ فَأَقْبَلَ يُسَبِّحُ حَتَّى إِذَا ظَنَّ أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ قَدْ طَلَعَتْ قَالَ يَا جَارِيَةُ انْظُرِي هَلْ طَلَعَتْ فَنَظَرَتْ فَإِذَا هِيَ قَدْ طَلَعَتْ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَقَالَنَا يَوْمَنَا هَذَا - فَقَالَ مَهْدِيٌّ وَأَحْسِبُهُ قَالَ - وَلَمْ يُهْلِكْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا - قَالَ - فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ قَرَأْتُ الْمُفَصَّلَ الْبَارِحَةَ كُلَّهُ - قَالَ - فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذًّا كَهَذِّ الشِّعْرِ إِنَّا لَقَدْ سَمِعْنَا الْقَرَائِنَ وَإِنِّي لأَحْفَظُ الْقَرَائِنَ الَّتِي كَانَ يَقْرَؤُهُنَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ مِنَ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَسُورَتَيْنِ مِنْ آلِ حم.

One day we went to 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud after we had observed the dawn prayer and we paid salutation at the door. He permitted us to enter, but we stayed for a while at the door, when the slave-girl came out and said: Why don't you come in? So we went in and (we found 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud) sitting and glorifying Allah (i. e. he was busy in dhikr) and he said: What obstructed you from coming in though you had been granted permission for it? We said: There was nothing (behind it) but we entertained the idea that some inmate of the house might be sleeping. He said: Do you presume any idleness on the part of the family of Ibn Umm 'Abd (the mother of Abdullah b. Mas'ud)? He was again busy with the glorification of Allah till he thought that the sun had risen. He said: Girl, see whether (the sun) has arisen. She glanced but it had not risen (by that time). He was again busy with the glorification (of Allah) and he (again) thought that the sun had arisen. She glanced (and confirmed) that, it had risen. Upon this he ('Abdullah b. Mas'ud) said: Praise be to Allah Who did not call us to account for our sins today. Mahdi said: I think that he said, He did not destroy us for our sins. One among the people said: I recited all the mufassal surahs during the night. 'Abdullah said: (You must have recited them) like the (recitation) of poetry. I heard (the Holy Prophet) combining (the sarahs) and I remember the combinations which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made In the recitation (of surahs). These were constituted of eighteen mufassal surahs and two surahs (commencing with) Ha-Mim.