Hadith #164

Arabic Text

English Translation

It was narrated from 'Abdullah (رضي الله عنه) — via Waki', from Sufyan, from al-A'mash, from 'Umara ibn 'Umayr al-Laythi, from Wahb ibn Rabi'a — that he said: 'I was concealed behind the curtains of the Ka'ba when two Thaqafi men entered, along with their Qurashi in-law — or two Qurashi men and their Thaqafi in-law — fat-bellied, with little understanding in their hearts. They conversed among themselves. One of them said to the other: Do you think Allah (عز وجل) hears what we say? Another replied: I think He hears when we raise our voices, but does not hear when we speak quietly. Another said: If He hears any of it, then He hears all of it. So I came to the Prophet ﷺ and mentioned that to him. And Allah (عز وجل) revealed: 'And you were not concealing yourselves lest your hearing testify against you, nor your eyes' [41:22].' — [Second chain] via Abu Mu'awiya, from al-A'mash, from 'Umara, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, from 'Abdullah — he mentioned the same meaning — and the verse revealed was: 'And you were not concealing yourselves lest your hearing testify against you, nor your eyes' [41:22] to His words: '...so you became among the losers' [41:23].