Hadith #318
Arabic Text
حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو بِشْرٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَوَارٍ بِمَكَّةَ { وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا } قَالَ وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا صَلَّى بِأَصْحَابِهِ رَفَعَ صَوْتَهُ بِالْقُرْآنِ فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ ذَلِكَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ سَبُّوا الْقُرْآنَ وَسَبُّوا مَنْ أَنْزَلَهُ وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ قَالَ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِنَبِيِّهِ { وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ } أَيْ بِقِرَاءَتِكَ فَيَسْمَعَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ فَيَسُبُّوا الْقُرْآنَ { وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا } عَنْ أَصْحَابِكَ فَلَا تُسْمِعُهُمْ الْقُرْآنَ حَتَّى يَأْخُذُوهُ عَنْكَ { وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلًا }
Isnad Chain
English Translation
Hushaym narrated to us, Abu Bishr informed us, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn 'Abbas, who said: "This verse was revealed while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in hiding in Makkah: 'And do not recite your prayer too loudly nor too softly' [17:110]. He said: the Prophet ﷺ, when praying with his Companions, would raise his voice with the Quran. When the polytheists heard that, they reviled the Quran, reviled the One who revealed it, and reviled the one who brought it. So Allah (عز وجل) said to His Prophet: 'And do not recite your prayer too loudly' — meaning your recitation, lest the polytheists hear and revile the Quran — 'nor too softly' — from your Companions, so that they cannot hear the Quran and learn it from you — 'and seek a way between that' [17:110]."
Quran References
Reference: Musnad Ahmad, Book 8, Hadith 318
Sunnah.com ref: Musnad Ahmad 1756
Islam.wiki ID: IWH-38146