Virtues and Merits of the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions: Hadith 682

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّزَّالَ بْنَ سَبْرَةَ الْهِلاَلِيَّ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَجُلاً، قَرَأَ، وَسَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقْرَأُ خِلاَفَهَا فَجِئْتُ بِهِ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَعَرَفْتُ فِي وَجْهِهِ الْكَرَاهِيَةَ وَقَالَ ‏ "‏ كِلاَكُمَا مُحْسِنٌ، وَلاَ تَخْتَلِفُوا، فَإِنَّ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمُ اخْتَلَفُوا فَهَلَكُوا ‏"‏‏.‏

English Translation

Narrated Ibn Mas'ud: I heard a person reciting a (Quranic) Verse in a certain way, and I had heard the Prophet reciting the same Verse in a different way. So I took him to the Prophet and informed him of that but I noticed the sign of disapproval on his face, and then he said, "Both of you are correct, so don't differ, for the nations before you differed, so they were destroyed."