Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari 3219
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي سُلَيْمَانُ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " أَقْرَأَنِي جِبْرِيلُ عَلَى حَرْفٍ، فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَسْتَزِيدُهُ حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ ".
Ismaʿil narrated to us, saying: Sulayman narrated to me, from Yunus, from Ibn Shihab, from ʿUbayd Allah ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUtba ibn Masʿud, from Ibn ʿAbbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Gabriel recited to me in one mode, and I kept asking him for more until he reached seven modes.’
Translation notes
The Arabic term ahruf literally means ‘letters’; the English witness interprets the seven as modes or dialects of recitation.