Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 211
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْقَطَّانُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، وَسُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ مَرْثَدٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيِّ، عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ شُعْبَةُ " خَيْرُكُمْ " . وَقَالَ سُفْيَانُ " أَفْضَلُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ " .
Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us: Yahya ibn Said al-Qattan reported to us: Shu‘bah and Sufyan reported to us, from Alqamah ibn Marthad, from Sad ibn Ubaydah, from Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, from Uthman ibn Affan, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said—Shu‘bah said, ‘The best of you’; Sufyan said, ‘The most excellent of you is whoever learns the Quran and teaches it.’
Translation notes
The Arabic preserves two wordings: Shu‘bah reports ‘the best of you,’ and Sufyan reports ‘the most excellent of you is whoever learns the Quran and teaches it.’