Musnad Ahmad 265
It was narrated that ‘Umar bin al-Khattab said:
When Abu Bakr and I were with him, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by `Abdullah bin Mas`ood, when he was reciting [in prayer]. He stood and listened to his recitation, then ‘Abdullah bowed and prostrated, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `Ask, you will be given; ask, you will be given.` Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went away and said: “Whoever would like to recite the Qur`an fresh as it was revealed, let him learn it from Ibn Umm `Abd,` Then I went at night to ‘Abdullah bin Mas`ood to tell him the good news of what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had said, and when I knocked on the door - or he said: when he heard my voice - he said: What brings you here at this time? I said: I have come to tell you the glad tidings of what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said. He said: Abu Bakr beat you to it. I said: If he did that, he is always ahead in doing righteous deeds. We never competed in doing good deeds but Abu Bakr beat us to it.
حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ زِيَادٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ الْقَرْثَعِ، عَنِ قَيْسٍ، أَوْ ابْنِ قَيْسٍ رَجُلٍ مِنْ جُعْفِيٍّ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، قَالَ مَرَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَنَا مَعَهُ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَهُوَ يَقْرَأُ فَقَامَ فَسَمِعَ قِرَاءَتَهُ ثُمَّ رَكَعَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَسَجَدَ قَالَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَلْ تُعْطَهْ سَلْ تُعْطَهْ قَالَ ثُمَّ مَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَالَ مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ غَضًّا كَمَا أُنْزِلَ فَلْيَقْرَأْهُ مِنْ ابْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ قَالَ فَأَدْلَجْتُ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ لِأُبَشِّرَهُ بِمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ فَلَمَّا ضَرَبْتُ الْبَابَ أَوْ قَالَ لَمَّا سَمِعَ صَوْتِي قَالَ مَا جَاءَ بِكَ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ قُلْتُ جِئْتُ لِأُبَشِّرَكَ بِمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ قَدْ سَبَقَكَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ قُلْتُ إِنْ يَفْعَلْ فَإِنَّهُ سَبَّاقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ مَا اسْتَبَقْنَا خَيْرًا قَطُّ إِلَّا سَبَقَنَا إِلَيْهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ‏.‏