English translation
3743. Narrated Ibrāhīm: 'Alqama went to Sham and when he entered the mosque, he said, "O Allāh! Bless me with a righteous, pious companion." So he sat with Abū Ad-Dardā'. Abū Ad-Dardā' asked him, "Where are you from?" 'Alqama replied, "From the people of Kūfa." Abū Ad-Dardā' said, "Isn't there amongst you the keeper of the secret which nobody else knows i.e., Hudhaifa?" 'Alqama said, "Yes." Then Abū Ad-Dardā' further asked, "Isn't there amongst you the person whom Allāh gave refuge from Satan through the invocation of His Prophet ﷺ, namely 'Ammār?" 'Alqama replied in the affirmative. Abū Ad-Dardā' said, "Isn't 'Wa mā khalaqadh-dhakara wal-untha.' 'By Him Who created male and female.' Abū Ad-Dardā' and 'Abdullāh bin Mas'ūd used to read this Verse as: 'Wadh-dhakara wal-untha.' 'And by male and female,' excluding, Wamā Khalaqa. i.e., by Him Who created. Perhaps they did not hear the complete Verse from the Prophet ﷺ while many other Companions of the Prophet ﷺ did. there amongst you the person who carries the Siwāk or the secrets (i.e., of the Prophet ﷺ namely 'Abdullāh bin Mas'ūd)?" 'Alqama said, "Yes." Then Abū Ad-Dardā' asked, "How ('Abdullāh bin Mas'ūd) used to recite the Sūrah starting with: 'By the night as it envelops; by the day as it appears in brightness?'" (V.92:1,2). 'Alqama said, "And by male and female." Abū Ad-Dardā' then said, "These people (of Sham) tried hard to make me accept something other than what I had heard from the Prophet ﷺ."