English translation
4302. Narrated 'Amr bin Salama: We were at a place which was a thoroughfare for the people, and the caravans used to pass by us and we would ask them, "What is wrong with the people? What is wrong with the people? Who is that man?" They would say, "That man claims that Allāh has sent him (as a Messenger), that he has been inspired Divinely, that Allāh has revealed to him such and such." I used to memorize that (Divine) Talk, and feel as if it was inculcated in my chest (i.e., mind). And the Arabs (other than Quraish) delayed their conversion to Islām till the Conquest (of Makkah). They used to say, "Leave him (i.e., Muhammad ﷺ) and his people Quraish; if he overpowers them, then he is a true Prophet." So, when Makkah was conquered, then every tribe rushed to embrace Islām, and my father hurried to embrace Islām before (the other members of) my tribe. When my father returned (from the Prophet ﷺ) to his tribe, he said, "By Allāh, I have come to you from the Prophet ﷺ for sure!" The Prophet ﷺ afterwards said to them, "Offer such and such Ṣalāt (prayer) at such and such time, and when the time for the Ṣalāt (prayer) becomes due, then one of you should pronounce the Adhān (for the Ṣalāt), and let the one amongst you who knows the Qur'ān most should lead the Ṣalāt (prayer).” So they looked for such a person and found none who knew more of the Qur'ān than I because of the Qurānic Verses which I used to learn from the caravans. They therefore made me their Imām [to lead the Ṣalāt (prayer)] and at that time I was a boy of six or seven years, wearing a Burda (i.e., a black square garment) proved to be very short for me (and my body became partly exposed). A lady from the tribe said, “Won't you cover the buttocks of your reciter for us?” So they bought (a piece of cloth) and made a shirt for me. I had never been so happy with anything before as I was with that shirt.