English narration
Narrated by حميد بن أبي حميد الطويل
There gathered near the House (i.e. the Ka`ba) two Quraishi persons and a person from Thaqif (or two persons from Thaqif and one from Quraish), and all of them with very fat bellies but very little intelligence. One of them said, "Do you think that Allah hears what we say?" Another said, "He hears us when we talk in a loud voice, but He doesn't hear us when we talk in a low tone." The third said, "If He can hear when we talk in a loud tone, then He can also hear when we speak in a low tone." Then Allah, the Honorable, the Majestic revealed 'And you have not been screening against yourself lest your ears, and eyes and your skins should testify against you....' (41.22-23) This hadith has been narrated through another chain as well.
النص العربي
حَدَّثَنَا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ ، حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْمَرٍ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ، قَالَ : "
اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ قُرَشِيَّانِ وَثَقَفِيٌّ أَوْ ثَقَفِيَّانِ وَقُرَشِيٌّ كَثِيرَةٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ قَلِيلَةٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ : أَتُرَوْنَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا نَقُولُ ، قَالَ الْآخَرُ : يَسْمَعُ إِنْ جَهَرْنَا ، وَلَا يَسْمَعُ إِنْ أَخْفَيْنَا ، وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ : إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا جَهَرْنَا ، فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلا جُلُودُكُمْ سورة فصلت آية 22 الْآيَةَ
" ، وَكَانَ سُفْيَانُ يُحَدِّثُنَا بِهَذَا ، فَيَقُولُ : حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ ، أَوْ ابْنُ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ ، أَوْ حُمَيْدٌ أَحَدُهُمْ ، أَوِ اثْنَانِ مِنْهُمْ ، ثُمَّ ثَبَتَ عَلَى مَنْصُورٍ ، وَتَرَكَ ذَلِكَ مِرَارًا غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ،