حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بِشْرٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِکَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِکَ سَبِيلًا قَالَ نَزَلَتْ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُخْتَفٍ بِمَکَّةَ فَکَانَ إِذَا صَلَّی بِأَصْحَابِهِ رَفَعَ صَوْتَهُ بِالْقُرْآنِ فَکَانَ الْمُشْرِکُونَ إِذَا سَمِعُوهُ شَتَمُوا الْقُرْآنَ وَمَنْ أَنْزَلَهُ وَمَنْ جَائَ بِهِ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ لِنَبِيِّهِ وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِکَ أَيْ بِقِرَائَتِکَ فَيَسْمَعَ الْمُشْرِکُونَ فَيَسُبُّوا الْقُرْآنَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا عَنْ أَصْحَابِکَ وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِکَ سَبِيلًا قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَی هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ
جامع ترمذی · Hadith 3146
Narrated Sa'eed bin Jubair: from Ibn 'Abbas regarding Allah's saying: And offer your Salat neither aloud nor in a low voice but follow a way between. He said: It was revealed when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was hiding himself in Makkah, and when he led his Companions in Salat, he would raise his voice with the Qur'an. So when the idolaters heard it they would insult the Qur'an, the One Who revealed it, and the one who came with it. So Allah, Most High, said to His Prophet: 'And offer your Salat neither aloud' that is: Your recitation, so that the idolaters would not hear it and insult the Qur'an. 'Nor in a low voice (too low)' for your Companions, 'but follow a way between.'
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020