On the authority of Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The rewards of my ummah were shown to me, even the speck of dirt that a man removes from the mosque, and the sins of my ummah were shown to me, and I did not see a sin greater than a surah of the Qur'an or a verse that a man was given, and then he forgot it." (1)

This is a gharib hadith, which we do not know except through this chain. I discussed it with Muhammad ibn Isma'il, and he did not know it and found it strange. Muhammad said: I do not know of al-Muttalib ibn 'Abdullah ibn Hantab having heard from any of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, except his saying: "He narrated to me who witnessed the sermon of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him."

And I heard 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Rahman say: We do not know of al-Muttalib having heard from any of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. 'Abdullah said: And 'Ali ibn al-Madini denied that al-Muttalib had heard from Anas.

Chapter 21

3144 - Mahmud ibn Ghaylan narrated to us, saying: Abu Ahmad narrated to us, saying: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Khaythama, from al-Hasan, from 'Imran ibn Husayn, that he passed by a reciter who was reciting, and then he asked [for something], so he said "inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un," then he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: "Whoever recites the Qur'an, let him ask Allah by it, for there will come people who recite the Qur'an and ask by it."

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(1) Its chain is weak; Ibn Jurayj is mudallis and has narrated with 'an'anah, and there is disagreement regarding al-Muttalib ibn 'Abdullah ibn Hantab's hearing from Anas.
Also narrated by Abu Dawud (461).