It was narrated from ‘Uthman bin ‘Abdullah bin Aws that his grandfather Aws bin Hudhaifah said:
“We came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the delegation of Thaqif. The allies of Quraish stayed at the house of Mughirah bin Shu’bah, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) camped Bani Malik in a tent belonging to him. He used to come to us every night after the ‘Isha’ and speak to us standing on his two feet, until he started to shift his weight from one foot to the other. Most of what he told us was what he had suffered from his people, the Quraish. He said: ‘(The two sides) were not equal. We were weak and oppressed and humiliated, and when we went out to Al-Madinah, the outcome of the battles between us varied; sometimes we would defeat them and sometimes they would defeat us.’ One night he was later than he usually was, and I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you have come to us late tonight.’ He said: ‘It occurred to me that I had not read my daily portion of Qur’an and I did not want to come out until I had completed it.’” Aws said: “I asked the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): ‘How did you used to divide up the Qur’an?’ They said: ‘A third, a fifth, a seventh, a ninth, an eleventh, a thirteenth, and Hizbul-Mufassal.’”
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ الأَحْمَرُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ يَعْلَى الطَّائِفِيِّ، عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، أَوْسِ بْنِ حُذَيْفَةَ قَالَ قَدِمْنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فِي وَفْدِ ثَقِيفٍ فَنَزَّلُوا الأَحْلاَفَ عَلَى الْمُغِيرَةِ بْنِ شُعْبَةَ وَأَنْزَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ بَنِي مَالِكٍ فِي قُبَّةٍ لَهُ فَكَانَ يَأْتِينَا كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ فَيُحَدِّثُنَا قَائِمًا عَلَى رِجْلَيْهِ حَتَّى يُرَاوِحَ بَيْنَ رِجْلَيْهِ وَأَكْثَرُ مَا يُحَدِّثُنَا مَا لَقِيَ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ وَيَقُولُ " وَلاَ سَوَاءَ كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مُسْتَذَلِّينَ فَلَمَّا خَرَجْنَا إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ كَانَتْ سِجَالُ الْحَرْبِ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ نُدَالُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَيُدَالُونَ عَلَيْنَا " . فَلَمَّا كَانَ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ أَبْطَأَ عَنِ الْوَقْتِ الَّذِي كَانَ يَأْتِينَا فِيهِ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَبْطَأْتَ عَلَيْنَا اللَّيْلَةَ . قَالَ " إِنَّهُ طَرَأَ عَلَىَّ حِزْبِي مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ حَتَّى أُتِمَّهُ " . قَالَ أَوْسٌ فَسَأَلْتُ أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ كَيْفَ تُحَزِّبُونَ الْقُرْآنَ قَالُوا ثَلاَثٌ وَخَمْسٌ وَسَبْعٌ وَتِسْعٌ وَإِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ وَثَلاَثَ عَشْرَةَ وَحِزْبُ الْمُفَصَّلِ .