The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "I met Jibreel at the Stones of Mira and said to him, 'Jibreel, I have been sent to an unlettered nation, including the man, the woman, the boy, the Jariya, and the aged old man who has never read a book.'He replied, 'Indeed, the Quran has been revealed in seven modes.'"
أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: لقيت جبريل عند أحجار المراء، فقلت: يا جبريل، إني أرسلت إلى أمة أمية، الرجل والمرأة والغلام والجارية والشيخ العاسي الذي لم يقرأ كتابا قط. قال: إن القرآن نزل على سبعة أحرف.
Ahmad narrated it (23326, 23398) from Affan, who said, Hammad, meaning Ibn Salama, narrated to us, from Asim, from Zirr, from Huzaifa, and he related the hadith both in brief and at length. Tabarani also narrated it through this same route in Al-Kabir (3018). Bazzar narrated it in his Musnad (2908), and Tahawi in Sharh Mushkil Athar (3098), both through another route from Hammad bin Salama.Its chain is hasan because of Asim, who is Ibn Abu Bahdala, for he is hasan al-hadith, though there is disagreement regarding him about the name of the companion. If his memory served him correctly, then it is from both Ubayy bin Kaab and Huzaifa together, and otherwise, the well-known version is that it comes from the hadith of Ubayy bin Kaab.