The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited Surah Tabarak on a Friday while standing, and he reminded us of the days of Allah. Abu Darda, or Abu Dharr, nudged me and asked, "When was this surah revealed? I have not heard it until now."Ubayy gestured to him to be silent. When the people had dispersed, the man said, "I asked you when this surah was revealed and you did not tell me."Ubayy replied, "You have nothing from your prayer today except the idle talk you engaged in."The man went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and mentioned what had happened, informing him of what Ubayy had said.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Ubayy has spoken the truth."
أن رسول الله ﷺ قرأ يوم الجمعة تبارك، وهو قائم، فذكرنا بأيام الله، وأبو الدرداء أو أبو ذر يغمزني فقال: متي أنزلت هذه السورة؟ إني لم أسمعها إلا الآن، فأشار إليه أن اسكت! فلما انصرفوا قال: سألتك متى أنزلت هذه السورة فلم تخبرني؟ فقال أبي: ليس لك من صلاتك اليوم إلا ما لغوت! فذهب إلى رسول الله ﷺ فذكر ذلك له، وأخبره بالذي قال أبي. فقال رسول الله ﷺ: صدق أبي.
Ibn Majah (1111) and Ahmad (21287) both narrated it through the hadith of Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad Darawardi, from Sharik bin Abdullah bin Abu Nimr, from Ata bin Yasar, from Ubayy bin Kaab, who mentioned it, and the wording is Ibn Majah's. In Ahmad's version, "He recited Surah Baraah on Friday." Its chain of transmission is hasan, because Darawardi and Sharik are both truthful (saduq). Busiri said, "This is a sahih chain, its narrators are trustworthy." Munziri graded its chain hasan in Targhib.Ibn Khuzayma (1807) and Hakim (1/287) both narrated it through the route of Muhammad bin Jafar, from Sharik, from Ata, from Abu Dharr, who mentioned something similar, except that he also mentioned Surah Baraah instead of Surah Mulk. The chain of Ibn Khuzayma and Hakim is sahih, all its narrators are trustworthy. Hakim said, "This is a sahih hadith meeting the criteria of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), though they did not include it." Dhahabi said, "I do not think Ata met Abu Dharr."I say, Abu Dharr died in the year 32, and Ata was born in the year 19, so it is not implausible that he met him. Allah knows best.This hadith has also been narrated through various other routes, to which Bayhaqi referred in Sunan al-Kubra (3/220). It was also narrated from the hadith of Abu Darda, who said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat one day upon the pulpit and gave a sermon to the people, and he recited a verse, and Ubayy bin Kaab was beside me..." and he mentioned something similar, adding at the end, "He (meaning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ) said, 'Ubayy has spoken the truth. When you hear your imam speaking, be silent until he finishes.'"Imam Ahmad narrated it (21730) from Makki, who said, our teacher Abdullah bin Saeed narrated to us, from Harb bin Qays, from Abu Darda. This chain has all trustworthy narrators, except that it is broken, since Harb bin Qays did not hear from Abu Darda. Abu Hatim said, "He did not meet Abu Darda, so it is a mursal narration, and he was of the same generation as Malik bin Anas." Tuhfat Tahsil: 63.What is narrated from Abu Hurairah, who said, "While the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was delivering the Friday sermon, Abu Dharr said to Ubayy bin Kaab..." and he mentioned something similar, is not sound. Tayalisi narrated it in his Musnad (2486) and Bazzar (643, Kashf Astar) through the route of Aswad bin Amir, both of them from Hammad bin Salama, from Muhammad bin Amr, from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurairah. The correct view is that Abu Salama narrated this hadith as mursal, without mentioning Abu Hurairah in it. See Ilal by Daraqutni (8/51).As for what is narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari, that he said, Abdullah bin Masud entered the masjid while the Prophet ﷺ was delivering the sermon, and he sat beside Ubayy bin Kaab and asked him about something, or spoke to him about something, but he did not answer him. Ibn Masud thought this was due to displeasure. When the Prophet ﷺ finished his prayer, Ibn Masud said, "Ubayy, what kept you from answering me?" He said, "You did not attend the Friday prayer with us." He said, "Why do you say that?" He said, "You spoke while the Prophet ﷺ was delivering the sermon." So Ibn Masud got up and went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and mentioned that to him, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, "Ubayy has spoken the truth. Obey Ubayy." This is daif.Abu Yaala narrated it (364, Maqsad Ali), and from his route Ibn Hibban (2794) and Tabarani in Awsat (992, Majma Bahrayn), through the route of Yaqub Qummi, from Isa bin Jariya, from Jabir bin Abdullah, with this wording. Haythami said, "Abu Yaala and Tabarani in Awsat narrated it with similar wording, and in Kabir in abbreviated form, and the narrators of Abu Yaala's version are trustworthy."I say, rather, it hinges on Isa bin Jariya, and he is daif. Ibn Main, Abu Dawud, and Nasai declared him daif, and Nasai said, "His hadith is objectionable (munkar)." Ibn Adi said, "His hadiths are not well preserved."I say, this hadith, as Ibn Adi said, is not well preserved, because this story actually took place between Abu Darda and Ubayy, and the mention of Ibn Masud in it is not well preserved. Allah knows best. His saying "mawjida" means anger, as stated in Nihayah.It was also narrated from the hadith of Abdullah bin Abbas, and in it the story took place between Ibn Masud and an unnamed man. Ibn Khuzayma narrated it (1809), and in its chain is Husayn bin Isa, who is daif.