I passed by Hisham bin Hakeem bin Hizam while he was reciting Surah al-Furqan during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I listened to his recitation, and he was reciting it in many ways that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had not taught me. I nearly pounced on him during the prayer, but I waited until he gave the closing salutation. When he finished, I grabbed him by his cloak and said, "Who taught you this surah I just heard you reciting?"He replied, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught it to me."I said to him, "You are lying. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the one who taught me this very surah you are reciting."So I led him to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "Messenger of Allah, I heard this man reciting Surah al-Furqan in ways you did not teach me, and you yourself taught me Surah al-Furqan."The Prophet ﷺ said, "Release him, Umar. Recite, Hisham."So Hisham recited it for him in the manner I had heard.The Prophet ﷺ said, "It was revealed this way."Then the Prophet ﷺ said to me, "Recite, Umar."So I recited it in the manner the Prophet ﷺ had taught me.The Prophet ﷺ said, "It was revealed this way."Then the Prophet ﷺ said, "This Quran was revealed in seven modes, so recite whatever is easy from it."
حدثنا الحسن بن علي الخلال وغير واحد قالوا حدثنا عبد الرزاق أخبرنا معمر عن الزهري عن عروة بن الزبير عن المسور بن مخرمة وعبد الرحمن بن عبد القاري أخبراه أنهما سمعا
مررت بهشام بن حكيم بن حزام وهو يقرأ سورة الفرقان في حياة رسول الله ﷺ فاستمعت قراءته فإذا هو يقرأ على حروف كثيرة لم يقرئنيها رسول الله ﷺ فكدت أساوره في الصلاة فنظرت حتى سلم فلما سلم لببته بردائه فقلت من أقرأك هذه السورة التي سمعتك تقرؤها فقال أقرأنيها رسول الله ﷺ قلت له كذبت والله إن رسول الله ﷺ لهو أقرأني هذه السورة التي تقرؤها فانطلقت أقوده إلى النبي ﷺ فقلت يا رسول الله إني سمعت هذا يقرأ سورة الفرقان على حروف لم تقرئنيها وأنت أقرأتني سورة الفرقان فقال النبي ﷺ أرسله يا عمر اقرأ يا هشام فقرأ عليه القراءة التي سمعت فقال النبي ﷺ هكذا أنزلت ثم قال لي النبي ﷺ اقرأ يا عمر فقرأت بالقراءة التي أقرأني النبي ﷺ فقال النبي ﷺ هكذا أنزلت ثم قال النبي ﷺ إن هذا القرآن أنزل على سبعة أحرف فاقرءوا ما تيسر منه
Agreed upon (by Bukhari and Muslim), and Muslim narrated it in "The Book of the Travelers' Prayer," chapter on the explanation that the Quran was revealed in seven forms and the meaning of that, hadith no. 818, from the hadith of Abdul-Razzaq, and Bukhari, hadith no. 7550, from the hadith of Zuhri through him. The hadith of Malik is in Muwatta, 1/201, and from that route Bukhari narrated it, hadith no. 2419, and Muslim, hadith no. 818/270.