Sahih Muslim Book - 50, Hadith - 7029

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِى عُمَرَ الْمَكِّىُّ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ عَنْ أَبِى مَعْمَرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ ثَلاَثَةُ نَفَرٍ قُرَشِيَّانِ وَثَقَفِىٌّ أَوْ ثَقَفِيَّانِ وَقُرَشِىٌّ قَلِيلٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ كَثِيرٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَتَرَوْنَ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا نَقُولُ وَقَالَ الآخَرُ يَسْمَعُ إِنْ جَهَرْنَا وَلاَ يَسْمَعُ إِنْ أَخْفَيْنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا جَهَرْنَا فَهُوَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا. فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ( وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلاَ جُلُودُكُمْ) الآيَةَ.

It was narrated that Ibn Mas'ud said: "Three people gathered at the Ka'bah - two Qurashis and a Thaqafi, or two Thaqafis and a Qurashi. They were lacking in understanding and had large bellies. One of them said: 'Do you think that Allah can hear what we are saying?' Another said: 'He can hear if we speak loudly, but He cannot hear if we whisper.' The last one said: 'If He can hear us when we speak loudly, then He can hear us when we whisper.' Then Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He revealed: "And you have not been hiding yourselves (in the world), lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should testify against you; but you thought that Allah knew not much of what you were doing.'"