White thread of light

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا حُصَيْنُ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ إِدْرِيسَ، - الْمَعْنَى - عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ، قَالَ لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ ‏{‏ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ ‏}‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَخَذْتُ عِقَالاً أَبْيَضَ وَعِقَالاً أَسْوَدَ فَوَضَعْتُهُمَا تَحْتَ وِسَادَتِي فَنَظَرْتُ فَلَمْ أَتَبَيَّنْ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَضَحِكَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ وِسَادَكَ لَعَرِيضٌ طَوِيلٌ إِنَّمَا هُوَ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ عُثْمَانُ ‏"‏ إِنَّمَا هُوَ سَوَادُ اللَّيْلِ وَبَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Narrated 'Adi b. Hatim: When the verse "Until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread" was revealed, I took a white rope and a black rope, and placed them beneath my pillow; and then I looked at them, but they were not clear to me. So I mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He laughed and said: Your pillow is so broad and lengthy ; that is (i.e. means) night and day. The version of the narrator 'Uthman has: That is the blackness of night and whiteness of day.

Sunan Abi Dawud 2349 https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2349

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