وَمِنْ طَرِيقٍ ثَانٍ عَنْ زِرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لِابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَيْفَ تَعْرِفُ هَذَا الْحَرْفَ مَاءٌ غَيْرِ يَاسِنٍ أَمْ آسِنٍ فَقَالَ كُلَّ الْقُرْآنِ قَدْ قَرَأْتَ قَالَ إِنِّي لَأَقْرَأُ الْمُفَصَّلَ أَجْمَعَ فِي رَكْعَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَقَالَ أَهَذًّا الشِّعْرِ لَا أَبَا لَكَ قَدْ عَلِمْتُ قَرَائِنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ الَّتِي كَانَ يَقْرِنُ قَرِينَتَيْنِ قَرِينَتَيْنِ مِنْ أَوَّلِ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَكَانَ أَوَّلُ مُفَصَّلِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ الرَّحْمَنُ
(Second chain) Zarr narrates, he says: A man asked Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): What is your opinion about this recitation—is it "ma'in ghayri asinin" or "yasin"? He replied: Have you read the entire Qur'an besides this? He said: I recite all the mufassal surahs in one rak'ah. He said: Do you recite quickly like poetry? May you lose your father! I know the similar surahs among them, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite two by two. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would start from the beginning of the mufassal. In the mushaf of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), the first mufassal surah was Rahman.
عَنْ شَقِيقِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مِنْ بَنِي بُجَيْلَةَ يُقَالُ لَهُ نَهِيكُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ كَيْفَ تَقْرَأُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ أَيَاءً تَجِدُهَا أَوْ أَلِفًا مِنْ مَاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَكُلُّ الْقُرْآنِ أَحْصَيْتَ غَيْرَ هَذِهِ قَالَ إِنِّي لَأَقْرَأُ الْمُفَصَّلَ فِي رَكْعَتَيْنِ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذًّا كَهَذِّ الشِّعْرِ إِنَّ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ الصَّلَاةِ الرُّكُوعَ وَالسُّجُودَ وَلَيَقْرَأَنَّ الْقُرْآنَ أَقْوَامٌ لَا يُجَاوِزُ تَرَاقِيَهُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُ إِذَا قَرَأَهُ فَرَسَخَ فِي الْقَلْبِ نَفَعَ إِنِّي لَأَعْرِفُ النَّظَائِرَ الَّتِي كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَأُ سُورَتَيْنِ فِي رَكْعَةٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَدَخَلَ فَجَاءَ عَلْقَمَةُ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ فَقُلْنَا لَهُ سَلْهُ عَنِ النَّظَائِرِ الَّتِي كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَأُ سُورَتَيْنِ فِي رَكْعَةٍ قَالَ فَدَخَلَ فَسَأَلَهُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا فَقَالَ عِشْرُونَ سُورَةً مِنْ أَوَّلِ الْمُفَصَّلِ فِي تَأْلِيفِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ
Shafeeq bin Abdullah says: A man from the tribe of Banu Bajilah, who was called Naheek bin Sinan, came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: O Abu Abdur Rahman! How do you recite this verse, with a ya or with an alif {مِنْ مَائٍ غَیْرِ آسِنٍ}? Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Have you recited the entire Qur’an except for this? He said: I recite the mufassal surahs in two rak’ahs of prayer. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Do you recite quickly like poetry? The best prayer is that in which the bowing and prostration are performed properly. Some people will recite the Qur’an, but it will not go below their collarbones. When a person recites the Qur’an and it becomes firmly established in his heart, then the Qur’an benefits him. I recognize those similar surahs, among which the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite two surahs in one rak’ah. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and went inside. Meanwhile, Alqamah came and he also went inside after him. We said to Alqamah: Ask him about those similar surahs, among which the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite two surahs. So Alqamah went to him and then came back to us and said: The first twenty surahs of the mufassal. This was according to the compilation of the Qur’an by Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him).