عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَقْرَأَنِي جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَرَاجَعْتُهُ فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَسْتَزِيدُهُ وَيَزِيدُنِي حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ وَإِنَّمَا هَذِهِ الْأَحْرُفُ فِي الْأَمْرِ الْوَاحِدِ وَلَا يَخْتَلِفُ فِي حَلَالٍ وَلَا حَرَامٍ
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Jibreel (peace be upon him) taught me one recitation, I requested him to increase the recitations and he kept increasing them, until the matter reached seven recitations. Imam Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) says: This difference in recitations is in reality about one and the same matter, it does not make any difference in what is lawful and unlawful.