Fath al-Rabbani

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him): I was hiding behind the curtain of the Ka’bah when three men came. One was a Qurayshi and the other two were his brothers-in-law from Banu Thaqif, or one was a Thaqafi and the other two were his Qurayshi brothers-in-law. Their bellies were covered with much fat, but their hearts lacked understanding. They discussed various things; I could not hear all of it. Anyway, one of them said: What do you think, does Allah Almighty hear what we are saying? The second said: I think that when we speak loudly, He hears us, and when we do not speak loudly, He does not hear us. The third spoke and said: If He hears some part of what we say, then that means He hears all of it. When I mentioned these things to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Allah Almighty revealed these verses: {وَمَا کُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ یَشْہَدَ عَلَیْکُمْ … … فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ مِنْ الْخَاسِرِینَ}