1؎: That is, he was extremely cautious in narrating hadith, strictly adhering to the exact wording, and would narrate precisely as he had heard.
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Commentary: ➊ This hadith demonstrates the Companions’ (radi Allahu anhum) commitment to acting upon hadith and their zeal for avoiding innovation (bid‘ah), as they strove to implement the Prophetic instructions word for word. They neither fell short in this nor did they attempt to add anything from themselves or take a step ahead of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), because the Noble Qur’an has prohibited such an act. The statement of Allah, the Exalted, is:
“O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allah and His Messenger.” (Al-Hujurat: 1)
➋ Another meaning derived from this hadith is that Ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhuma), whatever blessed instruction he heard from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), would narrate it exactly as it was, without any addition or omission in the wording. Although narrating a hadith by meaning (bil-ma‘na) is permissible, the hadith scholars (muhaddithun) considered narration by wording (bil-lafz) to be superior.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 4