Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 3708 — Surah Ha Mim Ain Sin Qaf

It is narrated from Abu Mu'awiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) that Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him) went up on the pulpit and called out: "O people! Has any of you heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) explaining the disjointed letters 'Ha Mim, Ain Sin Qaf' [Surah al-Shura: 1-2]?" Hearing this, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) promptly stood up and said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told us: "'Ha Mim' is one of the names of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Then what is meant by the letter 'Ain'?" He replied: "It refers to the moment when the polytheists saw the punishment of Allah with their own eyes on the day of the Battle of Badr." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Then what is the meaning of the letter 'Sin'?" He replied that it refers to this statement of Allah Almighty: "And those who have done wrong will soon come to know to what (dreadful) end they will return" [Surah al-Shu'ara: 227]. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Then what is the meaning of the letter 'Qaf'?" At this, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) fell silent and sat down. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to those present: "I ask you by Allah Almighty: has anyone else also heard this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" At this, Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) quickly stood up and gave the same explanation that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) had given. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him too: "Then what is meant by the letter 'Qaf'?" He replied: "A calamity from the sky that will strike the people, that is, a dreadful, crashing calamity descending from the sky that will seize the people in its grip."
Imam Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili recorded this report in his Musnad; however, because of the weakness of the narrator al-Hasan bin Yahya al-Khushani in its chain and a break (inqita') in the chain, this report is very weak according to the hadith scholars.