Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Hazrat Amr bin Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a delegation from his tribe came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When they intended to return, they said, "O Messenger of Allah, who will lead us in prayer?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "The one among you who knows the most Qur'an." At that time, no one knew as much Qur'an as I did, so despite being young, they put me forward. Whenever I led them in prayer, I would have a single sheet over me. After that, wherever I was present in any gathering of the tribe of Jurm, I was the one who led them in prayer, and until now, I am the one who leads their funeral prayers as well.

Hazrat Amr bin Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that we used to live in a town. When people would return from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), they would pass by us. I would go near them and listen to their conversations, to the extent that I memorized some parts of the Qur'an. People were waiting for the conquest of Makkah so that they could accept Islam. So, when Makkah was conquered, people started coming to the Prophet (peace be upon him). They would say, "O Messenger of Allah, I am the representative of such-and-such tribe and have brought the message of their acceptance of Islam." My father also went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) with the message of his tribe's acceptance of Islam, and when he was about to return, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Appoint as your imam the one who has memorized the most Qur'an." At that time, I lived in a neighborhood of many houses. When people considered, they found no one who had memorized more Qur'an than me, so despite my young age, they made me the imam. And I began to lead them in prayer. I used to have a sheet on my body, and when I would bow or prostrate, it would become short and my private parts would become exposed. Seeing this, an old woman said to the people, "Cover your imam's private parts." So the people made a shirt for me, and I was very happy to receive it.

Hazrat Amr bin Salamah says that some riders used to come to us from the Prophet (peace be upon him). We would learn the Qur'an from them. They narrated this hadith to us that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The one among you who knows the most Qur'an should lead your prayer.