980 — Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dāwūd narrated to us, saying: Abd al-Malik ibn Shuayb ibn al-Layth narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to me, from my grandfather, from Khālid ibn Yazīd, from Saīd ibn Saīd ibn Abī Hilāl ibn Usāmah, from Atā ibn Yasār, from Abd Allah ibn Salām, who used to say:

“Indeed, we find the following description of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace: ‘Indeed, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, a warner, and a safeguard for the unlettered. You are My servant and My messenger. I have named him al-Mutawakkil. He is neither harsh nor hard-hearted, nor loud-voiced in the marketplaces. He does not repay an evil deed with one like it; rather, he pardons and overlooks. I shall not take him in death until Allah straightens crooked tongues through their testifying that there is no deity except Allah. Through him Allah will open blind eyes, deaf ears, and closed hearts.’” ⦗1456⦘

Atā ibn Yasār said: Abū Wāqid al-Laythī also informed me that he heard Kaʿb al-Ahbār say the same words as Ibn Salām.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy upon him—said: As for the Christians, Allah—Mighty and Majestic—praised those among them who believed in Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—because he is written of in the Gospel in their possession. He—Mighty and Majestic—praised them in the finest possible terms.