Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (1/268)

Ahmad ibn Abd al-Jabbar reported to us; Yunus reported to us from Ibn Ishaq, who said:

Twenty men from among the Christians came to the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—while he was in Mecca, or thereabouts, after news of him had reached Abyssinia. They found him seated in the gathering, so they spoke with him and questioned him, while men from Quraysh were sitting in their circles around the Kaʿbah. When they had finished their inquiries, the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—called them to Allah and recited the Quran to them. When they heard it, their eyes overflowed with tears; they responded to him, believed in him, and affirmed him, recognising in him what had been described to them in their own Scripture.

When they rose to leave, Abū Jahl confronted them along with a group from Quraysh and said, “May Allah disappoint you, what a worthless delegation you are! Your co-religionists sent you to investigate this man and bring them news of him, yet you could not even settle into your seats with him before you abandoned your faith and accepted everything he told you. We have never known a delegation more foolish than you!”—or words to that effect.

They replied, “Peace be upon you; we will not behave ignorantly toward you. Our deeds are ours and your deeds are yours. We seek only what is good for ourselves.”

It is said—and Allah knows best—that these verses were revealed concerning them:

أَنْبَأَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ أَنْبَأَنَا يُونُسُ عَنِ ابْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، قَالَ: ثُمَّ قَدِمَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عِشْرُونَ رَجُلًا - وَهُوَ بِمَكَّةَ أَوْ قَرِيبٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ - مِنَ النَّصَارَى حِينَ ظَهَرَ خَبَرُهُ فِي الْحَبَشَةِ فَوَجَدُوهُ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ فَكَلَّمُوهُ وَسَأَلُوهُ، وَرِجَالٌ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ فِي أَنْدِيَتِهِمْ حَوْلَ الْكَعْبَةِ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغُوا مِنْ مُسَاءَلَتِهِمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى اللَّهِ، وَتَلَا عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْآنَ، فَلَمَّا سَمِعُوا فَاضَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ ثُمَّ اسْتَجَابُوا لَهُ، وَآمَنُوا بِهِ وَصَدَّقُوهُ، وَعَرَفُوا مِنْهُ مَا كَانَ يُوصَفُ لَهُمْ فِي كِتَابِهِمْ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ، فَلَمَّا قَامُوا مِنْ عِنْدِهِ اعْتَرَضَهُمْ أَبُو جَهْلٍ فِي نَفَرٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، فَقَالُوا: خَيَّبَكُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ رَكْبٍ بَعَثَكُمْ مَنْ وَرَاءَكُمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ دِينِكُمْ تَرْتَادُونَ لَهُمْ فَتَأْتُونَهُمْ بِخَبَرِ الرَّجُلِ فَلَمْ تَطْمَئِنَّ مَجَالِسُكُمْ عِنْدَهُ حَتَّى فَارَقْتُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَصَدَّقْتُمُوهُ بِمَا قَالَ لَكُمْ، مَا نَعْلَمُ رَكْبًا أَحْمَقَ مِنْكُمْ. أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ لَهُمْ، فَقَالُوا: سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ لَا نُجَاهِلُكُمْ لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ، لَا نَأْلُوا لِأَنْفُسِنَا إِلَّا خَيْرًا، وَيُقَالُ - وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ - إِنَّ فِيهِمْ نَزَلَتْ هَؤُلَاءِ الْآيَاتُ: