This is how Imām Aḥmad narrated the report, and al-Bayhaqī transmitted it with a continuous chain of authorities.(1) He traced it through Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿUbaydah, from his father, from al-Aʿmash, from Abū Ẓibyān, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:

A man from Banū ʿĀmir came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “I have knowledge of medicine and other sciences. What ailment troubles you? Does anything in yourself disturb you? To what(2) do you summon people?” He replied, “I call to Allah and to Islam.” The man said, “You put forth a claim; do you possess a sign?” He answered, “Yes. If you wish, I will show you a sign.” A tree stood before him, so he said to one of its branches, “Come here, O branch.” The branch broke off, came hopping along, and stood before him. He then said, “Return to your place,” and it returned. The ʿĀmirī exclaimed, “O clan of ʿĀmir ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿah, I shall never blame you for anything you say again!” This indicates that he conceded the matter, though he did not respond in every respect.

Al-Bayhaqī also said:(3) “Abū’l-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdān informed us; Aḥmad ibn ʿUbayd aṣ-Ṣaffār likewise informed us, and Ibn Abī Qamāsh related to us; Ibn ʿĀʾishah narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Ziyād, from al-Aʿmash, from Sālim ibn Abī’l-Jaʿd, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:

A man came to the Messenger of Allah and asked, ‘What is this that your companions are saying?’ Clusters of dates and trees were around the Messenger of Allah at the time. He said, ‘Would you like me to show you a sign?’ The man replied, ‘Yes.’ The Prophet then called one of the clusters; it came scraping the ground until it stood before him, scraping the earth, prostrating, and raising its head, until it came to a halt in front of him. He then ordered it, and it went back. The ʿĀmirī went out saying, ‘O clan of ʿĀmir ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿah, by Allah, I will never belie anything he says again.’(4)

Another chain, in which the ʿĀmirī accepts Islam: Al-Bayhaqī said, “Abū Naṣr ibn Qatādah informed us; Abū ʿAlī Ḥāmid ibn Muḥammad ibn ar-Raffāʾ reported to us; ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al-Iṣbahānī told us; Shurayk narrated to us, from Simāk, from Abū Ẓibyān, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:

A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, ‘By what sign shall I know that you are the Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘If I call this cluster from that date-palm, will you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ The Prophet then called the cluster, and it began to descend from the palm-tree