Muḥammad ibn Saʿd said: ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, from Abū ʿUbaydah ibn ʿAbdullāh, ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir, and others, from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿĀʾishah, who said:

A Jewish man had settled in Mecca and traded there. On the very night the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was born he sat in one of Quraysh’s gatherings and asked, “Has any child been born among you tonight?”

They answered, “We know of none.”

He replied, “Take heed, people of Quraysh, and remember what I say: tonight the prophet of this nation, Aḥmad, has been born. Between his shoulders is a birth-mark with a few hairs upon it.”

The people dispersed, astonished by his words. When they reached their homes they repeated the story to their families, and some were told, “ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib has had a son tonight, and he has named him Muḥammad.”

They went to the Jew’s house and said, “Do you know that a boy has been born among us?” He asked, “After my announcement or before it?” They said, “Before it, and his name is Aḥmad.”

He said, “Then let us go to him.” They set out until they reached his mother, who brought him out to them. When he saw the birth-mark on the child’s back, the Jew fainted. After he regained consciousness they exclaimed, “What is wrong with you—woe to you!”

He answered, “Prophethood has departed from the Children of Israel; scripture has slipped from their hands; the Arabs have gained the mantle of prophethood. Are you pleased, people of Quraysh? By Allah, they will soon strike you with a blow whose report will spread from east to west.” (1)