Ibn Saʿd said: ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Mujāhid related to us, from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, from Sālim, the freedman of ʿAbdullāh ibn Muṭīʿ, from Abū Hurayrah, who reported:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Bayt al-Midrās and said, ‘Bring out to me the one among you who is most learned.’ They replied (1): ‘ʿAbdullāh ibn Ṣūriyā.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then withdrew with him and adjured him by his religion and by the favors Allah had bestowed upon them—how He provided them with manna and quails and shaded them with the cloud—saying, ‘Do you know that I am indeed the Messenger of Allah?’

He answered, ‘By Allah, yes; and the people know what I know. Your description and attributes are clearly set out in the Torah, but they have envied you.’

The Prophet asked, ‘What is holding you back, then?’

He replied, ‘I dislike opposing my people; perhaps they will follow you and accept Islam, and then I will accept Islam.’ (2)

Abū Shaykh al-Aṣbahānī said: Abū Yaḥyā al-Rāzī narrated to us; Sahl ibn ʿUthmān narrated to us; ʿAlī ibn Mus-hir narrated to us, from Dāwūd, from al-Shaʿbī, who said:

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, ‘I used to visit the Jews while they were studying the Torah, and I was amazed at how the Torah confirms the Quran and the Quran confirms the Torah. They would say, “O ʿUmar, there is no one we love more than you, because you come to us.” I would reply, “I only come to marvel at how one part of Allah’s Book corroborates another.” One day, while I was with them, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by. They said, “That is your companion.” I said, “I adjure you by Allah and by what He has revealed to you of Scripture: do you know that he is the Messenger of Allah?” Their leader said, “He has adjured you by Allah, so tell him.”’