1/260 Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “We were six people in the company of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The idolaters said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), ‘Send these people away; otherwise they will grow bold toward us.’ I was one of them, together with Ibn Masʿūd, a man from Hudhayl, Bilāl, and two other men whose names I have forgotten. Something crossed the mind of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as Allah willed, and he reflected upon the matter. Then Allah the Exalted revealed, ‘Do not expel those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face’ (al-Anʿām 6:52).” Narrated by Muslim.

[Explanation]
The compiler—may Allah have mercy on him—cited this report from Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “We were six people with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).” This occurred in the very early days of Islam in Mecca, for Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ was among the first to embrace Islam, and others accepted the faith along with him.

It is well known that among the earliest Muslims was Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) after Khadījah and Waraqah ibn Nawfal. The six mentioned here included Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him), who was a poor shepherd, and Bilāl ibn Abī Rabāḥ, who was an enslaved man. They would sit with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), listen to him, and benefit from what he had to offer. The idolaters—who considered themselves important—also sat with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They therefore said to him, “Drive these people away from us,” out of contempt for those who were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Something settled in the Prophet’s heart, and he pondered the matter; whereupon Allah the Exalted revealed: