“The people of Medina narrated from him, and he was a poet.”

I say: He is therefore known, and he was a Successor; for this reason, I deemed it hasan (good). Ibn Ishaq also cited it in his Sirah (4/169–170) in a fuller version, in his narration from al-Zuhri, Yazid ibn Ruman, ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr, ‘Asim ibn ‘Umar ibn Qatadah, and other scholars. This indicates that the hadith was well known among them.

Through Ibn Ishaq’s route, it was also recorded by al-Tabari in al-Tafsir (10/104) and al-Bayhaqi in Dala’il al-Nubuwwah (5/213–214). It also has a corroborating report from Ibn ‘Abbas and a mursal report from Mujahid.

As for the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, it has two routes. One of them is narrated by Bishr ibn ‘Umarah, from Abu Rawq, from al-Dahhak ibn Muzahim, from him, who said: When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, intended to undertake the expedition to Tabuk, he said to Jadd ibn Qays: “Would you be interested in the Byzantine women?” He replied: “Give me leave, and do not put me to trial!” Thereupon Allah, Most High, revealed: “And among them is he who says, ‘Give me leave, and do not put me to trial.’”

Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (2/308/2154 and 12/122/12954) and al-Awsat (2/42/2/5734—according to my numbering), through Yahya ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid: Bishr ibn ‘Umarah narrated it to us with this chain. He said: “No one narrated it from Abu Rawq except Bishr ibn ‘Umarah.”