حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ عَبْد اللَّهِ بْن أَحْمَد وَسَمِعْتُهُ أَنَا مِنْهُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ الْأَحْمَرُ عَنْ دَاوُدَ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ مَرَّ أَبُو جَهْلٍ فَقَالَ أَلَمْ أَنْهَكَ فَانْتَهَرَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَهْلٍ لِمَ تَنْتَهِرُنِي يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَوَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا بِهَا رَجُلٌ أَكْثَرُ نَادِيًا مِنِّي قَالَ فَقَالَ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام فَلْيَدْعُ نَادِيَهُ قَالَ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَاللَّهِ لَوْ دَعَا نَادِيَهُ لَأَخَذَتْهُ زَبَانِيَةُ الْعَذَابِ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2321
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas (RA) said: Abu Jahl passed by and said: Didn't I tell you to stop? The Prophet (PBUH) rebuffed him and Abu Jahl said to him: Why are you rebuffing me, O Muhammad? By Allah, you know there is no man with more helpers to call upon than me. Jibreel (AS) said: "Then let him call upon his council (of helpers)" [al-'Alaq 96:17]. Ibn 'Abbas said: By Allah, if he had called upon his helpers, the punishing angels would have seized him.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020