حَدَّثَنَا سُرَيْجُ بْنُ النُّعْمَانِ حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ عَنْ أَبِي بِشْرٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ كَالْمُعَايَنَةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَخْبَرَ مُوسَى بِمَا صَنَعَ قَوْمُهُ فِي الْعِجْلِ فَلَمْ يُلْقِ الْأَلْوَاحَ فَلَمَّا عَايَنَ مَا صَنَعُوا أَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ فَانْكَسَرَتْ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2447
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas (RA) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Hearing about something is not the same as seeing it with one's own eyes. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, told Moosa what his people had done to the calf, and he did not throw down the Tablets, but when he saw what they had done, he threw down the Tablets and they broke.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020