حَدَّثَنَا حُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَخَلَفُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ عَنْ سِمَاكٍ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ مَرَّ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي سُلَيْمٍ عَلَى نَفَرٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ يَسُوقُ غَنَمًا لَهُ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالُوا مَا سَلَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا لِيَتَعَوَّذَ مِنْكُمْ فَعَمَدُوا إِلَيْهِ فَقَتَلُوهُ وَأَخَذُوا غَنَمَهُ فَأَتَوْا بِهَا النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَتَبَيَّنُوا وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقَى إِلَيْكُمْ السَّلَامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةَ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2462
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas (RA) said: A man of Banu Sulaim passed by a group of the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) driving some sheep of his, and he greeted them with salam. They said: He only greeted you with salam to protect himself from you. So they went to him and killed him, then they took his sheep and brought them to the Prophet (PBUH). Then Allah revealed the words: "O you who believe! When you go (to fight) in the Cause of Allah, verify (the truth), and say not to anyone who greets you (by embracing Islam): 'You are not a believer'..." [an-Nisa' 4:94],
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020