Asbāṭ ibn Naṣr said: Al-Suddī claimed from Muṣʿab ibn Saʿd from Saʿd who said: On the day of the conquest of Mecca, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Saʿd ibn Abī Sarḥ hid with ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, who brought him and stood him before the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) and said: O Messenger of Allāh, accept the pledge of ʿAbd Allāh. He raised his head and looked at him three times, refusing each time, then he accepted his pledge after three times. Then he turned to his companions and said: "Was there not among you a wise man who would stand up to this one when he saw me withholding my hand from accepting his pledge and kill him?" They said: We did not know, O Messenger of Allāh, what was in your heart. Why did you not signal to us with your eye? He mentioned it. Al-Ḥākim said: "Authentic according to the conditions of Muslim." Al-Dhahabī agreed with him, and it is as they said, except that Asbāṭ ibn Naṣr and Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal have been criticized by some of the imams regarding their memory. However, the ḥadīth has supporting evidence that strengthens it, narrated by Nāfiʿ Abū Ghālib from Anas who said: "I fought with the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) at Ḥunayn, and the polytheists came out and attacked us until we saw our horses behind us. Among them was a man attacking us, crushing and breaking us. Then Allāh defeated them, and they were brought to him to pledge allegiance to Islam. A man from the companions of the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: I have made a vow that if Allāh brings the man who was crushing us today, I will strike his neck. The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) remained silent, and the man was brought. When he saw the Messenger of Allāh, he said: O Messenger of Allāh, I have repented to Allāh. The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) refrained from accepting his pledge so that the other might fulfill his vow. The man kept approaching the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) to order his killing, but he hesitated to kill him. When the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) saw that nothing was being done, he accepted his pledge. The man said: O Messenger of Allāh, my vow. He said: "I did not refrain from him today except for you to fulfill your vow." The man said: O Messenger of Allāh, why did you not signal to me? The Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: "It is not for a prophet to signal."
أسباط بن نصر قال: زعم السدي عن مصعب بن سعد عن سعد قال: لما كان يوم فتح مكة اختبأ عبد الله بن سعد بن أبي سرح عند عثمان بن عفان، فجاء به حتى أوقفه على النبي ﷺ فقال: يا رسول الله بايع عبد الله، فرفع رأسه، فنظر إليه ثلاثا، كل ذلك يأبى، فبايعه بعد ثلاث، ثم أقبل على أصحابه فقال: "أما كان فيكم رجل رشيد، يقوم إلى هذا حيث رآني كففت يدي عن بيعته فيقتله؟". فقالوا: ما ندري يا رسول الله ما في نفسك، ألا أومأت إلينا بعينك؟ قال: فذكره. وقال الحاكم: "صحيح على شرط مسلم". ووافقه الذهبي، وهو كما قالا، إلا أن أسباط بن نصر وأحمد بن المفضل قد تكلم فيهما بعض الأئمة من جهة حفظهما، لكن الحديث له شاهد يتقوى به، يرويه نافع أبو غالب عن أنس قال: "غزوت مع النبي ﷺ حنينا فخرج المشركون، فحملوا علينا حتى رأينا خيلنا وراء ظهورنا، وفي القوم رجل يحمل علينا فيدقنا ويحطمنا، فهزمهم الله، وجعل يجاء بهم فيبايعونه على الإسلام، فقال رجل من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن علي نذرا إن جاء الله بالرجل الذي كان منذ اليوم يحطمنا لأضربن عنقه، فسكت رسول الله ﷺ، وجيء بالرجل، فلما رأى رسول الله قال: يا رسول الله تبت إلى الله، فامسك رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لا يبايعه، ليفي الآخر بنذره: فجعل الرجل يتصدى لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ليأمره بقتله، وجعل يهاب رسول الله ﷺ أن يقتله، فلما رأى رسول الله ﷺ أنه لا يصنع بايعه، فقال الرجل: يا رسول الله نذري، فقال: "إني لم أمسك عنه منذ اليوم إلا لتوفي بنذرك"، فقال: يا رسول الله ألا أومضت إلي؟ فقال النبي ﷺ: "إنه ليس لنبي أن يومض".