حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ سَالِمٌ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ يَقُولُ انْطَلَقَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأُبَىُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ الأَنْصَارِيُّ يَؤُمَّانِ النَّخْلَ الَّتِي فِيهَا ابْنُ صَيَّادٍ حَتَّى إِذَا دَخَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم طَفِقَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَتَّقِي بِجُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ، وَهْوَ يَخْتِلُ أَنْ يَسْمَعَ مِنِ ابْنِ صَيَّادٍ شَيْئًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرَاهُ، وَابْنُ صَيَّادٍ مُضْطَجِعٌ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ فِي قَطِيفَةٍ لَهُ فِيهَا رَمْرَمَةٌ ـ أَوْ زَمْزَمَةٌ ـ فَرَأَتْ أُمُّ ابْنِ صَيَّادٍ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهْوَ يَتَّقِي بِجُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ، فَقَالَتْ لاِبْنِ صَيَّادِ أَىْ صَافِ، هَذَا مُحَمَّدٌ. فَتَنَاهَى ابْنُ صَيَّادٍ، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم
" لَوْ تَرَكَتْهُ بَيَّنَ ".
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and Ubai bin Ka`b Al-Ansari went to the garden where Ibn Saiyad used to live. When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) entered (the garden), he (i.e. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ) started hiding himself behind the date108 palms as he wanted to hear secretly the talk of Ibn Saiyad before the latter saw him. Ibn Saiyad wrapped with a soft decorated sheet was lying on his bed murmuring. Ibn Saiyad's mother saw the Prophet hiding behind the stems of the date-palms. She addressed Ibn Saiyad saying, "O Saf, this is Muhammad." Hearing that Ibn Saiyad stopped murmuring (or got cautious), the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If she had left him undisturbed, he would have revealed his reality." (See Hadith No. 290, Vol 4 for details)