عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ ((لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ كَالْمُعَايَنَةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَخْبَرَ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ بِمَا صَنَعَ قَوْمُهُ فِي الْعِجْلِ فَلَمْ يُلْقِ الْأَلْوَاحَ فَلَمَّا عَايَنَ مَا صَنَعُوا أَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ فَانْكَسَرَتْ))
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Information is not like witnessing. Indeed, when Allah Almighty informed Musa (peace be upon him) that his people had adopted this attitude regarding the calf, he did not throw down the tablets. But when he witnessed it himself, he threw them down and they broke.