Bukhari

Hadith Commentary: Ibn Sayyad was a Jewish child in Madinah who, like soothsayers and astrologers, used to mislead people and would sometimes even claim to be a prophet and messenger. He was, in a sense, a type of Dajjal, because deceit and trickery were his occupation.

The opinion of Umar (radi Allahu anhu) was to eliminate him, but the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), who came as a mercy to the worlds, did not consider this appropriate due to many national and communal interests. Truly, “There is no compulsion in religion” (). It is not permissible to force anyone in religious matters.

Showing the path of guidance is the task of Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and making someone walk upon it is solely the work of Allah.

“Indeed, you do not guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills” ().

The meaning of the chapter is established from this: the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) walked behind the branches to reach Ibn Sayyad so that he would not be able to see him. Ibn Sayyad affirmed that you are the Messenger of the unlettered, by which he also denied your general prophethood. The meaning of “ummi” is unlettered.

Among the Arabs, reading and writing was not customary.

Despite this, they were masters of every art and possessed immense memorization abilities; in fact, they took pride in being unlettered.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was also born among them, and Allah, the Exalted, enriched him with the knowledge of the first and the last despite his being unlettered.

(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)

Hadith Commentary:
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Ibn Sayyad was a Jewish child in Madinah Tayyibah who used to mislead people like soothsayers and astrologers. Because of his deceit and trickery, he was also a kind of Dajjal. The opinion of Umar radi Allahu anhu was to kill him, but the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, due to considerations of expediency, did not deem it appropriate to kill him. However, in order to assess his situation, he approached him by walking behind some branches so that he would not be seen by him.

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This was a stratagem by which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was trying to protect himself from the evil of Ibn Sayyad and his mother. If his mother had not revealed the arrival of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and had left him to his own state, then many matters regarding Ibn Sayyad would have become clear. But:
(Whatever Allah wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen, and the command of Allah is a decree determined)