Abu al-Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): Your people claim that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal and that it is a sunnah. He said: They have spoken truth and falsehood. I said: What truth and what falsehood have they spoken? He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived while the polytheists were on (the mount of) Qu'ayqi'an, and the people of Makkah were a very envious people, so they began saying that the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) were weak. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Show them from yourselves what they dislike." So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal to show (the polytheists) his strength and the strength of his companions, and it is not a sunnah. He (Abu al-Tufayl) said: I said: Your people claim that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) rode between Safa and Marwah and that it is a sunnah! He said: They have spoken truth and falsehood. I said: What truth and what falsehood have they spoken? He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Makkah and the people of Makkah were very envious; they came out until even the women came out to look at the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and people could not be kept away from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he (peace and blessings be upon him) rode, although walking was dearer to him (peace and blessings be upon him).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الحج / 9272
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions came to Makkah, and the fever of Yathrib had weakened them. The polytheists said: A people are coming to you whom the fever of Yathrib has weakened. So they sat waiting for them on the side of the Hijr (Hatim), and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded them: "Run the three rounds and walk between the two Corners." Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Nothing prevented him (peace and blessings be upon him) from commanding them to run all the rounds except mercy towards them.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الحج / 9273
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) came to Makkah while the fever of Yathrib had weakened them. The polytheists said: "Tomorrow a people are coming to you whom the fever of Yathrib has weakened and who have suffered great hardship from it." So they sat on the side of the Hijr (Hatim), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded them to perform ramal for three rounds and walk between the Corners, so that the polytheists would see their strength. The polytheists then said: "These are the ones you claimed the fever of Yathrib had weakened? These are stronger than so-and-so!" Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Nothing prevented them from performing ramal in all the rounds except mercy towards them.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الحج / 9274
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ran (sa'y) at the House and between Safa and Marwah only to show the polytheists his strength.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الحج / 9275