It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) never fought any people until he (peace and blessings be upon him) had (first) invited them (to Islam). This is a sahih hadith through the narration of Imam al-Thawri, but both of them did not report it, although Imam Muslim used Abu Najih (who is the father of Abdullah, and whose name is Yasar) as evidence; he is one of the Makkan freedmen (mawali). This same hadith is also narrated with these very words from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). Both of them (Imam Bukhari and Muslim) agreed on recording the hadith of Abdullah bin Awn in which (he says): I wrote to Nafi', the freedman of Ibn Umar, asking him about (giving) the invitation to Islam before fighting, and he wrote to me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raided Banu al-Mustaliq (the rest of the hadith), and in it is the mention that the invitation was given before fighting.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Rabi'ah bin Ibad al-Du'ali (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at Mina, by their tents, before the emigration to Madinah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) was saying: "O people, Allah commands you to worship Him alone and not to associate anything with Him." He said: Behind him (peace and blessings be upon him) was a man saying: O people, this man is commanding you to abandon the religion of your forefathers. I asked: Who is this man? I was told: This is Abu Lahab. This hadith is sahih on the condition of the two Shaykhs, and all of its narrators are trustworthy and precise. Perhaps both of them, or one of them, imagined that Rabi'ah bin Ibad has no narrator other than Muhammad bin al-Munkadir, whereas Abu al-Zinad Abdullah bin Dhakwan also narrated this very hadith from him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Rabi'ah bin Ibad al-Du'ali (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) in the market of Dhu al-Majaz. He (peace and blessings be upon him) was saying: "O people, say 'La ilaha illallah' (There is no god but Allah), and you will succeed." He said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) was repeating it again and again, and the people had gathered around him (peace and blessings be upon him) and were following him (peace and blessings be upon him), while behind him (peace and blessings be upon him) was a squint-eyed man with two braids of hair and a bright face, saying: He is one who has abandoned his religion, and a liar. I asked: Who is this? The people said: This is his uncle, Abu Lahab. I have cited Abd al-Rahman bin Abi al-Zinad as corroboration following the example of the two of them (Imam Bukhari and Muslim), for both of them also cited him as corroboration.