Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 5738
Arabic hadith text
وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ كَالْمُعَايَنَةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَخْبَرَ مُوسَى بِمَا صَنَعَ قَوْمُهُ فِي الْعِجْلِ فَلَمْ يُلْقِ الْأَلْوَاحَ فَلَمَّا عَايَنَ مَا صَنَعُوا أَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ فَانْكَسَرَتْ. رَوَى الْأَحَادِيث الثَّلَاثَة أَحْمد
Translation
Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Messenger of God said: ‘Being informed is not like seeing. God Most High informed Moses of what his people had done with the calf, but he did not cast down the tablets. When he saw what they had done, he cast down the tablets, and they broke.’ Ahmad transmitted the three reports.