Executions at the Conquest of Mecca (Hazrat Musleh Mau’d’s (ra) Narration)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) mentions these incidents in the commentary of Surah al-Mu‘minun, verse 15:
“There is a historical incident associated with this verse which is necessary to mention here. There was a scribe by the name of Abdullah bin Abi Sarh who would write down the revelations received by the Holy Prophet (sa). Whenever the Holy Prophet (sa) received a revelation, he would call him and have it written down. One day, while dictating these very verses [i.e. Surah al-Mu‘minun verse 15], when he reached:
ثُمَّ أَنشَأۡنَٰهُ خَلۡقًا ءَاخَرَۚ
“[‘Then we developed it into another creation’ (Ch.23: V.15)], Abdullah spontaneously uttered the words:
فَتَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحۡسَنُ الۡخٰلِقِيۡنَ
“[‘So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators’ (Ch.23: V.15)]. The Holy Prophet (sa) said that this is exactly what the revelation was and that he should write it down. That wretched person did not realise that these words were the natural result of the preceding verses. Abdullah thought that since the words he had uttered were accepted by the Holy Prophet (sa) to be the same as the revelation, therefore he thought that the Holy Prophet (sa) was, God-forbid, making up the rest of the Quran himself. Thus, he became an apostate and went to Mecca. On the occasion of the Conquest of Mecca, Abdullah bin Abi Sarh was among those whom the Holy Prophet (sa) had issued the death penalty. However, Hazrat Uthman (ra) granted him protection and he hid in his home for three days. One day, when the Holy Prophet (sa) was taking the pledge of allegiance from the people of Mecca, Hazrat Uthman (ra) took Abdullah bin Abi Sarh to the Holy Prophet (sa) and requested that he accept Abdullah’s pledge of allegiance. The Holy Prophet (sa) initially showed some reluctance, but then he accepted his pledge of allegiance. Thus, Abdullah accepted Islam once again.”
(Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 6, p. 129)