Hadithcore
Sahih Muslim, 315 a
sahih

Thauban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), said:

While I was standing beside the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one of the rabbis of the Jews came and said: Peace be upon you, O Muhammad. I pushed him backwith a push that he was going to fall. Upon this he said: Why do you push me? I said: Why don't you say: O Messenger of Allah? The Jew said: We call him by the name by which he was named by his family. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: My name is Muhammad with which I was named by my family. The Jew said: I have come to ask you (something). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Should that thing be of any benefit to you, if I tell you that? He (the Jew) said: I will lend my ears to it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) drew a line with the help of the stick that he had with him and then said: Ask (whatever you like). Thereupon the Jew said: Where would the human beings be on the Daywhen the earth would change into another earth and the heavens too (would change into other heavens)? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: They would be in darkness beside the Bridge. He (the Jew) again said: Who amongst people would be the first to cross (this bridge).? He said: They would be the poor amongst the refugees. The Jew said: What would constitute their breakfast when they would enter Paradise? He (the Prophet) replied: A caul of the fish-liver. He (the Jew) said. What would be their food alter this? He (the Prophet) said: A bullockwhich was fed in the different quarters of Paradise would be slaughtered for them. He (the Jew) said: What would be their drink? He (the Prophet) said: They would be given drink from the fountain which is named" Salsabil". He (the Jew) said: I have come to ask you about a thing which no one amongst the people on the earth knows except an apostle or one or two men besides him. He (the Prophet) said: Would it benefit you if I tell you that? He (the Jew) said: I would lend ears to that. He then said: I have come to ask you about the child. He (the Prophet) said: The reproductive substance of man is white and that of woman (i. e. ovum central portion) yellow, and when they have sexual intercourse and the male's substance (chromosomes and genes) prevails upon the female's substance (chromosomes and genes), it is the male child that is created by Allah's Decree, and when the substance of the female prevails upon the substance contributed by the male, a female child is formed by the Decree of Allah. The Jew said: What you have said is true; verily you are an Messenger. He then returned and went away. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He asked me about such and such things of which I have had no knowledge till Allah gave me that.

حَدَّثَنِي الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْحُلْوَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو تَوْبَةَ، - وَهُوَ الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ نَافِعٍ - حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَلاَّمٍ - عَنْ زَيْدٍ، - يَعْنِي أَخَاهُ - أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا سَلاَّمٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو أَسْمَاءَ الرَّحَبِيُّ، أَنَّ ثَوْبَانَ، مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَدَّثَهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ قَائِمًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَجَاءَ حَبْرٌ مِنْ أَحْبَارِ الْيَهُودِ فَقَالَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ ‏.‏ فَدَفَعْتُهُ دَفْعَةً كَادَ يُصْرَعُ مِنْهَا فَقَالَ لِمَ تَدْفَعُنِي فَقُلْتُ أَلاَ تَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ الْيَهُودِيُّ إِنَّمَا نَدْعُوهُ بِاسْمِهِ الَّذِي سَمَّاهُ بِهِ أَهْلُهُ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ إِنَّ اسْمِي مُحَمَّدٌ الَّذِي سَمَّانِي بِهِ أَهْلِي ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ الْيَهُودِيُّ جِئْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَيَنْفَعُكَ شَىْءٌ إِنْ حَدَّثْتُكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَسْمَعُ بِأُذُنَىَّ فَنَكَتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِعُودٍ مَعَهُ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ سَلْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ الْيَهُودِيُّ أَيْنَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الأَرْضُ غَيْرَ الأَرْضِ وَالسَّمَوَاتُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ هُمْ فِي الظُّلْمَةِ دُونَ الْجِسْرِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَمَنْ أَوَّلُ النَّاسِ إِجَازَةً قَالَ ‏"‏ فُقَرَاءُ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ الْيَهُودِيُّ فَمَا تُحْفَتُهُمْ حِينَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ ‏"‏ زِيَادَةُ كَبِدِ النُّونِ ‏"‏ قَالَ فَمَا غِذَاؤُهُمْ عَلَى إِثْرِهَا قَالَ ‏"‏ يُنْحَرُ لَهُمْ ثَوْرُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّذِي كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَمَا شَرَابُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ مِنْ عَيْنٍ فِيهَا تُسَمَّى سَلْسَبِيلاً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَجِئْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ شَىْءٍ لاَ يَعْلَمُهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ إِلاَّ نَبِيٌّ أَوْ رَجُلٌ أَوْ رَجُلاَنِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ يَنْفَعُكَ إِنْ حَدَّثْتُكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَسْمَعُ بِأُذُنَىَّ ‏.‏ قَالَ جِئْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنِ الْوَلَدِ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَاءُ الرَّجُلِ أَبْيَضُ وَمَاءُ الْمَرْأَةِ أَصْفَرُ فَإِذَا اجْتَمَعَا فَعَلاَ مَنِيُّ الرَّجُلِ مَنِيَّ الْمَرْأَةِ أَذْكَرَا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَإِذَا عَلاَ مَنِيُّ الْمَرْأَةِ مَنِيَّ الرَّجُلِ آنَثَا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ الْيَهُودِيُّ لَقَدْ صَدَقْتَ وَإِنَّكَ لَنَبِيٌّ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ فَذَهَبَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ لَقَدْ سَأَلَنِي هَذَا عَنِ الَّذِي سَأَلَنِي عَنْهُ وَمَا لِي عِلْمٌ بِشَىْءٍ مِنْهُ حَتَّى أَتَانِيَ اللَّهُ بِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 3, Hadith 38
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Book 3, Hadith 614 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The Prophet ﷺ was a mercy to the worlds. He was a teacher, educator, and caller to Allah with wisdom and good preaching. In this hadith, his servant, Thawban, narrated that a Jewish rabbi came and greeted the Prophet ﷺ saying, “Peace be upon you, O Muhammad.” Thawban rejected his way of addressing the Prophet ﷺ by his name and neglecting his description of prophethood. Thawban pushed him so strongly that the Jew was about to fall. When the Jew asked Thawban about the reason for pushing him, Thawban wondered, “Why did you not say, O Messenger of Allah?” The Jew answered that he called the Prophet ﷺ by the name his family called him. Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ approved his point of view. The name Muhammad means the frequently praised one who has all praised attributes. The Prophet ﷺ asked him if he wanted to ask to get benefits or aimed to challenge and argue. The Jew confirmed that he was keen to hear and judge the Prophet’s words. The Prophet ﷺ started to draw lines with a wooden stick on the ground, which was an Arab way during thinking. Then, the Prophet ﷺ allowed him to ask. The Jew asked about where the people would be on the day when the earth and the heavens would be altered. The Prophet ﷺ informed him that they would be in the darkness beside the bridge over Hell. In the Two Sahihs, Sahl ibn Sa’d narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection on reddish white land like a pure loaf of bread where none has landmarks.” In addition, the Jew asked who would be the first to cross that bridge so the Prophet ﷺ answered that they would be his poor companions who immigrated from Mecca to Medina with their faith, left their family and properties, and supported him for Allah’s pleasing. The Jew asked about the gift they would get once getting to Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ clarified that it would be the side part of a whale’s liver which was the best of its parts. The Jew asked about their lunch (or food as in the other narration) so the Prophet ﷺ answered that it would be Paradise’s bull which was eating from its different quarters. This referred that it was a bull with unique characteristics that were not similar to other bulls or it was the only bull in Paradise. In the Two Sahihs, Abu Saeed Al-Khudry narrated that the Jew asked the Prophet ﷺ, “Will I inform you of their food?” The Prophet answered him, “Yes.” The Jew answered, “Bull and whale. Seventy thousand people will eat from the side part of the whale’s liver.” They may be those seventy persons who will enter Paradise without reckoning so they will be preferred and given the best food. The mentioned number may have meant exaggeration not confining. When the Jew asked the Prophet ﷺ about their drink after eating that bull, he replied that they would drink from a well called Salsabil in Paradise as Allah Almighty said, “And they will be given to drink there of a cup (of wine) mixed with ginger. A spring there, called Salsabil.” (Al-Insan: 17, 18) It water is running so fast. Salsabil means that its water is sweet and easy to enter one’s throat. The Jew believed what the Prophet ﷺ told and added that he came to ask the Prophet ﷺ about something none among the people on the earth knew except a prophet and one or two men. It was a metaphor that only a few people knew it. It was known to a prophet or a few persons that a Prophet informed them about it. The Prophet ﷺ asked him if he wanted to benefit from him if he told him something. The Jew confirmed that he was keen to hear and judge the Prophet’s words. The Jew asked the Prophet ﷺ about how the embryo's gender was determined. The Prophet ﷺ answered that the man’s sperm was white and thick while that of the woman was yellow and thin. If they gathered in a woman’s womb and the man’s sperm preceded the female's, it would be a male kid, Allah willing. If the woman’s sperm preceded the man's, it would be a female kid, Allah willing. The Jew confirmed the Prophet’s truthfulness, for all he mentioned was consistent with what he learned from Torah. He also acknowledged the Prophet’s message but did not bear witness to it. This indicates that the mere acknowledgment without belief in Islam has no benefit, for the Prophet did not confirm that the Jew became Muslim. Once the Jew left, the Prophet ﷺ said that he did not know how to answer the Jew’s questions except after Allah informed him. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It contains some signs that confirm the Prophet’s message, for he told about some matters of the unseen world, (2) The high level of the Prophet’s morals, and (3) It clarifies the virtue of the poor immigrants who Allah will honor with preceding others in crossing the bridge..