While I was walking with the Prophet ﷺ through the ruins of Medina, and he was leaning on a palm-branch staff, we passed by a group of Jews. Some of them said to one another, "Ask him about the soul."Others said, "Do not ask him, lest he bring you something you dislike."But some insisted, "We will surely ask him." So a man among them stood up and said, "Abu Qasim, what is the soul?"He remained silent. I said to myself, "He is receiving revelation."He stayed still, and when the state passed from him, he said, "They ask you about the soul. Say, 'The soul is from the affair of my Lord, and you have not been given of knowledge except a little.'" [Isra 17:85].Amash said, "This is how it appears in our recitation."
بينا أنا أمشي مع النبي ﷺ في خرب المدينة-وهو يتوكأ على عسيب معه- فمر بنفر من اليهود، فقال بعضهم لبعض: سلوه عن الروح، وقال بعضهم: لا تسألوه لا يجيء فيه بشيء تكرهونه، فقال بعضهم: لنسألنه، فقام رجل منهم فقال: يا أبا القاسم، ما الروح؟ فسكت. فقلت: إنه يوحى إليه، فمكث فلما انجلى عنه، قال: {ويسألونك عن الروح قل الروح من أمر ربي وما أوتيتم من العلم إلا قليلا} [سورة الإسراء: ٨٥]. قال الأعمش: هكذا في قراءتنا.
Bukhari reported it in the Book of Knowledge (125), and Muslim in the Characteristics of the Hypocrites (2794), both from the hadith of Amash, from Ibrahim, from Alqama, from Abdullah (that is, Ibn Masud), who narrated it.