Hazrat ‘Urwah bin Zubair (rahimahullah) says, “On one occasion, I asked Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin ‘Aas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) to relate to me the manner in which the disbelievers would persecute Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
“Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin ‘Aas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) replied, ‘One day, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was engaged in salaah in the Hateem area when ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ait threw a cloth over the neck of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and pulled it so tightly that he almost strangled him.
“Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) then arrived, pushed ‘Uqbah aside and recited the following verse:
اَتَقۡتُلُوۡنَ رَجُلًا اَنۡ یَّقُوۡلَ رَبِّیَ اللّٰہُ وَ قَدۡ جَآءَکُمۡ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ مِنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ ؕ
Are you killing a man because he says, “My Lord is only Allah”, and he has brought to you clear proofs from your Lord? (Surah Mu’min v. 28)
When Fir‘aun and Haamaan conspired and decided to kill Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam), one of Fir‘aun’s people who had secretly brought Imaan in Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) exclaimed, “Are you killing a person merely because he declares, ‘My Lord is Allah’?”
Allah Ta‘ala recounts this incident in Surah Mu’min as follows:
وَ قَالَ رَجُلٌ مُّؤۡمِنٌ ٭ۖ مِّنۡ اٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ یَکۡتُمُ اِیۡمَانَہٗۤ اَتَقۡتُلُوۡنَ رَجُلًا اَنۡ یَّقُوۡلَ رَبِّیَ اللّٰہُ
A believing man from the people of Fir‘aun who was concealing his Imaan said, “Do you wish to kill a man simply because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah’?” (Surah Mu’min v. 28)
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa pg. 204)