وَعَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، إِذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ، شَدِيدُ سَوَادِ الشَّعْرِ، لَا يُرَى عَلَيْهِ أَثَرُ السَّفَرِ، وَلَا يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَّا أَحَدٌ، حَتَّى جَلَسَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ، فَأَسْنَدَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ إِلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ، وَوَضَعَ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ! أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ
Translation: ʿUmar said: One day while we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man appeared whose clothes were exceedingly white and hair intensely black. No sign of travel could be seen on him, nor did anyone know him. He sat close to the Prophet ﷺ, placed his knees beside the Prophet’s knees and his hands on the thighs, and asked: “Muhammad, tell me about Islam.”
ʿUmar describes sitting with the Prophet ﷺ when an unfamiliar man appeared. His clothes were intensely white and his hair very black; he showed no ordinary sign of travel, yet no one present knew him. This combination drew the companions' attention.
بَيْنَمَا … إِذْ introduces an event that happens unexpectedly. لَا يُرَى عَلَيْهِ أَثَرُ السَّفَرِ means “no trace of travel was visible on him.” The report describes what was observed, not a rule for measuring someone's righteousness by appearance.