Foreknowledge among Soothsayers, Jewish Scholars, and Monks

‘Uthman ibn Abi Sulayman ibn Jubayr ibn Mut‘im narrated from his uncle Nafi‘ ibn Jubayr, from his father Jubayr ibn Mut‘im, who said: “Before revelation came to him, I saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, standing on his camel at ‘Arafah with the people, apart from his own clan, until he departed with them. This was a divine enabling granted to him.”

‘Uthman ibn Abi Sulayman ibn Jubayr ibn Mut‘im narrated from his uncle Nafi‘ ibn Jubayr, from his father Jubayr ibn Mut‘im, who said: “Before revelation came to him, I saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, standing on his camel at ‘Arafah with the people, apart from his own clan, until he departed with them from there. This was a divine enabling granted to him.”

Ibn Ishaq said: Jewish scholars, Christian monks, and Arab soothsayers had spoken of the Messenger of Allah before his mission, as its time drew near. The Jewish scholars and Christian monks knew from their scriptures descriptions of him and his time, and from the covenant their prophets had made with them concerning him. The Arab soothsayers learned of him through the jinn, who stole fragments of hearing from heaven before they were barred by shooting stars. A soothsayer would occasionally mention something about his affair, but the Arabs paid it little attention until Allah sent him and the events they had described occurred; then they recognized them.

As the Messenger’s mission drew near, the devils were barred from hearing and from the places where they used to sit and steal it. They were pelted with stars, and the jinn realized that something had happened by Allah’s command concerning His servants. The account continues on printed page 205.

[1] This was so that the Messenger would not miss the reward of pilgrimage and standing at ‘Arafah. Jubayr reportedly said when he saw him there, “This man is a Hums; why is he not standing with the Hums where they stand?” [2] Quraysh said when shooting stars increased, “The Hour has come.” ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah said, “Look at al-‘Ayyuq: if it is struck, the Hour is near; otherwise not.”

Allah Most High said to His Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when He sent him, recounting the news of the jinn after they had been barred from hearing and learned what had happened: “Say: It has been revealed to me that a group of jinn listened and said, ‘We have heard a wondrous Qur’an. It guides to right conduct, so we have believed in it, and we will never associate anyone with our Lord. Exalted is the majesty of our Lord; He has taken neither wife nor child. The foolish among us used to utter outrageous lies about Allah. We had thought that neither humankind nor jinn would ever speak a lie about Allah. There were men among humankind who sought refuge with men among the jinn, and they only increased them in burden.’” (Qur’an 72:1–6). Allah also says: “We used to sit in places to listen, but whoever listens now finds a flaming fire waiting for him. We do not know whether evil is intended for those on earth or their Lord intends right guidance for them.” (Qur’an 72:9–10). When the jinn heard the Qur’an, they understood why they had previously been barred from hearing: so that revelation would not be confused with anything from the heavens and the proof would be established clearly for the people of earth. They believed and returned to their people as warners, saying, “O our people, we have heard a Book sent down after Moses, confirming what came before it, guiding to the truth and a straight path…” (Qur’an 46:29–30). The account explains that jinn had sought refuge with other jinn, asking their protection when traveling through a valley at night, and that this increased them in fear and transgression.

[1] ‘Ajaban means wondrous, unlike other books in the excellence of its wording and soundness of meaning; ‘wonder’ is used here in the sense of something extraordinary. [2] Jadd means greatness or majesty. [3] Shatat means excess or deviation from what is right; attributing a wife and child to Allah is far from truth. [4] Rasadan means a watcher lying in wait, or a group of watchers guarding against them. [5] Shooting stars also occurred in pre-Islamic times, but after Islam their use as a barrier was intensified.

When a man traveled and stopped in a valley to spend the night, he would say, “I seek refuge tonight in the mighty lord of this valley from the evil of what is in it.” Ibn Hisham explains rahq as transgression and folly; the word can also mean pursuing something until one nearly reaches it, or bearing a heavy sin or hardship. He cites verses by Ru’bah ibn al-‘Ajjaj illustrating these senses. Ibn Ishaq said: Ya‘qub ibn ‘Utbah ibn al-Mughirah ibn al-Akhnas related that the first Arabs alarmed by shooting stars were this clan of Thaqif. They went to a man among them named ‘Amr ibn Umayyah, of Banu ‘Ilaj, whom they regarded as exceptionally shrewd, and asked, “Have you seen what has happened in the sky, with these stars being shot?” He said, “Yes. Consider this: if the stars used for navigation on land and sea, and for knowing the seasonal rains of summer and winter that sustain people’s livelihoods, are the ones being shot, then this means the world is ending and its inhabitants will perish. But if they are other stars, while the familiar signs remain in place, then this is something Allah intends concerning creation. What is it?” His question continues on page 207.

[1] Istabi means to take someone’s wits away; hayyamah describes intense thirst, originally a disease in camels that leaves them unsated by water. [2] “They wagged their tails” is intended. [3] Ya‘qub ibn ‘Utbah was a reliable transmitter who narrated from al-Sa’ib ibn Yazid, Aban ibn ‘Uthman, ‘Urwah, Sulayman ibn Yasar, and al-Zuhri, among others. He died in 128 AH. See biographical works. [4] Recension A reads an uncommon expression meaning exceptionally shrewd; other copies have “most cunning.” [5] Ma‘alim al-nujum means the well-known constellations.

If those were the stars being shot, he said, they would be the signs by which people guide themselves in their livelihoods; their loss would mean the world’s end. But if other stars were being shot while the familiar ones stayed fixed, then it signaled an event Allah intended for creation. He asked, “What is it?”

The jinn of Banu Lahab reportedly became alarmed at the shooting stars and gathered around their soothsayer Khatar, who explained what had happened and the approaching mission. See al-Rawd al-Unuf.

Ibn Ishaq said: Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab al-Zuhri related, from ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali, from Abdullah ibn al-‘Abbas, from a group of the Ansar, that the Messenger of Allah asked them, “What did you used to say about this star that is shot?” They replied, “O Prophet of Allah, when we saw them being shot, we used to say: a king has died, a kingdom has been granted, a child has been born, or a child has died.” The Messenger said, “That is not so. When Allah decrees a matter concerning His creation, the bearers of the Throne hear it and glorify Him. Those beneath them glorify Him, and the glorification descends from one heaven to another until it reaches the lowest heaven. They ask one another, ‘Why did you glorify?’ They answer, ‘Those above us glorified, so we glorified as they did.’ This continues until the bearers of the Throne are asked. They say that Allah has decreed such-and-such concerning His creation. The report descends from heaven to heaven until it reaches the lowest heaven, where it is discussed. The devils steal fragments of it by listening, with uncertainty and variation, and bring them to soothsayers on earth. The soothsayers tell people; sometimes they are right and sometimes wrong.” Then Allah, mighty and majestic, barred the devils with these shooting stars, and soothsaying of this kind was cut off… The report continues beyond the printed page.

Ibn Ishaq says this particular access to heavenly news was cut off from that time until the Day of Resurrection. Claims made by jinn through the mouths of the possessed concern things they see on earth, such as a theft or a hidden object; predictions are conjecture, right only rarely and wrong often. See al-Rawd al-Unuf.

Ibn Ishaq said: A learned informant told me that a woman of Banu Sahm named al-Ghaitalah was a soothsayer in the pre-Islamic period. One night her familiar spirit came to her, falling beneath her, then said, “Know what is coming: a day of slaughter and sacrifice.” Quraysh asked what it meant. Another night it came and said, “Tribes upon tribes—many tribes; the clan of Ka‘b will be struck down and brought low.” When Quraysh heard this, they said, “What does it mean? Something is surely going to happen; find out what it is.” They did not understand until the battles of Badr and Uhud took place in the ravine, and then recognized what the spirit had brought to its mistress.

Ibn Hisham said: Al-Ghaitalah was from Banu Murrah ibn ‘Abd Manat ibn Kinana, the brothers of Mudlij ibn Murrah. She was the mother of the Ghiyatil mentioned by Abu Talib in his verse… The poem is quoted on printed page 209.

[1] The transmitter is named Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Labibah; another copy has a corrupted form. The editor notes that the chain is not readily found in the biographical references consulted. [2] Another narration reads “What is Badr?” which the editor considers clearer than Ibn Ishaq’s wording. [3] Inqadda means that a bird dropped or swooped down; another reading means it made a sound and spoke softly. [4] Al-Suhayli is unsure of the vocalization of shu‘ub and understands it as plural of sha‘b, “tribe.” He connects it with Ibn Ishaq’s explanation that the meaning became clear after people from Ka‘b were killed at Badr and Uhud in the ravine. [5] Ka‘b here is Ka‘b ibn Lu’ayy; those killed at Badr and Uhud included Quraysh’s leading men from Ka‘b ibn Lu’ayy.

Abu Talib said: The judgment of a people has grown foolish: they exchanged Banu Khalaf for us, a substitute for al-Ghiyatil. Her descendants were called al-Ghiyatil and belonged to Banu Sahm ibn ‘Amr ibn Husays. Abu Talib’s full poem will be given in its place, Allah willing.

Ibn Ishaq said: ‘Ali ibn Nafi‘ al-Jurashi narrated to me that Janb, a branch of Yemen, had a soothsayer in the pre-Islamic period. When news of the Messenger of Allah spread among the Arabs, Janb asked the soothsayer to investigate the matter. They gathered for him at the foot of his mountain. At sunrise he came down, stood leaning on his bow, and gazed toward the sky for a long time. Then he began leaping and said, “O people, Allah has honored Muhammad and chosen him; He has purified his heart and innermost being. O people, he will remain among you only a short while.” Then he climbed back up his mountain and returned the way he had come.

Ibn Ishaq said: A trustworthy informant related to me, from Abdullah ibn Ka‘b, the freedman of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, that while ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was sitting among the people in the Messenger of Allah’s mosque, a man from the Arabs entered, seeking ‘Umar. When ‘Umar saw him, he said, “This man may still be upon his former polytheism, or perhaps he was a soothsayer in the pre-Islamic period.” The man greeted him and sat down. ‘Umar asked, “Have you become Muslim?” He replied, “Yes, Commander of the Faithful.” The report continues beyond the printed page.

[1] Qayd means a substitute or exchange. [2] Another genealogy is given for al-Ghaitalah, as daughter of Malik ibn al-Harith ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Sa‘q ibn Shanuk ibn Murrah; Shanuk was Mudlij’s brother. [3] Janb belonged to Madhhij: ‘Ayd Allah, Anas Allah, Zayd Allah, Aws Allah, Ja‘fi, al-Hakam, and Jarwah were sons of Sa‘d al-‘Ashirah ibn Madhhij. They were called Janb because they separated from their cousins Sada’ and Yazid, sons of Sa‘d al-‘Ashirah. [4] Yanzū means he leapt. [5] Asnada means he climbed or rose; recension A reads “he pressed on.” [6] This man was Suwad ibn Qarib, formerly a soothsayer who later accepted Islam.