وَعَن ابنِ عبَّاسٍ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ
النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ: أَنَّهُمْ بَيْنَا جُلُوسٌ لَيْلَةً مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رُمِيَ بِنَجْمٍ وَاسْتَنَارَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَا كُنْتُمْ تَقُولُونَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ إِذَا رُمِيَ بِمِثْلِ هَذَا؟»
قَالُوا: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ كُنَّا نَقُولُ: وُلِدَ اللَّيْلَةَ رَجُلٌ عَظِيمٌ وَمَاتَ رَجُلٌ عَظِيمٌ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «فَإِنَّهَا لَا يُرْمَى بِهَا لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلَا لِحَيَاتِهِ وَلَكِنَّ رَبَّنَا تَبَارَكَ اسْمُهُ إِذَا قَضَى أَمر سَبَّحَ حَمَلَةُ الْعَرْشِ ثُمَّ سَبَّحَ أَهْلُ السَّمَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ التَّسْبِيحُ أَهْلَ هَذِهِ السَّمَاء الدُّنْيَا ثمَّ قَالَ الَّذِي يَلُونَ حَمَلَةَ الْعَرْشِ لِحَمَلَةِ الْعَرْشِ: مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ؟
فَيُخْبِرُونَهُمْ مَا قَالَ: فَيَسْتَخْبِرُ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ السَّمَاوَاتِ بَعْضًا حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ هَذِهِ السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا فَيَخْطَفُ الْجِنُّ السَّمْعَ فَيَقْذِفُونَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ وَيُرْمَوْنَ فَمَا جاؤوا بِهِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ فَهُوَ حَقٌّ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ يَقْرِفُونَ فِيهِ وَيزِيدُونَ»
A man of the Ansar who was a companion of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) told me that while they were sitting one night along with God’s messenger, a star was thrown and shone brightly.
He asked them what they used to say in the pre-Islamic period when something of that nature was thrown, and they replied, “God and His messenger know best. We used to say that a great man had been born that night, or that a great man had died.” Then God’s messenger said, “It is not thrown because of anyone’s death or life; but when our Lord whose name is blessed decrees a matter the bearers of the Throne extol Him, then the inhabitants of heaven who are next to them extol Him till the extolling reaches the inhabitants of this lowest heaven.
Then those who are near the bearers of the Throne ask them what their Lord has said and they tell them what He said. Then the inhabitants of the heavens ask one another till it reaches this lowest heaven. The jinn then snatch a hearing and pass it on to their friends and have thrown at them. Now what they bring as it came is true, but they mix things with it and make additions.”