Compiled by Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، يَبْلُغُ بِهِ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ الأَمْرَ فِي السَّمَاءِ ضَرَبَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ بِأَجْنِحَتِهَا خُضْعَانًا لِقَوْلِهِ كَالسِّلْسِلَةِ عَلَى صَفْوَانٍ ـ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ صَفْوَانٍ ـ يَنْفُذُهُمْ ذَلِكَ فَإِذَا فُزِّعَ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ، قَالُوا لِلَّذِي قَالَ الْحَقَّ وَهْوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ، فَيَسْمَعُهَا مُسْتَرِقُو السَّمْعِ، وَمُسْتَرِقُو السَّمْعِ هَكَذَا وَاحِدٌ فَوْقَ آخَرَ ـ وَوَصَفَ سُفْيَانُ بِيَدِهِ، وَفَرَّجَ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِ يَدِهِ الْيُمْنَى، نَصَبَهَا بَعْضَهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ ـ فَرُبَّمَا أَدْرَكَ الشِّهَابُ الْمُسْتَمِعَ، قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرْمِيَ بِهَا إِلَى صَاحِبِهِ، فَيُحْرِقَهُ وَرُبَّمَا لَمْ يُدْرِكْهُ حَتَّى يَرْمِيَ بِهَا إِلَى الَّذِي يَلِيهِ إِلَى الَّذِي هُوَ أَسْفَلُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى يُلْقُوهَا إِلَى الأَرْضِ ـ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ سُفْيَانُ حَتَّى تَنْتَهِيَ إِلَى الأَرْضِ ـ فَتُلْقَى عَلَى فَمِ السَّاحِرِ، فَيَكْذِبُ مَعَهَا مِائَةَ كَذْبَةٍ فَيَصْدُقُ، فَيَقُولُونَ أَلَمْ يُخْبِرْنَا يَوْمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا يَكُونُ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَوَجَدْنَاهُ حَقًّا لِلْكَلِمَةِ الَّتِي سُمِعَتْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ ". حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرٌو، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ الأَمْرَ. وَزَادَ الْكَاهِنِ. وَحَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ فَقَالَ قَالَ عَمْرٌو سَمِعْتُ عِكْرِمَةَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ الأَمْرَ وَقَالَ عَلَى فَمِ السَّاحِرِ. قُلْتُ لِسُفْيَانَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عِكْرِمَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ. قَالَ نَعَمْ. قُلْتُ لِسُفْيَانَ إِنَّ إِنْسَانًا رَوَى عَنْكَ عَنْ عَمْرٍو عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَيَرْفَعُهُ أَنَّهُ قَرَأَ فُزِّعَ. قَالَ سُفْيَانُ هَكَذَا قَرَأَ عَمْرٌو. فَلاَ أَدْرِي سَمِعَهُ هَكَذَا أَمْ لاَ. قَالَ سُفْيَانُ وَهْىَ قِرَاءَتُنَا.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When Allah has ordained some affair in the Heaven, the angels beat with their wings in obedience to His statement, which sounds like a chain dragged over a rock." (`Ali and other sub-narrators said, "The sound reaches them.") "Until when fear is banished from their (angels) hearts, they (angels) say, 'What was it that your Lord said? They say, 'The truth; And He is the Most High, the Most Great.' (34.23) Then those who gain a hearing by stealing (i.e. devils) will hear Allah's Statement:-- 'Those who gain a hearing by stealing, (stand one over the other like this). (Sufyan, to illustrate this, spread the fingers of his right hand and placed them one over the other horizontally.) A flame may overtake and burn the eavesdropper before conveying the news to the one below him; or it may not overtake him till he has conveyed it to the one below him, who in his turn, conveys it to the one below him, and so on till they convey the news to the earth. (Or probably Sufyan said, "Till the news reaches the earth.") Then the news is inspired to a sorcerer who would add a hundred lies to it. His prophecy will prove true (as far as the heavenly news is concerned). The people will say. 'Didn't he tell us that on such-and-such a day, such-and-such a thing will happen? We have found that is true because of the true news heard from heaven." The above hadith is also narrated by Abu Huraira, starting: 'When Allah has ordained some affair...') In this narration the word foreteller is added to the word wizard.