Compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
حَدَّثَنَا حَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْحُلْوَانِيُّ، وَعَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، قَالَ حَسَنٌ حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ، وَقَالَ، عَبْدٌ حَدَّثَنِي يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنْ صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُسَيْنٍ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي رَجُلٌ، مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ أَنَّهُمْ بَيْنَمَا هُمْ جُلُوسٌ لَيْلَةً مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رُمِيَ بِنَجْمٍ فَاسْتَنَارَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَاذَا كُنْتُمْ تَقُولُونَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ إِذَا رُمِيَ بِمِثْلِ هَذَا " . قَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ كُنَّا نَقُولُ وُلِدَ اللَّيْلَةَ رَجُلٌ عَظِيمٌ وَمَاتَ رَجُلٌ عَظِيمٌ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَإِنَّهَا لاَ يُرْمَى بِهَا لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلاَ لِحَيَاتِهِ وَلَكِنْ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى اسْمُهُ إِذَا قَضَى أَمْرًا سَبَّحَ حَمَلَةُ الْعَرْشِ ثُمَّ سَبَّحَ أَهْلُ السَّمَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ التَّسْبِيحُ أَهْلَ هَذِهِ السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ قَالَ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَ حَمَلَةَ الْعَرْشِ لِحَمَلَةِ الْعَرْشِ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ فَيُخْبِرُونَهُمْ مَاذَا قَالَ - قَالَ - فَيَسْتَخْبِرُ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ السَّمَوَاتِ بَعْضًا حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ الْخَبَرُ هَذِهِ السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا فَتَخْطَفُ الْجِنُّ السَّمْعَ فَيَقْذِفُونَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ وَيُرْمَوْنَ بِهِ فَمَا جَاءُوا بِهِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ فَهُوَ حَقٌّ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ يَقْرِفُونَ فِيهِ وَيَزِيدُونَ " .
A person from the Ansar who was amongst the Companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) reported to me: As we were sitting during the night with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), a meteor shot gave a dazzling light. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: What did you say in the pre-Islamic days when there was such a shot (of meteor)? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best (the actual position), but we, however, used to say that that very night a great man had been born and a great man had died, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: (These meteors) are shot neither at the death of anyone nor on the birth of anyone. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, issues Command when He decides to do a thing. Then (the Angels) supporting the Throne sing His glory, then sing the dwellers of heaven who are near to them until this glory of God reaches them who are in the heaven of this world. Then those who are near the supporters of the Throne ask these supporters of the Throne: What your Lord has said? And they accordingly inform them what He says. Then the dwellers of heaven seek information from them until this information reaches the heaven of the world. In this process of transmission (the jinn snatches) what he manages to overhear and he carries it to his friends. And when the Angels see the jinn they attack them with meteors. If they narrate only which they manage to snatch that is correct but they alloy it with lies and make additions to it.