Book: Siyar A'lam An-Nubala by Ad-Dhahabi - سير أعلام النبلاء ـ الإمام الذهبي

Section: On the Whispers of the Jinn and the Words of Soothsayers

Ibn Wahb said: Umar bin Muhammad informed us, saying: Salim bin Abdullah narrated to me from his father, who said: I never heard Umar ﵁ say about anything, "I think it is such and such," except that it was as he thought. Once Umar was sitting, a handsome man passed by, and Umar said, "My assumption is mistaken, or this man is upon his religion from the days of ignorance, or he was their soothsayer." The man was called over, and Umar said to him, "My assumption is mistaken, or you are upon your previous religion from the days of ignorance, or you were their soothsayer." The man replied, "I have never been approached as a Muslim like this before." Umar said, "I obligate you to inform me." The man said, "I was their soothsayer in the days of ignorance."

Umar then asked, "What is the most amazing thing your jinni has brought to you?" The man said, "While I was sitting, a frightening presence approached me, saying:

Have you not seen the jinn in its state of despair
And despondency after its despairing
And its joining with the camels and their saddles
And its hopelessness from its humans

Umar said, "Truth has been spoken. While I was sleeping near their idols, a man came with a calf and slaughtered it, and a voice cried out — a voice louder than any I had heard — saying, 'There is no god but Allah.' The crowd leaped up. I said, 'I will not leave until I know the meaning of this.' Then the voice called out, 'O Jaleeh, a successful matter, an eloquent man, says there is no god but Allah.' I said, 'I will not leave until I know the meaning of this,' and the voice repeated its statement." Umar said, "I then stood up and it was not long before it was said: This is a Prophet (1).

Al-Bukhari reported from a man in this manner. Its apparent implication is that Umar himself heard the cry from the calf, while other narrations suggest it was the soothsayer who heard it.

Yahya bin Ayyub narrated from Ibn al-Had, from Abdullah bin Sulayman, from Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Amr, from Nafi', from Ibn Umar, who said: A man was passing by, and Umar said, "I once had insight, but I no longer have it. Was this not a man who used to engage in soothsaying?" They called the man over, and Umar asked, "Where are you coming from?" The man replied, "From Syria." Umar asked, "Where are you headed?" The man said, "I intended to come to this house and hadn't planned on leaving until I visited you." Umar questioned, "Did you engage in soothsaying?" The man admitted, "Yes." Umar asked him to tell his story.

The man said: "One night in a valley, I heard a caller saying, 'O Jaleeh, successful news, a man is crying out, saying there is no god but Allah, the jinn in its hopelessness, and mankind in their despair, and the horses with their saddles.' I thought, 'Who is this? This is a news from which the jinn have despaired and mankind lost hope, and the horses have become aware of it.' It was not a full year until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sent."