65/34.1. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4800 — The Danger of Soothsayers
"...So much so that when fear is banished from their (angels') hearts, they (angels) say: 'What is it that your Lord has said?' They say: 'The truth. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.'" (V.34:23).
Hadith About Soothsayers and the Unseen
Sahih Bukhari : 4800
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4800
حَدَّثَنَا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرٌو، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عِكْرِمَةَ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، يَقُولُ إِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ الأَمْرَ فِي السَّمَاءِ ضَرَبَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ بِأَجْنِحَتِهَا خُضْعَانًا لِقَوْلِهِ كَأَنَّهُ سِلْسِلَةٌ عَلَى صَفْوَانٍ فَإِذَا فُزِّعَ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ، قَالُوا لِلَّذِي قَالَ الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ فَيَسْمَعُهَا مُسْتَرِقُ السَّمْعِ، وَمُسْتَرِقُ السَّمْعِ هَكَذَا بَعْضُهُ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ ـ وَوَصَفَ سُفْيَانُ بِكَفِّهِ فَحَرَفَهَا وَبَدَّدَ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ ـ فَيَسْمَعُ الْكَلِمَةَ، فَيُلْقِيهَا إِلَى مَنْ تَحْتَهُ ثُمَّ يُلْقِيهَا الآخَرُ إِلَى مَنْ تَحْتَهُ، حَتَّى يُلْقِيَهَا عَلَى لِسَانِ السَّاحِرِ أَوِ الْكَاهِنِ، فَرُبَّمَا أَدْرَكَ الشِّهَابُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُلْقِيَهَا، وَرُبَّمَا أَلْقَاهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يُدْرِكَهُ، فَيَكْذِبُ مَعَهَا مِائَةَ كَذْبَةٍ، فَيُقَالُ أَلَيْسَ قَدْ قَالَ لَنَا يَوْمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا كَذَا وَكَذَا فَيُصَدَّقُ بِتِلْكَ الْكَلِمَةِ الَّتِي سَمِعَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ ".
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
Allah's Prophet said, "When Allah decrees some order in the heaven, the angels flutter their wings indicating complete surrender to His saying which sounds like chains being dragged on rock. And when the state of fear disappears, they ask each other,"What has your Lord ordered? They say that He has said that which is true and just, and He is the Most High, the Most Great." (34.23). Then the stealthy listeners (devils) hear this order, and these stealthy listeners are like this, one over the other." (Sufyan, a sub-narrator demonstrated that by holding his hand upright and separating the fingers.) A stealthy listener hears a word which he will convey to that which is below him and the second will convey it to that which is below him till the last of them will convey it to the wizard or foreteller. Sometimes a flame (fire) may strike the devil before he can convey it, and sometimes he may convey it before the flame (fire) strikes him, whereupon the wizard adds to that word a hundred lies. The people will then say, 'Didn't he (i.e. magician) tell such-and-such a thing on such-and-such date?' So that magician is said to have told the truth because of the Statement which has been heard from the heavens."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4800In-book reference : Book 65, Hadith 322USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 324
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4800
This Hadith explains why fortune telling and soothsayers can mislead people. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) describes how, when Allah decrees a command in the heaven, the angels submit to His word. Some devils try to steal a hearing and pass a word down until it reaches a magician or foreteller. The key lesson is that the foreteller may receive one true word, but then adds a hundred lies to it. People may believe the whole message because one part happened to be true. So this Hadith about soothsayers teaches caution, trust in Allah, and avoiding claims about the unseen that come through magic or fortune telling.
What we learn from this hadith
- Allah's command is true, and the angels submit to it fully.
- A small truth can be used to spread many lies.
- People should not trust magicians or foretellers because their words are mixed with falsehood.
- Claims about unseen matters need serious care and should not be accepted lightly.
