The Jinns used to ascend to advanced places in the sky, to receive the news of the sky, and to know the event before it happened, so when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was sent, the guards in the sky were increased in number. Allah Almighty says:
(Earlier˺ we tried to reach heaven ˹for news˺, only to find it filled with stern guards and shooting stars.)
2 – The Messenger of Allah pbuh clarified as to how the Jinn used to get news of the unknown, Abu Huraira narrated the Hadith: ‘that the Prophet (saw) said: “When Allah decrees a matter in heaven, the angels beat their wings in submission to His decree (with a sound) like a chain beating a rock. Then “When fear is banished from their hearts, they say: ‘What is it that your Lord has said?’ They say: ‘The truth. And He is the Most High, the Most Great He said: ‘Then the eavesdroppers (from among the jinn) listen out for that, one above the other, so (one of them) hears the words and passes it on to the one beneath him. The Shihab (shooting star) may strike him before he can pass it on to the one beneath him and the latter can pass it on to the soothsayer or sorcerer, or it may not strike him until he has passed on. And he adds one hundred lies to it, and only that word which was overheard from the heavens is true.”
3 – Knowing the reason why the shooting star which is sent from the sky, will eliminate the myth that the people in days of ignorance used to believe in. Abdullah bin Abbas said: A person from the Ansar who was a companion to the Messenger of Allah pbuh said: while they were sitting with the Messenger of Allah pbuh one evening, there was a shooting star that lit, and they said: We used to say that a great man was born or a great man died. The Messenger of Allah Pbuh said: the star is not thrown because of anyone’s death or birth, but it is because Allah the Almighty when He decrees a matter, the angels who carry the Throne praise Him, then the Dwellers of the Skies praise Him, after that the Dwellers of the lowest sky hear the Praise, and they ask the holders of the Throne what did Allah say? So they tell them and each one tells the other. It is then that the Jinns are able to eavesdrop to what is being said, and they in turn pass that information to their ally, who in turn add to that information. So the information is originally correct.
4 Eavesdropping is easier for them than the first method, which is that the jinns listen to the angels that descend to the clouds with the news that they heard,
‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that she heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say:
“The angels descend to the clouds and mention matters which have been decreed in the heaven. The devil then listens to it stealthily and communicates it to the diviners who tell along with it a hundred lies.”
This hadith was a reply to Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) who asked the Prophet pbuh about the sorcerers, in the days of ignorance or before Islam banned one from listening to them, who tell people things that later actually happen. So people believe them as they seem truthful. So how do they know the unknown?
( ˹Earlier˺ we tried to reach heaven ˹for news˺, only to find it filled with stern guards and shooting stars. We used to take up positions there for eavesdropping, but whoever dares eavesdrop now will find a flare lying in wait for them.) Al-Jinn 72: 9
(We placed at their disposal ˹evil˺ associates who made their past and future ˹misdeeds˺ appealing to them.1 ˹So˺ the fate of earlier communities of jinn and humans has been justified against them ˹as well˺, ˹for˺ they were truly losers.) Fussilat 41:25
(They cannot listen to the highest assembly ˹of angels˺ for they are pelted from every side, ˹fiercely˺ driven away. And they will suffer an everlasting torment. But whoever manages to stealthily eavesdrop is ˹instantly˺ pursued by a piercing flare.) As-Saffat 37: 8-10
كانت الجن تصعد إلى أماكن متقدمة في السماء، ليسترقوا أخبار السماء، وليعلموا بالحَدَث قبل أن يكون، فلما بعث الرسول ﷺ زيدت الحراسة في السماء كما قال تعالى: “وَأَنَّا لَمَسْنَا السَّمَاءَ فَوَجَدْنَاهَا مُلِئَتْ حَرَسًا شَدِيدًا وَشُهُبًا (٨) وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ فَمَنْ يَسْتَمِعِ الْآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهَابًا رَصَدًا”
وضح الرسول ﷺ كيفية استراقهم السمع وإتيانهم بأخبار الغيب، فعن أبي هريرة يبلغ به النبي ﷺ: “إذا قَضَى اللَّهُ الأمْرَ في السَّماءِ، ضَرَبَتِ المَلائِكَةُ بأَجْنِحَتِها خُضْعانًا لِقَوْلِهِ، كَأنَّهُ سِلْسِلَةٌ علَى صَفْوانٍ، فإذا فُزِّعَ عن قُلُوبِهِمْ قالوا: ماذا قالَ رَبُّكُمْ؟ قالُوا لِلَّذِي قالَ: الحَقَّ، وهو العَلِيُّ الكَبِيرُ، فَيَسْمَعُها مُسْتَرِقُ السَّمْعِ، ومُسْتَرِقُ السَّمْعِ هَكَذا بَعْضُهُ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ- ووَصَفَ سُفْيانُ بكَفِّهِ فَحَرَفَها، وبَدَّدَ بيْنَ أصابِعِهِ – فَيَسْمَعُ الكَلِمَةَ فيُلْقِيها إلى مَن تَحْتَهُ، ثُمَّ يُلْقِيها الآخَرُ إلى مَن تَحْتَهُ، حتَّى يُلْقِيَها علَى لِسانِ السَّاحِرِ أوِ الكاهِنِ، فَرُبَّما أدْرَكَ الشِّهابُ قَبْلَ أنْ يُلْقِيَها، ورُبَّما ألْقاها قَبْلَ أنْ يُدْرِكَهُ، فَيَكْذِبُ معها مِئَةَ كَذْبَةٍ، فيُقالُ: أليسَ قدْ قالَ لنا يَومَ كَذا وكَذا: كَذا وكَذا، فيُصَدَّقُ بتِلْكَ الكَلِمَةِ الَّتي سَمِعَ مِنَ السَّماءِ
ومعرفة السبب الذي من أجله يرمي بشهب السماء قضى على خرافة كان يتناقلها أهل الجاهلية، فعن عبد الله بن عباس قال: أخبرني رجل من أصحاب النبي ﷺ من الأنصار: أنهم بينما هم جلوس ليلة مع رسول الله ﷺ إذ رمي بنجم فاستنار، قالوا: اللَّهُ وَرَسولُهُ أَعْلَمُ، كُنَّا نَقُولُ: وُلِدَ اللَّيْلَةَ رَجُلٌ عَظِيمٌ، وَمَاتَ رَجُلٌ عَظِيمٌ، فَقالَ رَسولُ اللهِ ﷺ: فإنَّهَا لا يُرْمَى بهَا لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلَا لِحَيَاتِهِ، وَلَكِنْ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى اسْمُهُ إذَا قَضَى أَمْرًا سَبَّحَ حَمَلَةُ العَرْشِ، ثُمَّ سَبَّحَ أَهْلُ السَّمَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، حتَّى يَبْلُغَ التَّسْبِيحُ أَهْلَ هذِه السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، ثُمَّ قالَ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَ حَمَلَةَ العَرْشِ لِحَمَلَةِ العَرْشِ: مَاذَا قالَ رَبُّكُمْ؟ فيُخْبِرُونَهُمْ مَاذَا قالَ، قالَ: فَيَسْتَخْبِرُ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ السَّمَوَاتِ بَعْضًا، حتَّى يَبْلُغَ الخَبَرُ هذِه السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا، فَتَخْطَفُ الجِنُّ السَّمْعَ، فَيَقْذِفُونَ إلى أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ، وَيُرْمَوْنَ به، فَما جَاؤُوا به علَى وَجْهِهِ فَهو حَقٌّ، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ يَقْرِفُونَ فيه وَيَزِيدُونَ”.
قد يكون استراقهم السمع بطريق أهون عليهم
من الطريق الأولى، وذلك بأن تستمع الشياطين إلى الملائكة الذين يهبطون إلى العنان-وهو الغمام- بما يكون من أحداث قدرها الله، فعن عائشة رضي الله عنها أنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ رَسولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يقولُ: “إنَّ المَلَائِكَةَ تَنْزِلُ في العَنَانِ -وهو السَّحَابُ- فَتَذْكُرُ الأمْرَ قُضِيَ في السَّمَاءِ، فَتَسْتَرِقُ الشَّيَاطِينُ السَّمْعَ فَتَسْمَعُهُ، فَتُوحِيهِ إلى الكُهَّانِ، فَيَكْذِبُونَ معهَا مِئَةَ كَذْبَةٍ مِن عِندِ أنْفُسِهِمْ
وإنما كان هذا الحديث من النبي ﷺ جوابا عن سؤال عائشة-رضي الله عنها-: أن الكهان في الجاهلية، أو قبل تحريم الإسلام الاستماع إليهم، كانوا يتحدثون بالشيء، ويخبرون الأخبار، فتقع وفق ما أخبروا، ويظهر صدق كلامهم، فكيف يعلمون المغيبات؟
وَأَنَّا لَمَسْنَا السَّمَاءَ فَوَجَدْنَاهَا مُلِئَتْ حَرَسًا شَدِيدًا وَشُهُبًا ٨﴾ وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ ۖ فَمَن يَسْتَمِعِ الْآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهَابًا رَّصَدًا
وَقَيَّضْنَا لَهُمْ قُرَنَاءَ فَزَيَّنُوا لَهُم مَّا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَوْلُ فِي أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا خَاسِرِينَ ﴿٢٥﴾ فصلت 41: 25
إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِزِينَةٍ الْكَوَاكِبِ وَحِفْظًا مِّن كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّارِدٍ لَّايسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلَىٰ وَيُقْذَفُونَ مِن كُلِّ جَانِبٍ دُحُورًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ وَصِبٌ إِلَّا مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ