عنْ عائِشَةَ رضي اللّه عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: سَأَلَ رسُولَ اللّه صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم أُنَاسٌ عنِ الْكُهَّانِ، فَقَالَ: «لَيْسُوا بِشَيءٍ» فَقَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللّه إنَّهُمْ يُحَدِّثُونَنَا أحْيَانًا بشْيءٍ فيكُونُ حقّاً؟ فَقَالَ رَسُول اللّه صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم: «تِلْكَ الْكَلمةُ مِنَ الْحَقِّ يخْطَفُهَا الجِنِّيُّ، فَيَقُرُّهَا في أذُنِ ولِيِّهِ، فَيخْلِطُونَ معهَا مِائَةَ كِذْبَةٍ» مُتَّفَقٌ عليْهِ. وفي روايةٍ للبُخَارِيِّ عنْ عائِشَةَ رضي اللّه عنْهَا أنَّهَا سَمِعَت رَسُول اللّه صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم يَقُولُ: «إنَّ الملائكَةَ تَنْزِلُ في العَنانِ وهو السَّحابُ فَتَذْكُرُ الأمْرَ قُضِيَ في السَّمَاءِ، فيسْتَرِقُ الشَّيْطَانُ السَّمْع، فَيَسْمعُهُ، فَيُوحِيهِ إلى الْكُهَّانِ، فيكْذِبُونَ معَهَا مائَةَ كَذْبةٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ أنفُسِهِمْ»
On the authority of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: Some people asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the soothsayers (kuhhan), and he said: "They are nothing." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, they sometimes tell us something and it turns out to be true?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That is a word of truth which the jinni snatches and cackles into the ear of his ally, and they mix with it a hundred lies." Agreed upon. In a narration of al-Bukhari, on the authority of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), that she heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The angels descend in the clouds (al-anan, which is the clouds) and mention a matter that has been decreed in heaven, and Satan eavesdrops and hears it, then conveys it to the soothsayers, and they tell along with it a hundred lies of their own invention."
الشرح · explanation
عن الكهان: أي قولهم وتحديثهم عما يكون وغيره. والكهان: جمع كاهن، وهو من يخبر عما يكون في المستقبل أو يجري في أماكن بعيدة أو قريبة من الأرض مما خفي عنه. ليسوا بشيء: أي من الحقّ والصدق. حقًا: أي فيقع على وفق قولهم. تلك الكلمة: كلامهم الذي وافق الواقع. يخطفها: يأخذها بسرعة. فَيَقُرُّهَا: أي: يُلقِيهَا. وليه: الذي يستخدمه من الكهان. فتذكر الأمر: يخبر بعضهم بعضًا به. يسترق السمع: يسمع مستخفيًا. فيوحيه: يقوله أو يلقيه.
"About the soothsayers": that is, their sayings and their telling of what will be and other things. The soothsayers (kuhhan): plural of kahin, who is one who informs about what will happen in the future, or what occurs in places far or near on the earth, of what is hidden from him. "They are nothing": that is, of truth and veracity. "True": that is, it comes to pass in accordance with their word. "That word": their speech that coincided with reality. "Snatches it": takes it swiftly. "Cackles it": that is, casts it into the ear. "His ally": the one from among the soothsayers whom he employs. "Mention the matter": they inform one another of it. "Eavesdrops": listens stealthily. "Conveys it": says it or casts it.
الدروس · lessons
النهي عن تصديق الكهّان، وأنّ ما يقولونه كذب واختلاق، وإن صدق في بعض الأحيان. ما يصدق من قول الكهّان هو من استراق الجنّ للسمع، وقد كانوا قبل بعثة النبيّ صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم يقعدون مقاعد دون السماء الدنيا يستمعون ما يجري في الملأ الأعلى، فبطل ذلك ومنعوا منه ببعثة النبيّ صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم، فأصبحوا يسترقون السمع استراقًا فيقذفون بالشهب، وهذا ما أخبر به القرآن الكريم.
The prohibition of believing the soothsayers, and that what they say is falsehood and fabrication, even if it turns out true on occasion. What proves true of the soothsayers' speech comes from the jinn's eavesdropping. Before the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), they used to sit in seats below the lowest heaven, listening to what transpired in the highest assembly; that was abolished and they were barred from it by the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so they came to eavesdrop by stealth and are pelted with meteors, and this is what the Noble Qur'an has informed of.