As  written  in  detail  in  the  books  of  history  and  the  Prophet’s  biography, soothsayers like Sawad b. Qarib al-Dawsi, Khunafir, Af‘a Najran, Jidhl b. Jidhl al- Kindi, Ibn Khalasat al-Dawsi, and Fatima bint al-Nu‘man al-Najariyya, foretold the coming of the Prophet of the end of time, stating that that Prophet was Muhammad (UWBP). [369]

Also, one of ‘Uthman’s  relations,  Sa‘d b. bint al-Kurayz,  received  knowledge from  the  Unseen  by means  of soothsaying  about  the  prophethood  of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace). In the early days of Islam, he told ‘Uthman Dhi’l-Nurayn to go and accept faith. ‘Uthman did so and entered the fold of Islam at the beginning. Sa‘d expressed the event with a poem, which went like this:

Through my words, God has guided ‘Uthman to the source

That yields righteousness; truly God guides to the truth.[370]

Like soothsayers, jinns who were invisible but whose voices were heard, called hatif, repeatedly foretold the coming of God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). For example:

An invisible jinn shouted out the following to Dhayab b. al-Harith, and was the reason that he and others accepted Islam: “O Dhayab! O Dhayab! Listen to the oddest thing: Muhammad has appeared with the Book. He is calling on Mecca, yet they do not respond to him!”[371]

Another unseen jinn called out to Sama‘ b. Qarrat al-Ghatafani, “The truth has come in manifest radiance, the false is destroyed and uprooted,” and caused him and some others to believe.[372]

Such messages and good tidings given by unseen jinns are extremely well-known and numerous.

Just as the voices of jinns and the soothsayers foretold him, so too idols and sacrifices slaughtered for the idols gave news of the prophethood of God’s Messenger (UWBP). For example:

[369] Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya, ii, 335; Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, ii, 248; Abu Nu’aym, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 125; Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 365; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 747; Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra, i, 128-30; al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, viii, 248-9, 251.

[370] Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra\, i, 258.

[371] Halabi, al-Sirat al-Halabiya, i, 335-7; Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra, i, 358; Yusuf Nabhani, Hujjat Allah ‘ala’l-‘Alamin, 181.

[372] ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 748; Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra, i, 252.