composed some verses; so listen to them from me:

My spirit-companion came to me deep in the night of rest,
and never, in all I tested him, did he utter a lie;
For three successive nights his constant word was this:
“A Prophet from Luʾayy ibn Ghālib has come nigh.”
So I hitched up my robe above my shins and mounted
a sturdy, broad-chested camel across the open plain;
I testify that Allah—there is nothing whatsoever beside Him—
and that you are the trustee of every hidden domain;
That you, O son of the noblest and purest, are the messenger
nearest to Allah in intercession and claim;
So command us by what reaches you, best of all who walk—
though the message should cause grey to streak the braid;
And be my intercessor on the Day no intercessor—
save you—can bring aid to Suwād ibn Qārib’s shade.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ laughed and said, “You have prospered, Suwād!” ʿUmar then asked him, “Does your familiar still visit you now?” He replied, “Since I began reciting the Quran he has not come to me, and what an excellent substitute the Book of Allah is for the jinn.”

This report is altogether munkar: Muḥammad ibn Tarās and Ziyād are both unknown, and their narrations are not accepted. I fear it may even have been fabricated and falsely attributed to Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh, although the basic story itself is well known.

Abū Yaʿlā al-Mawṣilī and ʿAlī ibn Shaybān also recorded it. They said: Yḥayā ibn Ḥajar al-Shāmī related to us, saying: ʿAlī ibn Manṣūr al-Abnāwī told us, saying: Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Waqāṣī narrated from Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Qurazī, who said: While ʿUmar was sitting, a man passed by. Someone asked, “Do you know who that is?” He replied, “Who is he?” The man said, “That is Suwād ibn Qārib.” ʿUmar sent for him and said, “Are you Suwād ibn Qārib?” He answered, “Yes.” ʿUmar asked, “Are you the one whose familiar informed him of the advent of the Prophet ﷺ?” He said, “Yes.” ʿUmar said, “Then you are still practising your soothsaying!” Suwād grew angry and said, “No one has ever confronted me with that since I embraced Islam.” ʿUmar exclaimed, “Glory be to Allah! The idolatry we once practised was far worse.” Then he said, “Tell me how your familiar came to you…”