It is firmly established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, through multiple chains, that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

"When Allah decrees a matter in the heaven, the angels beat their wings in humble submission to His word, sounding like a chain dragged across a smooth stone. They are struck unconscious, and when the dread is lifted from their hearts they ask, ‘What did your Lord say?’ They reply, ‘The truth—and He is the Most High, the Most Great.’"

This purport is authentically related from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—through several routes: al-Bukhārī recorded it from Abū Hurayrah, and Muslim transmitted it from Ibn ʿAbbās by way of a group of the Anṣār.