It follows, then, that past events are not engraved upon the celestial soul. Prophets—and even those who are not prophets—report earlier happenings, such as what occurred in the age of Noah, before him, and after him. It is impossible that such reports were learned from the celestial soul, which the heretics who force the Book and the Sunnah into the molds of these idolatrous negationists style “the Preserved Tablet.” The same holds for knowledge of future events that will not occur for hundreds or even thousands of years: on their theory these matters have not yet been inscribed in the celestial soul, yet the prophets foretell them. Former messengers gave glad tidings of Muhammad, and Muhammad himself—blessings and peace be upon him—announced what was still to come; such information is also disclosed through dreams and other channels.
No one can plausibly deny that spirits convey news to human souls.
Eighth Point: Even if one granted that the celestial souls know particular matters, to insist that every particular piece of knowledge that arises in human beings must come from them—or from the so-called Active Intellect, should it exist—would be justified only if every other possible source had been ruled out, and this they cannot do. Why, then, should it not be that angels convey this knowledge, or even the jinn? The prophets—peace be upon them—have passed down recurrent reports that angels inform them of what they know, and there are equally recurrent reports that jinn inform human beings, sometimes with what they eavesdrop from the heavens and sometimes by other means. Knowledge of the unseen acquired in this way is affirmed by the prophets and their followers among Muslims, Jews, and Christians, and by the great majority of humankind outside the revealed religions, such as the polytheists of Arabia, India, Chaldea, and others. All relate what the spirits tell them, sometimes in general terms and sometimes in precise detail.
We have already noted that the Sabaeans are of two kinds: monotheists (hanifs) and idolaters. The monotheists are those who are Muslim believers. As for the idolaters—such as the Sabaeans to whom Allah sent the Friend, Abraham, peace be upon him, and others—they too acknowledge this reality. The Harranian Sabaeans even have, within their own tradition, a prophet they call al-Baba; he possesses a scripture in which numerous future events are recorded, and they claim that his patroness is the spirit of Venus.