the angels, so that they may relay it to the sorcerers and soothsayers among human beings, and of what the devils undergo at that point when they are pelted with flaming meteors. On occasion a devil does manage to convey the single word he has overheard from the angels to a sorcerer or a soothsayer—by a wisdom Allah alone knows, for nothing escapes His will. Then the devil, or the human recipient, adds to that word ninety-nine fabrications, and the whole bundle is spread among the people, who accept it in its entirety because of that one authentic word.

Connection of the ḥadīth to the chapter: The report refutes the idolaters. If this is the state of the angels—despite the strength Allah has given them—when they hear Allah’s speech, it follows that no act of worship may be directed to them, let alone to anyone below them.

Lessons drawn from the ḥadīth

1. A rebuttal of the idolaters who worship angels, prophets, and the righteous.
2. Exaltation of Allah, the One truly deserving of worship with no partner.
3. Affirmation that Allah is exalted above His creation and that He speaks with audible speech.
4. Invalidation of sorcery and soothsaying, even if a soothsayer or sorcerer happens to tell the truth on rare occasions.
5. The criterion is what is frequent and abundant, not what is rare and scant.