Husayn ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman reported: I was sitting with Saʿīd ibn Jubayr when he asked, “Which one of you saw the shooting star that fell last night?” I replied, “I did,” adding, “but I was not in prayer; rather, I had been stung.”

He asked, “What did you do?” I said, “I performed ruqyah (a healing incantation).”

He said, “What led you to do that?” I replied, “A hadith that al-Shaʿbī narrated to us.”

He asked, “And what did he narrate?” I answered, “He related from Buraydah ibn al-Ḥusayb that he said, ‘There is no ruqyah except for the evil eye or a sting.’”

Saʿīd said, “Whoever acts on what he has heard has done well. Yet Ibn ʿAbbās narrated to us from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—that he said: ‘The nations were presented before me. I saw a prophet accompanied by a small band, another prophet with one or two followers, and a prophet with no followers at all. Then a great multitude was shown to me, and I thought they were my community. But I was told, “This is Moses and his people.” I looked again and saw an even greater multitude, and it was said to me, “This is your community, and with them are seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without reckoning or punishment.”’ ”

Saʿīd then stood up, entered his house, and the people began discussing who those seventy thousand might be. Some said, “Perhaps they are the companions of the Messenger of Allah,” while others said, “Perhaps they are those who were born in Islam and never associated anything with Allah,” and they mentioned other possibilities.

The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—came out and they informed him. He said, “They are those who do not ask others for ruqyah, do not cauterize themselves, do not take omens, and rely upon their Lord.”

ʿUkkāshah ibn Miḥṣan then rose and said, “Pray to Allah to make me one of them.” He replied, “You are one of them.” Another man stood up and said, “Pray to Allah to make me one of them,” whereupon he said: