حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عُمَرُ، أَنَّ سَالِمًا، حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ مَا سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ، لِشَىْءٍ قَطُّ يَقُولُ إِنِّي لأَظُنُّهُ كَذَا. إِلاَّ كَانَ كَمَا يَظُنُّ، بَيْنَمَا عُمَرُ جَالِسٌ إِذْ مَرَّ بِهِ رَجُلٌ جَمِيلٌ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ أَخْطَأَ ظَنِّي، أَوْ إِنَّ هَذَا عَلَى دِينِهِ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، أَوْ لَقَدْ كَانَ كَاهِنَهُمْ، عَلَىَّ الرَّجُلَ، فَدُعِيَ لَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ مَا رَأَيْتُ كَالْيَوْمِ اسْتُقْبِلَ بِهِ رَجُلٌ مُسْلِمٌ، قَالَ فَإِنِّي أَعْزِمُ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ مَا أَخْبَرْتَنِي. قَالَ كُنْتُ كَاهِنَهُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ. قَالَ فَمَا أَعْجَبُ مَا جَاءَتْكَ بِهِ جِنِّيَّتُكَ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا أَنَا يَوْمًا فِي السُّوقِ جَاءَتْنِي أَعْرِفُ فِيهَا الْفَزَعَ، فَقَالَتْ أَلَمْ تَرَ الْجِنَّ وَإِبْلاَسَهَا وَيَأْسَهَا مِنْ بَعْدِ إِنْكَاسِهَا وَلُحُوقَهَا بِالْقِلاَصِ وَأَحْلاَسِهَا قَالَ عُمَرُ صَدَقَ، بَيْنَمَا أَنَا عِنْدَ آلِهَتِهِمْ إِذْ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ بِعِجْلٍ فَذَبَحَهُ، فَصَرَخَ بِهِ صَارِخٌ، لَمْ أَسْمَعْ صَارِخًا قَطُّ أَشَدَّ صَوْتًا مِنْهُ يَقُولُ يَا جَلِيحْ، أَمْرٌ نَجِيحْ رَجُلٌ فَصِيحْ يَقُولُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ. فَوَثَبَ الْقَوْمُ قُلْتُ لاَ أَبْرَحُ حَتَّى أَعْلَمَ مَا وَرَاءَ هَذَا ثُمَّ نَادَى يَا جَلِيحْ، أَمْرٌ نَجِيحْ، رَجُلٌ فَصِيحْ، يَقُولُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ. فَقُمْتُ فَمَا نَشِبْنَا أَنْ قِيلَ هَذَا نَبِيٌّ.
I never heard `Umar saying about something that he thought it would be so-and-so, but he was quite right. Once, while `Umar was sitting, a handsome man passed by him, `Umar said, "If I am not wrong, this person is still on his religion of the pre-lslamic period of ignorance or he was their foreteller. Call the man to me." When the man was called to him, he told him of his thought. The man said, "I have never seen such a day on which a Muslim is faced with such an accusation." `Umar said, "I am determined that you should tell me the truth." He said, "I was a foreteller in the pre-lslamic period of ignorance." Then `Umar said, "Tell me the most astonishing thing your female Jinn has told you of." He said, "One-day while I was in the market, she came to me scared and said, 'Haven't you seen the Jinns and their despair and they were overthrown after their defeat (and prevented from listening to the news of the heaven) so that they (stopped going to the sky and) kept following camel-riders (i.e. 'Arabs)?" `Umar said, "He is right." and added, "One day while I was near their idols, there came a man with a calf and slaughtered it as a sacrifice (for the idols). An (unseen) creature shouted at him, and I have never heard harsher than his voice. He was crying, 'O you bold evil-doer! A matter of success! An eloquent man is saying: None has the right to be worshipped except you (O Allah).' On that the people fled, but I said, 'I shall not go away till I know what is behind this.' Then the cry came again: 'O you bold evil-doer! A matter of success! An eloquent man is saying: None has the right to be worshipped except Allah.' I then went away and a few days later it was said, "A prophet has appeared."