Prophect versus Soothsaying

The highest rank of soothsaying is the state in which rhymed prose is used, because the support derived from rhymed prose is lighter than any other support, such as that derived from vision or hearing.

Such light support, as is given by the use of rhymed prose, points to nearness of contact and perception and to a certain freedom from weakness.

Some people assume that soothsaying of this type stopped with the time of prophecy. This was the result of the stoning of the devils with meteors, in view of the prophetic mission, which occurred in order to keep them away from heavenly information, as is mentioned in the Qur’an.

The soothsayers had received heavenly information from the devils, and now, from the day on which the devils were stoned, soothsaying ceased to exist. There is no proof for this contention.

Soothsayers obtain knowledge from their own souls as well as from the devils, aswe have established. Furthermore, the verse of the Qur’an shows only that the devils were kept away from one particular kind of heavenly information, namely, that connected with the (prophetic) mission.

They were not kept from other information. Also, soothsaying stopped only in view of the existence of prophecy. It may afterwards have returned to its former state.

This would seem to be an obvious (fact), because all such (supernatural) perceptions are in abeyance at the time of prophecy, just as stars and lamps lose their brilliance beside the sun.

Prophecy is the greatest light, in whose presence every other light is obscured or disappears.

Some philosophers think:

1. That soothsaying exists only in view of prophecy, and then stops

This happens at each occurrence of prophecy.

2. That the existence of prophecy needs a particular constellation that makes it necessary

The perfection of that constellation coincides with the perfection of the particular prophecy to which the constellation has reference. As long as the constellation is imperfect, it requires the existence of some imperfect related element. This is the meaning of “soothsayer”.

The perfect state of the constellation is preceded by an imperfect one, which requires the existence of one or more soothsayers. When the constellation reaches perfection, the prophet’s existence reaches perfection. The constellations that point to the existence of a(n inferior) element such as soothsaying have passed by, and soothsaying ceases to exist.

This theory is based upon the assumption that any part of a constellation must exercise part of the influence that the constellation (in its perfect state) would exercise. This assumption is not fully acceptable.

It may be that a particular constellation exercises its influence only when it has taken on its proper form. If some aspects are missing, it may exercise no influence whatever, not even, as they say, a restricted influence.

Soothsayers who are a prophet’s contemporaries are aware of the prophet’s truthfulness and the significance of his miracle, since they derive some intuitive 298 experience from prophecy, such as every human being derives from sleep.

Intellectual awareness of this relationship is stronger in the soothsayer than in the sleeper. What prevents soothsayers from acknowledging the truthfulness of the prophet, and causes them to deny (him), is simply their misguided desire to be prophets themselves.

This leads them to spiteful opposition. This happened to:

• Umayyah b. Abi s-Salt, who desired to be a prophet
• Ibn Sayyid, Musaylimah, and others 299

When faith gains the upper hand and they stop aspiring to become prophets themselves, they make the most faithful of believers. This happened to Tulayhah al-Asadi and Qarib b. al-Aswad. 300 The actions of these two men in the Muslim conquest show that they were faithful believers.