s_).

In their practice of astromancy or enchanting the stars, and in
pretending to overhear what passed in the heavens, they, the Jinns, used
to sit on the tops of lofty mansions at night-time for hours offering
sacrifices to the stars and enchanting them. In their peculiar tongue
and learning they called this practice "stealing a hearing" and "sitting
for listening" (Suras XV, verse 17, and LXXII, verses 8, 9).

Now at the time of Mohammad's assuming the Prophet's office there had
been an unusually grand display of numerous falling stars, which at
certain periods are known to be specially abundant. At the same time
there were good many comets visible in different parts of heavens, which
certainly might have smitten with terror these Jinns, _i.e._, the
astromancers and soothsayers. There was one comet visible in 602 A.D.,
and other two appeared in 605 A.D. In 607 A.D. two more comets were
visible; another one appeared in 608 A.D. Each of the years 614 and 615
had one comet. There were also comets visible in 617 A.D. (_vide_
Chambers's Descriptive Astronomy). These comets are most probably
noticed in the contemporary record (_i.e._ the Koran). A comet is called
_Tariq_, or "night comer," in Sura LXXXVI, verse 1; and described as the
star of piercing radiance. (_Annajmus Saqib. Ibid_ 3.)

The _Kahins_ were very much alarmed at the stupendous phenomena of the
falling stars and the comets; and had stopped their soothsaying and
divinations. Whenever they used to sit on their places of listening,
enchanting, and divination during night-time, looking at the heavens,
their eyes met with showers of shooting stars and brilliant comets which
bewildered them very much. It is said that the first whose attention was
attracted to the unusual shooting stars was a clan of the Sakeefites of
Us-Tayif (Ibn Hisham, page 131). These Jinns, when they were converted
to Islam at Nakhla near Tayif, expressed their bewilderment from the
unusual shower of falling stars and the appearance of numerous comets in
their peculiar language:--

"The heaven did we essay but found it filled with mighty garrison and of
darting flames."

"We sat on some of the seats to listen, but whoever now listeneth
findeth a darting flame in ambush for him."

"We know not whether evil be meant for them that are on earth, or
whether their Lord meaneth true guidance for them."--Sura LXXII, verses
8-10.

So the pretenders of hearing the discourses of heavenly bodies