Mustadrak al-Hakim — Hadith 3087

It is narrated from Imran bin al-Harith that he said: We were sitting with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) when a man came to him. He asked: "Where have you come from?" He said: "From Iraq." He asked: "From which of its people?" He said: "From Kufah." He asked: "What is the news there?" He said: "I left them while they were talking among themselves that Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is going to come forth again." At this, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "What are you saying? Good heavens! Had we had the slightest sense of that, we would not have married off his widows, nor divided his inheritance." Then he said: "I will tell you the real truth of that. The devils used to eavesdrop (on the heaven), then one of them would bring a true word that people had (actually) heard, and he would mix seventy lies with it, which would become ingrained in people's hearts. Allah Almighty informed Sulayman bin Dawud (peace be upon them both) of this, so he seized all of it (the writings of magic) and buried them beneath his throne. When Sulayman (peace be upon him) died, a devil stood on the road and said: 'Shall I not show you the treasure of Sulayman, the like of which no one else has? Shall I not show you his guarded treasure?' The people said: 'Yes (certainly).' So they dug it out, and it turned out to be magic. Then this knowledge passed from generation to generation among the nations, and what the people of Iraq talk about is the leftover remnant of it." Then Allah Almighty revealed this verse declaring Sulayman (peace be upon him) innocent: "And they followed what the devils recited during the reign of Sulayman. It was not Sulayman who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved." [Surah al-Baqarah: 102]