A man from the Ansar, one of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, reported that while they were sitting one night with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a shooting star streaked across the sky and lit it up.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked them, "What did you used to say in the days of ignorance when something like this was cast?"They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best. We used to say, 'A great man has been born tonight, and a great man has died.'"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "These stars are not cast for anyone's death or birth. Rather, when our Lord, blessed be His name, decrees a matter, the bearers of the Throne glorify Him, then the inhabitants of the heaven next to them glorify Him, until the glorification reaches the inhabitants of this lowest heaven. Then those who are next to the bearers of the Throne ask the bearers of the Throne, 'What did your Lord say?' and they inform them of what He said. So the inhabitants of the heavens pass the news from one to another until it reaches this lowest heaven. The jinn then snatch a portion of what is overheard and cast it down to their allies, and they are pelted with these stars. Whatever they convey accurately is true, but they distort it and add to it."
أخبرني رجل من أصحاب النبي ﷺ من الأنصار أنهم بينما هم جلوس ليلة مع رسول الله ﷺ رمي بنجم فاستنار، فقال لهم رسول الله ﷺ: ماذا كنتم تقولون في الجاهلية إذا رمي بمثل هذا؟ قالوا: الله ورسوله أعلم، كنا نقول: ولد الليلة رجل عظيم، ومات رجل عظيم فقال رسول الله ﷺ: فإنها لا يرمى بها لموت أحد ولا لحياته ولكن ربنا-تبارك وتعالى اسمه- إذا قضى أمرا سبح حملة العرش، ثم سبح أهل السماء الذين يلونهم، حتى يبلغ التسبيح أهل هذه السماء الدنيا، ثم قال الذين يلون حملة العرش لحملة العرش: ماذا قال ربكم؟ فيخبرونهم ماذا قال، قال: فيستخبر بعض أهل السماوات بعضا حتى يبلغ الخبر هذه السماء الدنيا، فتخطف الجن السمع، فيقذفون إلى أوليائهم، ويرمون به فما جاءوا به على وجهه فهو حق، ولكنهم يقرفون فيه ويزيدون.
Muslim narrated it in the Book of Islam (2229) through several routes from Yaqub bin Ibrahim bin Saad, who said, my father narrated to us, from Salih, from Ibn Shihab, who said, Ali bin Husayn narrated to me, from Abdullah bin Abbas, who said, and then he related it.He also narrated it through other routes from Ibn Shihab, including the route of Uzai from Zuhri, in which it reads, "But they mix falsehood into it and add to it." In the narration of Yunus from Ibn Shihab it reads, "But they mix falsehood into it and add to it," and in the hadith of Yunus he added, and Allah Most High said, "Until, when terror is removed from their hearts, they say, 'What did your Lord say?' They say, 'The truth, and He is the Most High, the Most Great.'" [Saba 34:23]