A man from the Ansar, one of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, told me that one night while they were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a shooting star streaked across the sky and lit up the night.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked them, "What did you used to say about this in the days of ignorance, when something like this was cast down?"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, "Truly, 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 those of the heavens nearest to them glorify Him, until the glorification reaches the inhabitants of this lowest heaven. Then those nearest to the bearers of the Throne ask the bearers of the Throne, 'What did your Lord say?' and they tell them what He said.
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 ترمى 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 فيخبروهم ماذا قال.
Muslim narrated it in "The Book of Greetings" (2229) through several routes from Yaqub bin Ibrahim bin Saad, who said, our father narrated to us, from Salih, from Ibn Shihab, who said, Ali bin Husayn narrated to me, from Ibn Abbas, who mentioned it.