I said to Ka`b [al-Ahbar] while he was with Mu`awiya: How do you view the birth (mawlid) of the Prophet (s), and do you find any virtue in his progeny? So, Ka`b turned to Mu`awiya to see his inclination. Then, Allah caused his tongue to speak, and he said: Go ahead, Aba Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on you, what do you have? So, Ka`b said: I have read seventy-two books, all of which have descended from heaven. I have read all the scrolls of Daniel, and in all of them, I found his birth and the birth of his progeny mentioned. His name is known. Surely, the angels did not descend upon the birth of any prophet except `Isa and Ahmad (s). No barrier from Paradise was put over any human except Maryam and Amina the mother of Ahmad (s). The angels were not entrusted with a pregnant woman other than the mother of the Messiah and Amina the mother of Ahmad. One of the signs of his conception was that, on the day that Amina became pregnant with him (s), a caller called in the seven heavens, the Earths, and the seas: “Be glad, for Ahmad has been conceived on this night.” There did not remain a creature that crawled on the Earth nor a bird that flew except that it knew about his birth. On the night of his birth, seventy thousand palaces of red ruby and seventy thousand palaces of fresh pearl were built in Paradise. It was said: “These are the palaces of the birth”. The Gardens were decorated, and it was said to them: “Shake [off your fruits] and decorate, for a prophet of your friends has been born.” So, Paradise smiled on that day, and it will remain smiling until the Day of Resurrection. A whale from the whales of the sea called Tamsusa – and he is the master of whales; he has seven hundred thousand tails, and seven hundred thousand bulls riding on his back which he does not feel – each of which is larger than this world, and each of which has seven hundred thousand horns of green emerald – [this whale] was struck with happiness by his birth. Had Allah not caused him to remain steadfast, then he would have turned lopsided. I was told that, on that day, a mountain did not remain except that its owner called out in happiness: “There is no god but Allah.” All the mountains humbled themselves toward [Mount] Abu Qubays to honour Muhammad (s). The trees, with their various branches, sanctified [Allah], and their fruits were gladdened by his birth. Seventy pillars of light appeared between heaven and Earth, and each of which was distinct from the other. Adam was given glad tidings about his birth, so his goodness increased seventyfold. He had found the bitterness of death, but when this [news] touched him, it brought joy to him. I was informed that al-Kawthar was struck in Paradise, and it shook, and it hurled seven hundred thousand palaces of pearl and ruby as confetti for the birth of Muhammad (s). Iblis was stiffened, shackled, and thrown into imprisonment for forty days. His throne drowned for forty days. All the idols collapsed, shrieked, and wailed. They heard a voice from the Ka`ba: “O Family of Quraysh! A giver of glad tidings has come to you. A warner has come to you. With him is eternal glory and the greatest triumph. He is the Seal of Prophets.” We find in the books that his progeny is the best of people after him, and that the people will be safe from chastisement as long as [one] from his progeny remains walking in the abode of this world. Mu`awiya said: O Aba Ishaq! Who is his progeny? Ka`b said: The descendants of Fatima. So, his face frowned, he bit his lip, and he began pulling on his beard. So, Ka`b said: We also find the description of two martyred sons, and they are the sons of Fatima. They will be killed by the evillest of creation. He said: Who will kill them? He said: A man from Quraysh. So, Mu`awiya stood and said: Stand if you wish. So, we stood.