Tarikh (al-Tabari) 480
Genealogy of Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Some Accounts of His Forefathers and Ancestors
[ الضَّرْبُ بِالْقِدَاحِ عِنْدَ الْعَرَبِ ] وَكَانَ عِنْدَ هُبَلَ قِدَاحٌ سَبْعَةٌ، كُلُّ قِدْحٍ مِنْهَا فِيهِ ( كِتَابٌ. قِدْحٌ فِيهِ ) ( الْعَقْلُ ) إذَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْعَقْلِ مَنْ يَحْمِلُهُ مِنْهُمْ، ضَرَبُوا بِالْقِدَاحِ السَّبْعَةِ: فَإِنْ خَرَجَ الْعَقْلُ فَعَلَى مَنْ خَرَجَ حَمْلُهُ، وَقِدْحٌ فِيهِ نَعَمْ لِلْأَمْرِ إذَا أَرَادُوهُ يُضْرَبُ بِهِ فِي الْقِدَاحِ، فَإِنْ خَرَجَ قِدْحُ نَعَمْ عَمِلُوا بِهِ، وَقِدْحٌ فِيهِ لَا إذَا أَرَادُوا أَمْرًا ضَرَبُوا بِهِ فِي الْقِدَاحِ، فَإِنْ خَرَجَ ذَلِكَ الْقِدْحُ لَمْ يَفْعَلُوا ذَلِكَ الْأَمْرَ؛ وَقِدْحٌ فِيهِ مِنْكُمْ؛ وَقِدْحٌ فِيهِ مُلْصَقٌ، وَقِدْحٌ فِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ؛ وَقِدْحٌ فِيهِ الْمِيَاهُ إذَا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَحْفِرُوا لِلْمَاءِ ضَرَبُوا بِالْقِدَاحِ، وَفِيهَا ذَلِكَ الْقِدْحُ، فَحَيْثُمَا خَرَجَ عَمِلُوا بِهِ. وَكَانُوا إذَا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَخْتِنُوا غُلَامًا، أَوْ يُنْكِحُوا مُنْكَحًا، أَوْ يَدْفِنُوا مَيْتًا، أَوْ شَكَلُوا فِي نَسَبِ أَحَدِهِمْ، ذَهَبُوا بِهِ إلَى هُبَلَ وَبِمِئَةِ دِرْهَمٍ وَجَزُورٍ، فَأَعْطَوْهَا صَاحِبَ الْقِدَاحِ الَّذِي يَضْرِبُ بِهَا، ثُمَّ قَرَّبُوا صَاحِبَهُمْ الَّذِي يُرِيدُونَ بِهِ مَا يُرِيدُونَ، ثُمَّ قَالُوا: يَا إلَهَنَا، هَذَا فُلَانُ بْنُ فُلَانٍ قَدْ أَرَدْنَا بِهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَأَخْرِجْ الْحَقَّ فِيهِ. ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ لِصَاحِبِ الْقِدَاحِ: اضْرِبْ فَإِنْ خَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْكُمْ كَانَ مِنْهُمْ وَسِيطًا، وَإِنْ خَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ كَانَ حَلِيفًا، وَإِنْ خَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ مُلْصَقٌ كَانَ عَلَى مَنْزِلَتِهِ فِيهِمْ، لَا نَسَبَ لَهُ وَلَا حِلْفَ، وَإِنْ خَرَجَ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، مِمَّا سِوَى هَذَا مِمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ بِهِ نَعَمْ عَمِلُوا بِهِ، وَإِنْ خَرَجَ لَا، أَخَّرُوهُ عَامَهُ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى يَأْتُوهُ بِهِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى، يَنْتَهُونَ فِي أُمُورِهِمْ إلَى ذَلِكَ مِمَّا خَرَجَتْ بِهِ الْقِدَاحُ.
Translation
✧ [Divining by Arrows among the Arabs] There were, at Hubal, seven arrows, each arrow containing a writing. An arrow in which was "the bloodwit": when they disagreed concerning the bloodwit—who among them should bear it—they cast the seven arrows; if the bloodwit came out, its bearing fell upon the one for whom it came out. And an arrow in which was "yes" for a matter when they desired it; it was cast among the arrows, and if the arrow of "yes" came out, they acted upon it. And an arrow in which was "no": when they desired a matter, they cast it among the arrows, and if that arrow came out, they did not do that matter. And an arrow in which was "one of you"; and an arrow in which was "attached"; and an arrow in which was "from other than you"; and an arrow in which was "the waters": when they desired to dig for water, they cast the arrows, and among them was that arrow, and wherever it came out, they acted upon it. And when they desired to circumcise a boy, or to marry off someone in marriage, or to bury a dead person, or were uncertain about the lineage of one of them, they went with him to Hubal, and with a hundred dirhams and a slaughtered camel, and gave them to the keeper of the arrows who cast them. Then they brought near their companion for whom they desired what they desired, then said: "O our god, this is so-and-so son of so-and-so; we have desired for him such and such, so bring out the truth concerning him." Then they said to the keeper of the arrows: "Cast." If "one of you" came out upon him, he was a full member of them; if "from other than you" came out upon him, he was an ally; if "attached" came out upon him, he remained in his position among them, with no lineage and no alliance. And if something else among those upon which they act came out for him—"yes"—they acted upon it; and if "no" came out, they postponed it that year of theirs until they brought him to it another time. In their affairs they ended at that which the arrows brought out.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.