The Question Concerning Matters of the Unseen and the Explanation of Faith in the Unseen
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Shaykh Salih, her apology, do you see a justification for it, or should a Muslim ask about everything that confuses him?
The Shaykh:
Her apology is because this question is not something one should ask.
The questioner:
And with that.
The Shaykh:
Because there is no benefit in it. As we said, it is obligatory for the Muslim to believe and hold as true what is established by valid evidence, and not to ask about what goes beyond that, which is entrusted to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and which is part of the knowledge of the unseen that no one knows except Allah. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. If he wants to strengthen his faith in these matters and asks?
The Shaykh:
Asking is permissible in general, but the Muslim should ask about important matters that benefit him in his religion, by which he knows what is obligatory, recommended, forbidden, and disliked; he knows what is lawful and what is forbidden. This is what the Muslim must know: what is required of him by the Shari'ah so that he can perform it, and what he is required to leave so that he can avoid it. This is what is required of the Muslim.
The questioner:
Perhaps Shaykh Salih would like to say a word about believing in the unseen on this occasion?
The Shaykh:
Faith in the unseen is obligatory for every Muslim. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:[Al-Baqarah 2:3] It began with faith in the unseen. The unseen is everything that is hidden from us among the matters about which Allah has informed us, or about which His messengers have informed us, such as the resurrection, Paradise, Hellfire, faith in Allah, the angels, the jinn, and whatever is hidden from us about which Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, or His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has informed us. It is obligatory for us to believe in it even if we do not see it, and even if we do not feel it or touch it. It is obligatory for us to believe in and affirm what Allah has informed us about, or what His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has informed us about. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. Is the pleasure and punishment of the grave part of believing in the unseen?
The Shaykh:
Without a doubt. The pleasure and punishment of the grave, Paradise, Hellfire, the resurrection, the Reckoning, and all matters of the Hereafter are all part of the knowledge of the unseen, because they have not yet occurred, and we do not have access to the grave. In fact, even if you opened the grave, you would not feel or see anything of the punishment of the grave or its pleasure. Generally, and it may appear to some people, it may appear to some people, but generally you will not find any of that, because no one knows this except Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and it is not among the matters of this world or the observations of creation in this world, but rather it is from the realm of the Hereafter which no one knows except Allah. You find, for example, two people sleeping with you; one is resting, calm, and enjoying his sleep, while the other may be in a troubled and disturbed sleep, and neither of them shows any sign of comfort or fatigue.
The questioner:
Good, good.
The Shaykh:
A person does not stop at what he perceives and what he sees; there are things a person does not see or perceive, but they exist.
Shaykh Salih, her apology, do you see a justification for it, or should a Muslim ask about everything that confuses him?
The Shaykh:
Her apology is because this question is not something one should ask.
The questioner:
And with that.
The Shaykh:
Because there is no benefit in it. As we said, it is obligatory for the Muslim to believe and hold as true what is established by valid evidence, and not to ask about what goes beyond that, which is entrusted to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and which is part of the knowledge of the unseen that no one knows except Allah. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. If he wants to strengthen his faith in these matters and asks?
The Shaykh:
Asking is permissible in general, but the Muslim should ask about important matters that benefit him in his religion, by which he knows what is obligatory, recommended, forbidden, and disliked; he knows what is lawful and what is forbidden. This is what the Muslim must know: what is required of him by the Shari'ah so that he can perform it, and what he is required to leave so that he can avoid it. This is what is required of the Muslim.
The questioner:
Perhaps Shaykh Salih would like to say a word about believing in the unseen on this occasion?
The Shaykh:
Faith in the unseen is obligatory for every Muslim. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:
Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them,
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَThe questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. Is the pleasure and punishment of the grave part of believing in the unseen?
The Shaykh:
Without a doubt. The pleasure and punishment of the grave, Paradise, Hellfire, the resurrection, the Reckoning, and all matters of the Hereafter are all part of the knowledge of the unseen, because they have not yet occurred, and we do not have access to the grave. In fact, even if you opened the grave, you would not feel or see anything of the punishment of the grave or its pleasure. Generally, and it may appear to some people, it may appear to some people, but generally you will not find any of that, because no one knows this except Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and it is not among the matters of this world or the observations of creation in this world, but rather it is from the realm of the Hereafter which no one knows except Allah. You find, for example, two people sleeping with you; one is resting, calm, and enjoying his sleep, while the other may be in a troubled and disturbed sleep, and neither of them shows any sign of comfort or fatigue.
The questioner:
Good, good.
The Shaykh:
A person does not stop at what he perceives and what he sees; there are things a person does not see or perceive, but they exist.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 01/190 — archive.org (12:06)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.