The Prophet's Knowledge of the Unseen

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

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The first and sixth questions of Fatwa No. ( 189 ):

Q1: Is the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) present and seeing (i.e., does he know the unseen, so that what is present to him and what is absent are the same)?
A1: The principle regarding unseen matters is that Allah has exclusive knowledge of them. Allah the Exalted said:

And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.

وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا إِلا هُوَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِنْ وَرَقَةٍ إِلا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلاَ حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الأَرْضِ وَلاَ رَطْبٍ وَلاَ يَابِسٍ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ

[Al-An'am 6:59]

, and He said:

Say, "None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected."

قُلْ لاَ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلا اللَّهُ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ

[An-Naml 27:65]

But Allah the Exalted reveals to whom He chooses among His messengers some of the unseen. Allah the Exalted said:

⁽²⁶⁾ [He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone ⁽²⁷⁾ Except whom He has approved of messengers, and indeed, He sends before each messenger and behind him observers

عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا (26) إِلا مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِنْ رَسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْلُكُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ رَصَدًا

[Al-Jinn 72:26-27]

, and He said:

Say, "I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner."

قُلْ مَا كُنْتُ بِدْعًا مِنَ الرُّسُلِ وَمَا أَدْرِي مَا يُفْعَلُ بِي وَلاَ بِكُمْ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلا مَا يُوحَى إِلَيَّ وَمَا أَنَا إِلا نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ

[Al-Ahqaf 46:9]

It is established in a long hadith through the route of Umm al-'Ala that she said:

but he died. We shrouded him in his clothes, and Allah's Apostle came to our house and I said, (addressing the dead `Uthman), 'O Abu As-Sa'ib! May Allah be merciful to you. I testify that Allah has blessed you.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me, "How do you know that Allah has blessed him?" I replied, 'I do not know O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! May my parents be sacrificed for you.' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'As regards `Uthman, by Allah he has died and I really wish him every good, yet, by Allah, although I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), I do not know what will be done to me.' Um Al- Ala added, 'By Allah I shall never attest the piety of anybody after him.

لما توفي عثمان بن مظعون أدرجناه في أثوابه فدخل علينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقلت: رحمة الله عليك أبا السائب ، شهادتي عليك لقد أكرمك الله عز وجل، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: وما يدريك أن الله أكرمه؟ فقلت: لا أدري بأبي أنت وأمي، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أما هو فقد جاءه اليقين من ربه، وإني لأرجو له الخير، والله ما أدري وأنا رسول الله ما يفعل بي، وقلت: والله لا أزكي بعده أحدًا أبدًا

Sahih al-Bukhari 2687

It was narrated by Ahmad and reported by al-Bukhari in the Book of Funerals in his Sahih, and in a narration from him:

I do not know what Allah will do with me though I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).

ما أدري وأنا رسول الله ما يفعل به

Sahih al-Bukhari 1243

, and it is established in many hadiths that Allah informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of the outcomes of some of his Companions, so he gave them glad tidings of Paradise. In the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), in al-Bukhari and Muslim : Jibril asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the Hour, and he said:

The one who is asked knows no more than the one who asks

ما المسؤول عنها بأعلم من السائل!

Mishkat al-Masabih 741

, and he did not add to informing him of its signs. This indicates that he knew of the unseen what Allah had informed him of, and nothing else of the unseen matters, and he informed of it when necessary. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

Source www.alifta.gov.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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