The claim that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is not a human being like us, and that he knows the unseen and is of perfect power
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Fatwa number ( 642 ):
Q: The first matter: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is not a human being like us.
A: This statement is general and admits of both truth and falsehood. If by it is meant affirming the humanity of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he is not identical to humans in every respect, but shares with them in the genus of their attributes—he eats and drinks, gets well and falls ill, remembers and forgets, lives and dies, marries women, and so on—and is distinguished by what Allah has bestowed upon him, namely the inspiration to him, his sending to people as a bringer of good news and a warner, a caller to Allah by His permission, and a manifest lamp—then this is true. It is what reality has testified to and what the Qur'an has informed us of. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Kahf 18:110] He commanded him to inform his ummah that he is a human being like them, except that Allah chose him to bear the burdens of the message and inspired to him the Shari'ah of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and guidance. And He said, in explaining the dialogue that took place between the messengers and their nations: [Ibrahim 14:10-11]
The messengers acknowledged that they are human beings like us, but Allah has favored them with the message. Indeed, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, bestows upon whom He wills of His servants what He wills, and chooses from them whom He wills, to bring people out of darkness into light. There is much of this in the Qur'an. If by it is meant that the Messenger is not a human being at all, or that he is a human being but does not resemble humans in the genus of their attributes in any way, but differs from them completely in every one of their attributes—then this is false, contradicted by reality, and explicit disbelief, because it contradicts what the Qur'an has explicitly affirmed regarding their humanity and their resemblance to humans in everything except what Allah has distinguished them with, namely revelation, prophethood, messengership, and miracles. If by it is meant that he is not like humans in that he knows the unseen or is of perfect power, then the discussion of this will come in the answer to the second and third matters. If something else is meant, then whoever speaks such words should clarify his intention and explain his purpose so that it can be examined with him. In any case, it is not correct to utter this word, whether as a negation or an affirmation, except with detail and explanation, because of the ambiguity and generality in it. Therefore, the Qur'an did not affirm it without explaining what it distinguished its messengers with, as in the aforementioned verses,
and as in His saying, the Exalted:[Fussilat 41:6-7] . Just as there is a fear that expressing their resemblance to humans in a general way leads to belittling the messengers and using it as a pretext to deny their messengership, so there is a fear that negating the resemblance in a general way leads to exaggeration regarding the messengers and going beyond the limit with them to what is not their affair, but rather the affair of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. What is required of the Muslim is detail and explanation, so that the truth is distinguished from the falsehood, and guidance from misguidance.
The second matter: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) knows the unseen.
A: Knowledge of the unseen is something Allah has kept to Himself. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Naml 27:65] And He said: [Al-An'am 6:59] And Allah the Exalted said: [Luqman 31:34]
And He said:[Al-A'raf 7:188] And He said: [Al-Ahqaf 46:9] and other verses indicating that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has kept the knowledge of the unseen to Himself. However, Allah reveals to some of His servants, such as the messengers and the angels, some of the unseen, so they know of it only to the extent that Allah has informed them. He said, the Exalted: [Al-Jinn 72:25-27] And He said, in explaining what befalls the angels of swooning when they hear His speech, and what happens to them after the terror is removed from them: [Saba 34:23] And al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih, through the route of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 38:445 ,
And Muslim mentioned the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab , in which Jibril asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about Islam, faith, and ihsan (excellence in worship), and then asked him about the Hour, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him):Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 38:445 . And in the authentic hadith, Umm al-'Ala' al-Ansariyyah —who was among those who pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)—told him that Uthman ibn Maz'un had been assigned to them for housing when the Ansar drew lots for the housing of the Muhajireen. She said, Umm al-'Ala' : "So Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) fell ill with us, and I nursed him until he passed away and we placed him in his shrouds. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came in to us, and I said: 'May Allah have mercy on you, Abu al-Sa'ib . My testimony is that Allah has honored you.' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 3929 , and in another narration: Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 the hadith. And in al-Bukhari and Muslim , through the route of Ibn 'Abbas , he said: . The texts from the Book and the Sunnah in this meaning are numerous, and they are explicit that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) does not know of the unseen except what Allah has inspired to him and taught him.
The third matter: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is of perfect power. .
A: If by the perfection of the power of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is meant relative perfection with regard to his kind, the human beings, then it is conceded. But if by it is meant absolute perfection, then it is false, and it is exaggeration regarding the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and likening the created to the Creator; because absolute perfection in power and the like is the exclusive attribute of Allah, Exalted is His status. As for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), his power is limited, derived from Allah, and not inherent in his own self; therefore, his strength varied between strength and weakness in his health and illness. And Allah commanded him to say to the disbelievers when they demanded signs from him:[Al-An'am 6:109]
And Allah commanded him to say to them when they hastened for the punishment:[Al-An'am 6:58] . And other things indicating that he (peace and blessings be upon him) does not have absolute perfection in strength and power, and that that belongs to Allah alone. Among this is the authentic hadith in which it says: , and the hadith of his being struck in the Battle of Uhud , and in his going to al-Ta'if before the Hijrah to call to tawhid (the oneness of Allah). In [Sahih al-Bukhari ], from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 4074 , and in it, from Sahl ibn Sa'd , who was asked about the wound of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: Sahih al-Bukhari 4075 . His front tooth was broken on that day, and his face was wounded, and the helmet was broken on his head. If he (peace and blessings be upon him) had had perfect power, none of his enemies would have been able to harm him by wounding his face
and breaking his front tooth and breaking the helmet on his head. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and his Companions.
Q: The first matter: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is not a human being like us.
A: This statement is general and admits of both truth and falsehood. If by it is meant affirming the humanity of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he is not identical to humans in every respect, but shares with them in the genus of their attributes—he eats and drinks, gets well and falls ill, remembers and forgets, lives and dies, marries women, and so on—and is distinguished by what Allah has bestowed upon him, namely the inspiration to him, his sending to people as a bringer of good news and a warner, a caller to Allah by His permission, and a manifest lamp—then this is true. It is what reality has testified to and what the Qur'an has informed us of. Allah the Exalted said:
Say, "I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone."
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَا إِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلا صَالِحًا وَلاَ يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا(10) Their messengers said, "Can there be doubt about Allah, Creator of the heavens and earth? He invites you that He may forgive you of your sins, and He delays your death for a specified term." They said, "You are not but men like us who wish to avert us from what our fathers were worshipping. So bring us a clear authority." (11) Their messengers said to them, "We are only men like you, but Allah confers favor upon whom He wills of His servants. It has never been for us to bring you evidence except by permission of Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely.
قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِي اللَّهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُمْ مِنْ ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى قَالُوا إِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ (10) قَالَتْ لَهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ إِنْ نَحْنُ إِلا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَمُنُّ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَمَا كَانَ لَنَا أَنْ نَأْتِيَكُمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَThe messengers acknowledged that they are human beings like us, but Allah has favored them with the message. Indeed, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, bestows upon whom He wills of His servants what He wills, and chooses from them whom He wills, to bring people out of darkness into light. There is much of this in the Qur'an. If by it is meant that the Messenger is not a human being at all, or that he is a human being but does not resemble humans in the genus of their attributes in any way, but differs from them completely in every one of their attributes—then this is false, contradicted by reality, and explicit disbelief, because it contradicts what the Qur'an has explicitly affirmed regarding their humanity and their resemblance to humans in everything except what Allah has distinguished them with, namely revelation, prophethood, messengership, and miracles. If by it is meant that he is not like humans in that he knows the unseen or is of perfect power, then the discussion of this will come in the answer to the second and third matters. If something else is meant, then whoever speaks such words should clarify his intention and explain his purpose so that it can be examined with him. In any case, it is not correct to utter this word, whether as a negation or an affirmation, except with detail and explanation, because of the ambiguity and generality in it. Therefore, the Qur'an did not affirm it without explaining what it distinguished its messengers with, as in the aforementioned verses,
and as in His saying, the Exalted:
(6) Say, O [Muhammad], "I am only a man like you to whom it has been revealed that your god is but one God; so take a straight course to Him and seek His forgiveness." And woe to those who associate others with Allah - (7) Those who do not give zakah, and in the Hereafter they are disbelievers.
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَا إِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَاسْتَقِيمُوا إِلَيْهِ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ (6) الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَThe second matter: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) knows the unseen.
A: Knowledge of the unseen is something Allah has kept to Himself. Allah the Exalted 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 يُبْعَثُونَAnd 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 مُبِينٍIndeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَـزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الأَرْحَامِ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌAnd He said:
Say, "I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe."
قُلْ لاَ أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعًا وَلاَ ضَرًّا إِلا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَلَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ إِنْ أَنَا إِلا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَSay, "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(25) Say, "I do not know if what you are promised is near or if my Lord will grant for it a [long] period." (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
قُلْ إِنْ أَدْرِي أَقَرِيبٌ مَا تُوعَدُونَ أَمْ يَجْعَلُ لَهُ رَبِّي أَمَدًا (25) عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا (26) إِلا مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِنْ رَسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْلُكُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ رَصَدًاuntil, when terror is removed from their hearts, they will say [to one another], "What has your Lord said?" They will say, "The truth." And He is the Most High, the Grand.
حَتَّى إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ قَالُوا الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُThe keys of the unseen are five; no one knows them except Allah: Indeed, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, and He sends down rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. And no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in which land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing, Acquainted.
مفاتح الغيب خمس لا يعلمهن إلاَّ الله : إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَـزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الأَرْحَامِ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌAnd Muslim mentioned the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab , in which Jibril asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about Islam, faith, and ihsan (excellence in worship), and then asked him about the Hour, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him):
The one asked about it is no more knowledgeable than the one asking, but I will inform you of its signs: When a slave woman gives birth to her mistress, that is one of its signs; and when the barefoot, naked shepherds become the leaders of people, that is one of its signs. In five things no one knows except Allah: Indeed, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, and He sends down rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. And no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in which land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing, Acquainted.
ما المسؤول عنها بأعلم من السائل، ولكن سأحدثك عن أشراطها: إذا ولدت الأمة ربتها فذاك من أشراطها، وإذا كان الحفاة العراة رؤوس الناس فذاك من أشراطها في خمس لا يعلمهن إلاَّ الله: إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَـزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الأَرْحَامِ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌHow do you know that Allah has honored him?" I replied, "I do not know. May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! But who else is worthy of it (if not `Uthman)?" He said, "As to him, by Allah, death has overtaken him, and I hope the best for him. By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me,"
وما يدريك أن الله أكرمه، قالت: قلت: لا أدري بأبي أنت وأمي يا رسول الله فمن؟ قال: أما هو فقد جاءه والله اليقين، والله إني لأرجو له الخير والله ما أدري وأنا رسول الله ما يفعل بيbut by Allah, I do not know what Allah will do with me though I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).
والله ما أدري وأنا رسول ما يفعل بهThe Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the children of the disbelievers, and he said: Allah, when He created them, knows best what they would have done.
سئل رسول الله صلى عليه وسلم عن أولاد المشركين، فقال: الله إذ خلقهم أعلم بما كانوا به عاملينThe third matter: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is of perfect power. .
A: If by the perfection of the power of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is meant relative perfection with regard to his kind, the human beings, then it is conceded. But if by it is meant absolute perfection, then it is false, and it is exaggeration regarding the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and likening the created to the Creator; because absolute perfection in power and the like is the exclusive attribute of Allah, Exalted is His status. As for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), his power is limited, derived from Allah, and not inherent in his own self; therefore, his strength varied between strength and weakness in his health and illness. And Allah commanded him to say to the disbelievers when they demanded signs from him:
The signs are only with Allah.
إِنَّمَا الآيَاتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِAnd Allah commanded him to say to them when they hastened for the punishment:
If I had that for which you are impatient, the matter would have been decided between me and you
لَوْ أَنَّ عِنْدِي مَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِهِ لَقُضِيَ الأَمْرُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْHe fell from his horse and his side was injured, so he led the people in prayer while sitting.
إنه سقط عن فرسه وجحش شقه حتى صلى بالناس جالسًاAllah's Wrath became severe on the people who caused the face of Allah's Prophet to bleed.
اشتد غضب الله على قوم أدموا وجه نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلمBy Allah, I know who washed the wounds of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and who poured water (for washing them), and with what he was treated." Sahl added, "Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to wash the wounds, and `Ali bin Abi Talib used to pour water from a shield. When Fatima saw that the water aggravated the bleeding, she took a piece of a mat, burnt it, and inserted its ashes into the wound so that the blood was congealed
أما والله إني لأعرف من كان يغسل جرح رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ومن كان يسكب الماء وبما دووي، قال: كانت فاطمة عليها السلام بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم تغسله وعلي يسكب الماء بالمجن، فلما رأت فاطمة أن الماء لا يزيد الدم إلاَّ كثرة أخذت قطعة من حصير فأحرقتها وألصقتها فاستمسك الدمand breaking his front tooth and breaking the helmet on his head. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.