What is the secret behind the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (If I had said yes, it would have become obligatory)? Why did he not say no, but rather once in a lifetime?
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The questioner : He says: What is the secret behind the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 814Da'if (Darussalam). Why did he not say no, but rather once in a lifetime?
The Shaykh : Yes. The secret, and Allah knows best, is to deter such a question. That is, if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said yes, it would have become obligatory, and you would not have been able to fulfill it. So it is as if he is saying: Leave us alone in what we have left you alone in. Do not ask about something and be answered with something you cannot do.
If I had said yes, then it would have been made obligatory
لو قلت نعم لوجبتThe Shaykh : Yes. The secret, and Allah knows best, is to deter such a question. That is, if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said yes, it would have become obligatory, and you would not have been able to fulfill it. So it is as if he is saying: Leave us alone in what we have left you alone in. Do not ask about something and be answered with something you cannot do.