You mentioned, may Allah reward you, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard the scratching of the pens on the night of the Ascension.

The questioner : He says: Your Eminence, the Shaykh, you mentioned, may Allah reward you, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard the scratching of the pens on the night of the Ascension. How do we reconcile this with what is established Allah has written the destinies of creation fifty thousand years before creating the heavens and the earth. We ask you to resolve this issue. May Allah make life and the Hereafter good for us and for you?

The Shaykh : First: I advise my brother the questioner and the listeners that matters of the unseen (ghayb) are not to be contradicted by one another. It is obligatory to accept them. It is obligatory that we accept that Allah has written in the Preserved Tablet the destinies of everything until the Day of Resurrection. And it is obligatory that we believe that Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, heard the scratching of the pens, as long as both are authentic. It is obligatory for us to believe and not to say: "Why" or "How?" Because these are matters of the unseen, my brothers. Just as we believe that Allah descends to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, does anyone say: "Well, how does He descend when He is above everything?" We say: This is not permissible. For matters of the unseen, say: "We have heard and we have obeyed," and do not contradict them. I ask you all now: Is it possible for any one of you to describe to us the soul by which you have life? Answer: No. How do you try to know the attribute of the Most Merciful (Mighty and Majestic) or to know His decrees? This is impossible. My advice to everyone is that such matters of the unseen, what must be done? One must believe in them and not ask. We mentioned earlier regarding the Ascension that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prophets in prayer in the Temple of Solomon (Bayt al-Maqdis). And when he ascended to the heavens, he found among the messengers those whom he found. Do we say: "How is that possible?" Absolutely not. When matters are established in the Qur'an or in the Sunnah, say: "We believe in Allah and His Messenger." Do not contradict the Qur'an with parts of itself, nor the Sunnah with parts of itself. These are matters greater than our minds. Do you understand now? It is not logically impossible for things to be written twice. For example, a person has a notebook in which he writes his daily events, and he also repeats them a second time on other papers. Is this logically possible? However, do not try to measure matters of the unseen with your mind, because they are greater than your mind. So we say: Allah the Exalted said: Every day He is in a state of doing (Glorified and Exalted is He). He does what He wills, and He judges what He desires. And these pens that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) heard may be pens that repeat what was written in the Preserved Tablet. And Allah knows best. If this is the truth, then praise be to Allah who guided us to it. And if we have erred, we seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him. But we believe in what Allah and His Messenger have informed us of. And beware, O brother, beware of contradicting the Qur'an with parts of itself or the Sunnah with parts of itself. These are matters of the unseen. As for legal and jurisprudential matters, yes, it is true that the human mind has a role and an entry point in them. But as for purely narrative matters, do not exhaust yourself. Yes.