What is the meaning of the hadith, "There was a prophet among the prophets who would draw lines..."?
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The Shaykh : What is the meaning of Sunan Abi Dawud 3909Sahih (Al-Albani)? I alluded to its meaning earlier. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the previous hadith that a prophet among the prophets was granted by Allah (Mighty and Majestic) the blessing of drawing lines in the sand, which he used as a means to gain knowledge of some of the unseen. Gaining knowledge of the unseen is a privilege of the prophets and messengers. However, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) granted that prophet who was taught to draw lines the ability to be informed of some of the unseen through the sand, whereas the other prophets were informed immediately through Jibril (peace be upon him). In other words, drawing lines in the sand was a knowledge that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) granted to some of His prophets as a miracle for them. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, by way of a conditional statement based on the impossible: "Whoever matches his line today with the line of that prophet is the one who is correct, and whoever does not is not correct." Rather, he is engaging in deception, because there is no longer any way or path to this knowledge, as it was specific to that prophet. This is what scholars call a conditional statement based on the impossible. There is a point in answering in this style: instead of simply saying that drawing lines in the sand is invalid, it provides the benefit that drawing lines in the sand was a practice of a previous prophet. So, if you are able to match your knowledge with the knowledge of that prophet, then you are the successful one. What would be the answer? Is it possible for a person who has not been revealed to match the drawing in the sand of a prophet who has been revealed? This is called a conditional statement based on the impossible. The intent is to demonstrate impossibility... If you were able to bring back the days in which the prayer was missed, then make it up. Of course, he knows that he is not able to bring back those days, so he will know that if he makes it up, it is so, just as here! If he is able to match his line with the line of that prophet, then he is the one who is correct... And he knows that that prophet has passed away and departed with his miracle, just as all the prophets departed with their miracles. So, the summary of the meaning of is that this is a conditional statement based on the impossible. It is not possible for the astrologers who draw lines in the sand today to match the line of that prophet. Therefore, drawing lines in the sand is not prescribed, because it is a conditional statement based on the impossible, just as making up for a missed prayer by bringing back the days is a conditional statement based on the impossible.
Finally, I ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to grant us understanding in our religion and to inspire us to follow the methodology of the righteous Salaf in understanding the Shari'ah, and to protect us and guard us from deviating to the right or to the left, as has happened to many of the sects that claim to belong to Islam.
There was a Prophet who drew lines, so if anyone does it as he drew lines, that is right.
قد كان نبي من الأنبياء يخط فمن وافق خطه خطه فذاكAnd whoever matches his line with his line, that is the one.
فمن وافق خطه خط فذاكFinally, I ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to grant us understanding in our religion and to inspire us to follow the methodology of the righteous Salaf in understanding the Shari'ah, and to protect us and guard us from deviating to the right or to the left, as has happened to many of the sects that claim to belong to Islam.
