What is the ruling on the riddles that ask: What is the thing that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not see, and what is the thing that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) did not see?
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, O Shaykh. Recently, this riddle has become popular among the youth, known as: What is the thing that the Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did not see, and what is the thing that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) did not see and did not hear of? They mean by the thing the Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did not see, a messenger like him, and by the thing Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) did not see and did not hear of, a like, an equal, or an equivalent. You know that this is bad etiquette with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). What is the ruling on this? Please inform us, and may Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : As for the fact that the Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did not see or hear of a thing, this is the case for every human being. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was a human being. He would enter his house while a pot was on the fire, and he would not know what was in it, even though it was his house. A "barmah" means something like a pot. One day, he entered upon his family and asked for food. He had seen the pot on the fire with meat in it, which he had given in charity to Barirah. Barirah was a freed slave of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) who was with them. They knew that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not eat charity, so they said: I am giving this as an example to show that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) does not know the unseen.
Look: Abu Hurayrah was absent from him, and he did not know. So, yes, the Messenger may not hear of a thing, and he may not see a thing. But our saying, "Allah (Mighty and Majestic) did not hear of it," as in the question,
The questioner : Allah did not hear of it
The Shaykh : Allah did not hear of it and did not see it. This is a great lack of etiquette with Allah. It is feared that whoever poses this question, and through it misleads people, will bear the sin, may Allah protect us from that.
Regarding the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), He must be magnified, He must be feared, and one must not speak regarding Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in a way that suggests any deficiency, not in the slightest. For Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nahl 16:60] Every description of perfection, its highest form belongs to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). How can you say: Allah did not hear of it and did not see it? Beware, beware of such expressions, and beware, beware of speaking regarding the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) except with what has come in the Book and the Sunnah.
We must be polite as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were polite. The verses regarding the attributes of Allah would be revealed, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would speak about the attributes of Allah. They did not raise questions or issues; they accepted them with satisfaction, submission, and acceptance. They knew that Allah the Exalted is above what a human being imagines:[Ash-Shuraa 42:11]. Yes, does anyone have a question?
The Shaykh : As for the fact that the Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did not see or hear of a thing, this is the case for every human being. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was a human being. He would enter his house while a pot was on the fire, and he would not know what was in it, even though it was his house. A "barmah" means something like a pot. One day, he entered upon his family and asked for food. He had seen the pot on the fire with meat in it, which he had given in charity to Barirah. Barirah was a freed slave of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) who was with them. They knew that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not eat charity, so they said:
Meat which he had given in charity to Barirah. He said: It is charity for her and a gift for us.
لحم تصدق به على بريرة، قال: هو عليها صدقة ولنا هديةAnd Abu Hurayrah was with him one day, so he withdrew from him, performed ghusl, and then returned. He said to him: Where were you? He said: I was in a state of major ritual impurity, and I disliked being with you without being in a state of purity. He said: Glory be to Allah! The believer does not become impure.
وكان معه أبو هريرة ذات يوم فانخنس منه واغتسل ثم رجع فقال له: أين كنت؟ قال: كنت جنباً فكرهت أن أكون معك على غير طهارة، قال: سبحان الله! إن المؤمن لا ينجسThe questioner : Allah did not hear of it
The Shaykh : Allah did not hear of it and did not see it. This is a great lack of etiquette with Allah. It is feared that whoever poses this question, and through it misleads people, will bear the sin, may Allah protect us from that.
Regarding the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), He must be magnified, He must be feared, and one must not speak regarding Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in a way that suggests any deficiency, not in the slightest. For Allah the Exalted said:
For those who do not believe in the Hereafter is the description of evil; and for Allah is the highest attribute. And He is Exalted in Might, the Wise.
لِلَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ مَثَلُ السَّوْءِ وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُWe must be polite as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were polite. The verses regarding the attributes of Allah would be revealed, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would speak about the attributes of Allah. They did not raise questions or issues; they accepted them with satisfaction, submission, and acceptance. They knew that Allah the Exalted is above what a human being imagines: