Explanation of the author's statement: "As for the impossibility of concealing the truth: it is because every rational, fair-minded person who knows the condition of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and their eagerness to spread beneficial knowledge
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The Shaykh :"As for the impossibility of concealing the truth, it is because every rational, fair-minded person who knows the condition of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and their eagerness to spread beneficial knowledge and convey it to the Ummah, will not be able to attribute the concealment of the truth to them, especially in the most obligatory of matters, which is knowing Allah the Exalted and His names and attributes". Is this clear? If the Companions were knowledgeable and we have reached this point, they must have been teachers. It is impossible that they would ever conceal the truth; they must have made it clear to the people, because we know that they were the most sincere to the Ummah, so they must have taught the people.
If someone says to us, "This is questionable; all this talk is questionable because we do not know now the names of Allah about which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saidJami` at-Tirmidhi 3508Sahih (Darussalam)," what is the answer to this? We say: As for the one who argues with the hadith that lists these names, this objection does not apply to him, or does it? Are you with me or not? If someone said, "We do not accept from you this statement that you said, namely that the names and attributes must be made clear, because we object to you that the ninety-nine names of Allah, whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise, are not specified for us, not specified," the answer is that we say: Before the hadith came that specified them, this objection did not apply to it. What does he say if it is objected to? He says, "These are specified, these are specified. Now, please, let me list them for you." And whoever sees that this hadith is not authentic and that it was inserted by some narrators, he follows it according to his knowledge and lists them according to his knowledge. Yes, whoever said this said that the Lawgiver did not neglect them; they exist in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, but what was neglected? The specification. The specification was left to the servants so that they would strive to seek and verify them, so that it would be known who is eager to enumerate them and who is not, because enumerating them is not easy. What is the result of enumerating them? Entering Paradise, which is not easy. So there must be a price for this reward, yes, there must be a price, yes, and that is that He left this matter for the people to seek it out themselves, but they certainly exist in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, certainly in the Qur'an and the Sunnah that are in our hands, because it is not possible for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to refer us to something that does not exist. It is an existing matter, but He left it so that people would be eager for it.
Then, and Allah knows best, He also left them open so that people would expand in grasping what they can grasp of them. For example, I might specify this name from the names of Allah and see that it is the one indicated by the hadith, and you might see another name, you see another name. The important thing is that we take from the total of the names, and what do we take? How many? Ninety-nine names, and we enumerate them, and that becomes a cause for entering Paradise. Therefore, the meaning of the hadith is not that we do not find more than ninety-nine; we find more than ninety-nine, there is no doubt in that, but whoever enumerates ninety-nine of the existing ones will enter Paradise by that. And by this, the problem is resolved; by this, this objection is resolved, which may be in the heart of every person when it is said to him that Allah the Exalted and His Messenger have made the truth clear in the chapter of the names and attributes of Allah with a clear explanation. If this problem is raised to us, we answer it with one of these two answers:
What is the first answer?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : That the one who accepted the hadith specifying them answered with it; he specified them and said the matter is clear. And the one who did not accept it said that Allah the Exalted made them ambiguous for the servants as a mercy to them and a test for them. A mercy to them so that the scope is wider, where each person chooses what he sees of these names, enumerates them, and enters Paradise. And it is also more eloquent in the test. What is it?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : More eloquent in the test in seeking and searching for them until a person specifies them, because if they were specified for us and he said, "Just read, there is no effort," but something is ambiguous in the Book and the Sunnah that requires us to review the entire Qur'an and Sunnah, all that we can of the Sunnah, or else the Qur'an, praise be to Allah, it is made easy and known. Yes, it requires a person to follow up and be eager, and this is undoubtedly a benefit for the servant and a test for him. By this, it is known that concealing them is in the interest.
All right, does it have a parallel in acts of worship? Things that were concealed as a test for the servants?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The hour of Friday and the Night of Decree. The hour of Friday and the Night of Decree are ambiguous as a test for the servants, because if they were specified, people would not be eager except in that night or that hour, and they would miss much good. Have you seen now, if the Night of Decree were specified on the twenty-seventh night, how much standing in night prayer and work would people miss? Nine nights would be missed by them, and this is a great benefit for the person. And the truth is that we do not feel this benefit in the increase of nine nights for us in which we strive with work; we do not feel this benefit except when the term approaches. When the term approaches, a person says, "I wish I had worked." Now everything is easy, everything is easy. Yes, the money is available, plenty, bags of it. It does not matter to one to take a riyal and throw it away. But as the money decreases, it becomes more valuable. And we are the opposite; Allah replaces for us, and as we increase in years, the loss of days becomes easy for us. But when the money runs out, what does one say? "I wish I had, I wish I had kept the money, I wish I had not lost it." Thus, Allah, (Exalted and Majestic is He), is Wise, and He legislates these matters for His servants and conceals them for their benefit, and at the same time as a test for the servants. The eager person says, "How cheap, ten nights in a night better than a thousand months," or not? And the lazy person says, "By Allah, I cannot... stay up for ten nights." Yes, it is not necessary, so in it is a test and in it is a mercy at the same time.
So these precise matters, a person should reflect on them in the Shari'ah of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that Allah the Exalted has the perfect wisdom in everything He legislates, but some of it is known to us and some is unknown to us.
If someone says to us, "This is questionable; all this talk is questionable because we do not know now the names of Allah about which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said
Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine Names, whoever counts them shall enter Paradise.
إن لله تسعة وتسعين اسما من أحصاها دخل الجنةThen, and Allah knows best, He also left them open so that people would expand in grasping what they can grasp of them. For example, I might specify this name from the names of Allah and see that it is the one indicated by the hadith, and you might see another name, you see another name. The important thing is that we take from the total of the names, and what do we take? How many? Ninety-nine names, and we enumerate them, and that becomes a cause for entering Paradise. Therefore, the meaning of the hadith is not that we do not find more than ninety-nine; we find more than ninety-nine, there is no doubt in that, but whoever enumerates ninety-nine of the existing ones will enter Paradise by that. And by this, the problem is resolved; by this, this objection is resolved, which may be in the heart of every person when it is said to him that Allah the Exalted and His Messenger have made the truth clear in the chapter of the names and attributes of Allah with a clear explanation. If this problem is raised to us, we answer it with one of these two answers:
What is the first answer?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : That the one who accepted the hadith specifying them answered with it; he specified them and said the matter is clear. And the one who did not accept it said that Allah the Exalted made them ambiguous for the servants as a mercy to them and a test for them. A mercy to them so that the scope is wider, where each person chooses what he sees of these names, enumerates them, and enters Paradise. And it is also more eloquent in the test. What is it?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : More eloquent in the test in seeking and searching for them until a person specifies them, because if they were specified for us and he said, "Just read, there is no effort," but something is ambiguous in the Book and the Sunnah that requires us to review the entire Qur'an and Sunnah, all that we can of the Sunnah, or else the Qur'an, praise be to Allah, it is made easy and known. Yes, it requires a person to follow up and be eager, and this is undoubtedly a benefit for the servant and a test for him. By this, it is known that concealing them is in the interest.
All right, does it have a parallel in acts of worship? Things that were concealed as a test for the servants?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The hour of Friday and the Night of Decree. The hour of Friday and the Night of Decree are ambiguous as a test for the servants, because if they were specified, people would not be eager except in that night or that hour, and they would miss much good. Have you seen now, if the Night of Decree were specified on the twenty-seventh night, how much standing in night prayer and work would people miss? Nine nights would be missed by them, and this is a great benefit for the person. And the truth is that we do not feel this benefit in the increase of nine nights for us in which we strive with work; we do not feel this benefit except when the term approaches. When the term approaches, a person says, "I wish I had worked." Now everything is easy, everything is easy. Yes, the money is available, plenty, bags of it. It does not matter to one to take a riyal and throw it away. But as the money decreases, it becomes more valuable. And we are the opposite; Allah replaces for us, and as we increase in years, the loss of days becomes easy for us. But when the money runs out, what does one say? "I wish I had, I wish I had kept the money, I wish I had not lost it." Thus, Allah, (Exalted and Majestic is He), is Wise, and He legislates these matters for His servants and conceals them for their benefit, and at the same time as a test for the servants. The eager person says, "How cheap, ten nights in a night better than a thousand months," or not? And the lazy person says, "By Allah, I cannot... stay up for ten nights." Yes, it is not necessary, so in it is a test and in it is a mercy at the same time.
So these precise matters, a person should reflect on them in the Shari'ah of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that Allah the Exalted has the perfect wisdom in everything He legislates, but some of it is known to us and some is unknown to us.