Explanation of the author's statement: The fifteenth: That most of the Companions did not know this issue.

The Shaykh :"The fifteenth: That most of the Companions did not know this issue" How? Why?
The student: Because Mu'adh was late.

The Shaykh : Because Mu'adh reported it at the time of his death, after many of the Companions had passed away. He reported it out of scrupulousness, meaning to escape the sin of concealing it. Then, Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) knew that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) feared that people would rely on it and become negligent. And he (may Allah be pleased with him) was certain that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend to conceal it absolutely. Because if he had intended to conceal it absolutely, yes, Mu'adh would not have been informed of it. But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed those who understood its meaning. As for those who did not understand its meaning and it was feared that they would become negligent, there is no harm in not informing them of it.
"The sixteenth: The permissibility of concealing knowledge for the sake of public benefit" Yes, and this is not absolute. Even the author did not intend it to be absolute. The permissibility of concealing knowledge for the sake of public benefit, because concealing it absolutely is not a public benefit. But concealing it in some circumstances, or from some people, may be required by public benefit. Is that right or not?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Just as performing an act may require leaving it off, even if it is a public benefit. But preventing him from it is a public benefit, out of fear that people would be led astray, because they were newly converted from disbelief. And he confided this to whom?
The student: Aisha.

The Shaykh : To Aisha. So the important point is that concealing knowledge for public benefit is permissible, but it is not a public benefit to conceal it absolutely. Rather, knowledge is necessary. But it may be a public benefit, as we said here.
The student: For some people.

The Shaykh : For some people, or in some circumstances. Yes, for every situation there is a specific ruling. As for concealing it absolutely, no. And for this reason, Mu'adh informed about this hadith. And it was from the wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that he was informed of it. Yes, who is asking now?

The questioner : The hadith now. How would they become negligent? The hadith has two equal sides, meaning the rights of Allah over the servants. If they perform the obligatory acts.
Yes, who is asking now?

The questioner : The hadith. How would they become negligent? The hadith... meaning the rights of Allah over the servants. If they perform His obligatory acts.

The Shaykh : Yes, because he feared that some people would not understand the hadith in its proper sense. A person might think that if he is sincere in worship, even if he does not worship in what Allah has prescribed...The questioner : ... The Prophet mentioned that if he does this deed, he has Paradise.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : How?

The Shaykh : Whoever does this deed has Paradise, with the presence of sincerity and the other deeds.
The student: ... Not absolutely.

The Shaykh : Which one?
The student: This.

The Shaykh : ...
The student: Okay... the verses.

The Shaykh : We said they did not know it, either because they died before Mu'adh explained it. Meaning Mu'adh, because Mu'adh.
The student: No problem with the verses that were mentioned.

The Shaykh : ... The verses. The author is talking about the hadith. He says most of the Companions did not know it. Why? Because they died before Mu'adh informed them of it.
The student: Informed them of the hadith.

The Shaykh : Informed them of this issue. And it is also possible that this is the issue the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) feared. But this is not the apparent meaning, because most of the Companions understood what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and only individuals among the Companions would become negligent. As for their death before Mu'adh informed them, that is likely. Yes.
Okay, the permissibility of concealing knowledge for public benefit. We said this is restricted to some circumstances or people. And concealing knowledge is not always a public benefit. Okay, what is the evidence for its permissibility? From Mu'adh's action or from the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The student: From his saying.

The Shaykh : From the saying of the Messenger: "Do not give them good news." Its meaning is: Conceal it from them. Do not inform them of it. Yes. And similar to this is what happened to Abu Hurayrah, where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him his sandals and said: Or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said. I forgot the wording of the hadith, but it agreed with 'Umar, so he hit him in the chest until he fell to the ground and said: "How can you say this to the people?" Yes, this is not appropriate. Then he returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the rest of the hadith occurred. The result is that in some cases, informing about knowledge may cause fitnah. Now, if you stand before disobedient people, is it appropriate to remind them of verses of admonition and hope, or not?
The student: Not appropriate.

The Shaykh : And what is appropriate?
The student: Warning.

The Shaykh : Mentioning verses of warning and hadiths of warning. Yes. If they come forward and say, "By Allah, we did such and such. We stole, we committed zina, we killed people without right, we associated partners with Allah," and you know that they want to repent, what do you remind them of? Verses of promise and hope. Yes. Verses of promise and hope, because for every situation there is a specific ruling.
The student: Shaykh, the hadith does not indicate the difference between giving good news and informing. Or he forbade him from giving good news but did not forbid him from informing.

The Shaykh : No, its meaning is: "Should I not give the people good news?" Meaning: Inform them of this news, because giving good news means this. It does not mean that I say "Give them good news" and you say "Say it." But if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This is permissible," then it is permissible.
The student: What indicates this?

The Shaykh : No, there is nothing that indicates this.
"The eighteenth: The fear of relying on the vastness of Allah's mercy" Where is this taken from? And this is correct, because relying on Allah's mercy necessitates a great harm, which is security from the plot of Allah. Relying on the vastness of mercy generates a great harm, which is security from His plot. A person disobeys Allah, then blessings come to him one after another. He sees them and says, "By Allah, praise be to Allah. Allah is Merciful." He sees the blessings... while he is in the state of disobeying Allah, so he relies on Allah's mercy and feels secure from His plot. Similarly, the opposite is the case. If a person falls into despair, he despairs of the mercy of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)... and he considers repentance unlikely and success unlikely, so he withdraws. And this also exists in some people. It may exist in some of those who are humble toward themselves, that they despair and say, "It is too late." This is wrong. Rather, Allah the Exalted has a vast mercy. Turn to Allah. All of this is possible. For this reason, the scholars said: It should be that the servant's journey to his Lord is between fear and hope. Imam Ahmad said: "It should be that one travels to Allah between fear and hope. Whichever of the two prevails, its owner is destroyed." If hope prevails, and... what issue does he fall into?
The student: Security from the plot of Allah.

The Shaykh : Security from the plot of Allah. And if fear prevails, despair of Allah's mercy comes. Be in the middle. And some scholars said: If he is sick, it is better to let the side of hope prevail. And if he is healthy, let the side of fear prevail. These are two opinions. And others said: Rather, it is better that when he looks at Allah's mercy and His favor, the side of hope prevails. And when he looks at his actions and deeds, the side of fear prevails. They cite as evidence for this the saying of Allah the Exalted: Meaning, fearful that it may not be accepted from her due to shortcoming or deficiency. Yes, and this opinion is good. This opinion is good, that a person should have two perspectives. A perspective on the mercy of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), in which the side of hope prevails. If he did good, he prevails in the belief that Allah accepted it. If he did bad, he turns to Allah with repentance and the side of hope prevails for the acceptance of repentance. And the side of fear prevails when he looks at his actions, his shortcoming, his negligence, or his excess. The side of fear prevails until, when he looks at his actions, the side of fear prevails, he turns to Allah and repents. Yes. And when he looks at Allah's mercy, he does not say, "By Allah, I did..." For example, he does not accept it as long as he is acting in accordance with the Shari'ah. So let the side of hope prevail regarding Allah, and the side of fear regarding his deeds. Okay.
"The nineteenth: The answer of the one asked about what he does not know: Allah and His Messenger know best"
The student: ...

The Shaykh : What is it... What is it?
The student: The seventeenth.

The Shaykh :"The seventeenth: the recommendation of giving a Muslim good news of what brings him joy" This is after the authentic one. This is one of the finest benefits: the recommendation of giving a Muslim good news of what brings him joy. Where is this taken from? From the hadith? "Do not withhold glad tidings from the people." Does this indicate that giving glad tidings is required for what brings joy in matters of religion and worldly affairs, or only in matters of religion?
The student: Religion and worldly affairs.

The Shaykh : Yes, matters of religion and worldly affairs. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave his family glad tidings of his son Ibrahim, saying: (peace and blessings be upon him). Likewise, the angels gave Ibrahim glad tidings: The knowledgeable boy is not the gentle boy. The knowledgeable boy is Isaac, and the gentle boy is Ishmael. So the important point is that giving glad tidings of what brings a person joy in his religion or his worldly affairs is a required matter.
And we take from this a second benefit, which is that a person should bring joy to his Muslim brothers as much as possible... through words or actions. For example, some people, if you meet them with a bright face, I say this, and I am short in these matters. I am short in the matter of a bright face because this is my nature, and I ask Allah to beautify... but the point is that if you meet your companion with a bright face, this is among the things that bring him joy. Or you give him glad tidings of what brings him joy. "I give you glad tidings, may Allah will it." Good. If you tell him, for example, that his answer is correct and good, and his work is fine, for example, is this fine? It is fine, on the condition that you do not deceive him. But if you deceive him and his work is very bad, and then you say, "By Allah, my dear, this is good..." about the man's work. Suppose, for example, that you gave him a poem to explain, or he explained a verse from the *Alfiyyah* or from the creed, or a verse from the Qur'an, and he brought the explanation, meaning the explanation was far below his level. Yes, you give him glad tidings and say, "By Allah, this is a good research, may Allah will it. How did you reach these results?" No, you do not say that. But you can say, for example, "I hope that this is the beginning of the journey, or the beginning of the effort, and may Allah the Exalted have you advance further." And the truth is that I was pleased with it, and you believe that you were not pleased, meaning the context of the speech was that I was pleased with your effort in it, and that whoever strives and makes a mistake has a reward. Yes. So the result is that in these matters, giving glad tidings and bringing joy, a person finds much good in them. And be certain that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, will reward you with what you did, for the reward is of the same kind as the deed. You will always be yourself in a state of joy and happiness. And Allah is the helper of the servant as long as the servant is a helper to his brother. Yes. For this reason, they say in the science of men, "Is it the cup or the coffee pot?" Is it correct or not? The science of men or the coffee pot. Meaning, for me to sit with a man and for him to narrate to me a good and interesting hadith and expand my chest is better than it being a coffee pot or a teapot, and there is a difference between them. So the result of these matters, as the author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, is that the recommendation of giving a Muslim glad tidings of what brings him joy is a matter to which one should pay attention, because it is very beneficial and important. Yes.

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : Which

The questioner : meaning ...

The Shaykh : No, not at all... What is the intention? A person praises for himself, for himself. But if he wants to praise to benefit others and encourage them to good, then this is good. Because Allah praised the people of good with their good deeds, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) may praise a person in his lifetime and after his death. Yes. And as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding 'Amir ibn al-Akwa', he said: Yes.

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The student: Dislike.

The Shaykh : The dislike of... what he says. And this is also a benefit, because some people convey things that bring sadness to people. This is not appropriate except in some circumstances. If he says that this matter can be treated, yes, this is good... and helps you in treating it, or that it is beneficial for reform, it is beneficial for reform, then this is good. But bringing bad news to a Muslim, this is not appropriate. It is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud that he said: And this hadith has weakness in it, but the truth of the matter is that it is practical and beneficial. Meaning, a person should not look for the faults of people, or strive for someone to mention someone to him with bad news. Because if you mention a man to me with bad news, even if he treats you well and respects you, and meaning there must be something in your heart against him, whatever it is. But if you treat him and you do not know about his bad deeds, and there is no harm in him, for example, I deal with him, then this is better. And perhaps he takes more from me, and my advice to him is greater. And souls, by the permission of Allah, repel; some repel others before the bodies do. So the important thing is that these matters are actually delicate, and matters whose study is in the science of psychology, but the sensible person understands them. Yes.
"The nineteenth: saying of the one asked about what he does not know, 'Allah and His Messenger know best'" And who said it?
The student: Mu'adh.

The Shaykh : Mu'adh said, "Allah and His Messenger know best," and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved him. Now, here is a problem. First, the conjunction "and" in "Allah and His Messenger." And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not deny him. He conjoined the Messenger of Allah to Allah with "and." And he denied the man who said, "What Allah wills and what you will," saying: Is there a contradiction between them or not? Ghanim, Ghanim, here. Mu'adh said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), "Allah and His Messenger know best," so he conjoined the knowledge of the Messenger to the knowledge of Allah. And the Messenger did not say to him, "Have you made me equal to Allah?" And a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "What Allah wills and what you will," so he denied him and said: What is the difference between them? Yes.
The student: This relates to will, and this relates to knowledge. Since will is more appropriate for the side of Allah, meaning then you say it is not permissible to conjoin it, because if we conjoin it, we mean we compared Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in will. But as for knowledge, it is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) knows this thing, if it is future, from the knowledge of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, if he informed...

The Shaykh : Good, is there something else?
The student: It is said that conjoining the Messenger to the name of Allah, the Exalted, in legal matters is permissible, and in matters of divine decree it is not permissible.

The Shaykh : Yes, good...
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Yes, and they do not will except what Allah wills. They... The answer, in truth, is what the brother Muhammad said. The legal sciences with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) include knowledge, but the cosmic matters have no connection to management and will. From the cosmic matters of divine decree, but as for legal knowledge, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has knowledge of it, whether it is actual revelation or approval. On this basis, it is permissible for us now to say, if someone asks us, "Will it rain in this month?" Is it permissible to say, "Allah and His Messenger know best"?
The student: No, we say: "Allah knows best."

The Shaykh : Because the Messenger does not know this. But if we were asked, "Is fasting on the days of the festivals forbidden?" and we do not know, do we say, "Allah and His Messenger know best"?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Because this is legal knowledge, and the Messenger has knowledge of it without a doubt. For this reason, when the Companions were confused about matters, where did they go? To the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and he resolved them for them. Yes. The equivalent of that is the cosmic giving and the legal giving. Allah, the Exalted, said: Meaning this is legal giving. Its ruling... the legal matters, the Messenger knows them and has a share of them, giving them. But if you say, for example, "Does the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) give anyone sustenance? Does he provide anyone now?" It is not possible, it is not possible. So there is a difference between cosmic matters and legal matters. Yes.
The student: O Shaykh

The Shaykh : Yes

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : Yes... knowledge, because he knows by the Shari'ah, even if he dies.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Because there is no new matter that does not have a ruling... and it has a ruling from the Book and the Sunnah. Every new matter must have its ruling present in the Book and the Sunnah, because Allah says: But what is hidden is the application of this to the Book and the Sunnah. In that, people are divided into three categories: a category that hits the mark, a category that errs, and a category that does not wrong... But the truth of the matter is that there is no matter that occurs until the Day of Resurrection except that its ruling has been known in the Book and the Sunnah, either by an apparent text, or an explicit one, or a stated one, or an implied one, or a derived one, or an analogical one. Yes.
The student: ...

The Shaykh :
The student: For everything.

The Shaykh : You find that Muhammad 'Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) was sitting with a Christian man in France. The owner of the restaurant served them food.
The student: Which Muhammad 'Abduh? We do not know him.

The Shaykh : Good, do you know... Muhammad 'Abduh is a professor in Egypt, a well-known scholar.
The student: Yes, well-known...

The Shaykh : Shaykh Muhammad Rashid Rida. The important thing is that he was in one of the restaurants in Paris, and the owner of the restaurant served them excellent food. So the Christian said to Muhammad 'Abduh, "In the Qur'an, Yes, so show me from the Qur'an how we make this food, how it is cooked. The Qur'an does not have... food... there is nothing there." He said, "Okay, this is in the Qur'an." He said, "It is not there." He said, "It is in the Qur'an." He called the owner of the restaurant and said, "Come, how did you make this food?" He said, "I added such and such, and I cooked such and such, and I decorated it such and such, and so on." He said, "This is what the Qur'an guided us to. Yes, and what else?" He said, "Because Allah says, So I do not know what Allah... what I should do. I ask the Qur'an, for it contains clarification for everything. But what is hidden is extracting this ruling from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. That is what is hidden. Yes, that is right.
"The Twentieth: The Permissibility of Specifying Some People with Knowledge to the Exclusion of Others" The permissibility of specifying some people with knowledge to the exclusion of others. This is clear. From where? The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) specified Mu'adh with this knowledge to the exclusion of Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali. Yes, so it is permissible to specify some people with knowledge to the exclusion of others according to the situation. And this is also correct, even regarding the present time. There are people among the people now who, if you informed them of something from the sciences, they would be led astray. Yes. And Ibn Mas'ud said: "Indeed, you do not tell a people a narration that their minds do not reach, except that it becomes a trial for some of them." And from 'Ali, he said: "Tell the people what they know." So some people are not suitable to be told everything. You specify some people with knowledge to the exclusion of others according to their capacity, according to their understanding, and according to their acceptance of this knowledge.
"The Twenty-First: His (peace and blessings be upon him) Humility in Riding a Donkey with a Companion Behind Him" Yes, by Allah, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is undoubtedly the noblest of creation in status. Yes. And if he had willed to ride on what he wanted, he would have ridden on it. But he (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most humble of people. He rode a donkey. And more than that, he did not ride alone, but he had a companion ride behind him, even though the great ones do not accept that they ride with someone. Even if they see one... they say, "Come, ride with so-and-so on the back of his mount." As for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he was the most humble of people. He rode a donkey and had Mu'adh ride behind him, and he did not see in that any diminishment. In fact, the truth is that the one who is humble to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), not to humiliate himself, Allah raises him. Yes.
The Twenty-Second. Yes, some people Allah gives them a blessing, but they do not do it. They humiliate themselves. They do not want to be humble to Allah the Exalted such that people do not dispute over these blessings. For example, Allah gives him, for example, the ability to ride a car, and he says, "No, I do not want to ride a car. I want to ride a donkey." This is not humility for Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and that people's hearts are not broken when they see him riding this thing. But he just wants to humiliate himself and prevent himself from what Allah has made permissible. And there is a difference between the two matters.
"The Twenty-Second: The Permissibility of Riding a Mount with a Companion Behind" From where is it taken? From the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) having Mu'adh ride behind him. But with the condition that the mount is capable of it. If it cannot and it is difficult for it, then it is not permissible.
"The Twenty-Third: The Virtue of Mu'adh" In what? The Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) specifying him with this knowledge and having him ride behind him as well.
"And the Twenty-Fourth: The Greatness of the Status of This Matter"
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Ah?
The student: It is the Twenty-Third, the greatness of this matter...

The Shaykh : ... Is it present?
The student: No.

The Shaykh : It is present with us, the greatness of the status of this matter. And for this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conveyed it to Mu'adh and made it one of the matters with which he gives glad tidings. May Allah send prayers and peace upon the Messenger of Allah.
The student: ...