How to respond to those who cite the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Indeed, the Hour is coming, almost to conceal it," as evidence that the knowledge of the Hour is not exclusive to the knowledge of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?

The questioner : In one discussion with a person, he objected. He did not object, but he brought up two verses from the Qur'an: , and the verse in Surat al-Isra, as I believe: . He said: For example, if this recording is with one person, that does not mean it is not with another person. And “I almost hide it” did not say “I hide it,” so “almost” means approximately, meaning it is not completely hidden. So I did not know what to answer at that time?

The Shaykh : By Allah, you do not need to answer, hehehe. You do not need to answer. You need to know, and I say: on this occasion, rest yourselves from discussing and arguing with people, because you will undoubtedly fall into a predicament or predicaments with people, and you will be forced to answer with your opinions, which are not based on knowledge. This is a word outside the scope of the question. But the truth is, I did not understand what this person means when you say: regarding the verse: , and what is the first verse?

The questioner : .

The Shaykh Yes, I mean he says: that there is a contradiction between them, or what?

The questioner : Or I mean that the knowledge of the Hour is not entirely with Allah alone in the knowledge of the unseen, that He is the only one who knows it.

The Shaykh : One by one, is that what it means?

The questioner : That the knowledge of the Hour exists, I mean.

The Shaykh : Okay, I mean, does he believe that one of the humans knows when the Hour will occur?

The questioner : As I believe, that is what he infers from this verse: that the knowledge of the Hour is not exclusive to...

The Shaykh : Be patient, one by one, one by one. Did you understand from him that he believes that one of the humans knows when the Hour will occur?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: Where are you from?

The questioner : The level of humans, but the knowledge of the Hour is not limited to Allah only, I mean a person could be from the angels or humans or...

The Shaykh : What did he know?

The questioner : He tells you the verse: and he interprets: he has knowledge of the Hour: for example, he has something, and this does not mean that I do not have something, for example.

The Shaykh : Okay, and does it mean that you have it? I did not understand me?! It does not mean that it is not with you, but does it mean that it is with you?

The questioner : No, Shaykh, may Allah bless you. How is the question? The man says: considering that the Hour is from the unseen matters that no one knows except Allah, so the man, by the meaning of the verse, said: ; meaning: it is not possible.

The Shaykh : Let us, let us stay with the first verse, because he is quoting it like this. Do you have something? We will talk about the second verse.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : He is saying that: .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : He is saying: that this does not mean that he has what others do not have. We accept this argumentatively, like that.

The questioner : No, that is not it, may Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : Be patient, be patient, may Allah guide you. You started with the second verse, we started with the first verse. So if you have something to say about the first verse, speak.

The questioner : The first one, our response was to the second one, may Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : Sorry, my brother, I am just asking you: where did you get the idea that a human can know when the Hour will occur?

The questioner : From the verse in Surat Ta-Ha: .

The Shaykh : And the first verse, may Allah guide you.

The questioner : We brought it as a response to him: .

The Shaykh : But he is interpreting it for you in a way other than this interpretation.

The questioner : As if he made a mistake...

The Shaykh : Okay, may Allah guide you. So we are done with the first verse. May Allah guide us and you. Okay.

The questioner : I mean the word , may Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : Be patient, my brother, may Allah guide you. So the first verse, it is not appropriate that we investigate it in the way he mentioned just now.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, what is the meaning of the second verse?

The questioner : The man says: regarding the verse: , meaning: it is not certain that its occurrence is with Allah, we determine it, it is possible that another one does it.

The Shaykh : What is the evidence?

The questioner, I mean, “almost.”

The Shaykh : Be patient, may Allah guide you. I mean, this is what you are understanding, I am not understanding it from him?! This is a strange matter!! .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Let us stop at it, I mean, he did not hide it, is that not the meaning of the verse? Okay, we ask this person: why did he say: I mean , why did he say: , and he did not say: “I hid it”? Why did he say: ? He does not know. So he is talking about a verse whose meaning he does not know. Now, we leave this verse aside, and I will return to explaining its meaning, which does not benefit him regarding the wrong concept he says: its meaning is that someone might understand when the Hour is. Did he not read in the Noble Qur'an: “It will not come to you except suddenly.”

The questioner : Suddenly.

The Shaykh Yes, is that not in the Qur'an? Okay, the one that comes suddenly, is there anyone who can understand it?

The questioner : No, he cannot.

The Shaykh : So he took the first verse, and forgot or disregarded the other verse. What comes suddenly means, of course, suddenly. No one can know it. So this is a response to the man that no human can know when the Hour is, meaning: when its final time is. And this is explicitly stated in the authentic hadith of Jibril, where he asked him: When is the Hour? He said: . This hadith is an explanation of the verse: .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh Because He did not hide its signs, He did not hide its portents. And therefore He said: . So if it were not for these preliminaries that He mentioned, especially according to what the scholars detail: that the portents of the Hour include minor and major ones, and as time passes, the time of the Hour’s occurrence approaches. And therefore the Qur'an’s expression with precision: , He did not hide it completely, such that He did not place before it these minor portents first, then the major ones second. So there is no problem with the verse at all.