'KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNSEEN' OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD ﷺ
Allah Ta'ala states in The Holy Quran:
'O Prophet of Allah (the communicator of the hidden news). Surely, We have sent you as witness and a bearer of glad tidings and a warner'
(Surah Ahzab. verse 45)
In this verse, an-nabi-yui means giver of the knowledge of the unseen. Shahidan means a witness. We have sent you as the witness of both the worlds. Or sent you as one present at all places where your knowledge and use would continue at all times. Or sent over all the believers and infidels so that on the Day of Judgement, Prophet ﷺ would be an eyewitness over their deeds, or he gives information in the world of who would be an inmate of Paradise and who would be an inmate of Hell.
'And narrate to them the true story about the two sons of Adam''
(Surah Al-Ma'ida. verse 27)
'About what do they question one another?'
(Surah An-Naba. verse 1)
'These are news of the unseen, which We will tell you (in secret). And you were not with them when they were casting the arrows as to who should have the guardianship of Mariam and nor were you with them when they were disputing the point'
(Surah Ale-Imran. verse 44)
You were not with them physically, O Beloved Prophet ﷺ as you are now informing the non-believers. This knowledge bears testimony to your Prophethood because all happenings of the past and the future are in front of you.
'And I can tell you what you have eaten and what you have stored in your homes'
(Surah Ale-Imran. verse 49)
According to Islah e Shariat, the giver of the knowledge of the unseen is called a Nabi; for example,
'These are news of the unseen which We will tell you (in secret)'
(Surah Ale-Imran. verse 44)
Hadith Siha e Sitta, Abu Hurairah(Radi Allaahu Anhu) narrates that Prophet ﷺ said to Hazrat Bilal(Radi Allaahu Anhu) at the time of dawn prayer, 'O Bilal, tell me of the most hopeful deed you practiced in Islam. I heard the scuffle of your sandals before me in Paradise' (on the journey of Me'raj). It has to be noted that Prophet ﷺ was in the Heaven, but heard the footsteps of Hazrat Bilal(Radi Allaahu Anhu) who was in this world. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in the Heaven but had the knowledge of what was happening in this world.
Once, during Namaaz, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ moved a little in front and then moved a little back and announced, 'I witnessed the Paradise and the Hell from this place'. Hence, this is one of the evidence of the 'knowledge of unseen' of Prophet ﷺ.
During the Battle of Khaibar, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said, 'tomorrow I will give the flag to a man with whose leadership Allah will grant (The Muslims) victory'. Afterwards, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave the flag to Hazrat Ali(Radi Allaahu Anhu) and they conquered Khaibar. It proves that Prophet ﷺ had the knowledge of the Victory of Khaibar before hand. This is the 'knowledge of unseen' of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said, 'The Bani Israel was split into seventy-two sects. My ummah will be split into seventy-three. All of them are in Hell except one'. When the companions(Radi Allaahu Anhum) asked who was the group that will be in Paradise, Prophet ﷺ replied, 'those who are on my path (ahle-sunnah), and the path of my companions(Radi Allaahu Anhum) (wal-jamaat).
'(Trimizi, Mishkaat)
There is no doubt on the 'knowledge of the unseen' of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. And only the Ahlus Sunnah Wa Jama'ah believes in the 'knowledge of the unseen' of Prophet ﷺ. The deviants don't. They are explicitly in denial of hadith of Prophet ﷺ.
The deviant sects namely Wahabis, and its affiliated sects propagandize that the 'knowledge of the unseen' of Prophet ﷺ is an attribute of Allah Ta'ala. By believing in the 'knowledge of the unseen' of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the Ahlus Sunnah Wa Jama'ah are committing shirk.
Allah Ta'ala states in The Holy Quran:
'Allah will not leave the believers in that state in which you are now, until He separates the impure from the pure''
(Surah Ale-Imram. verse 179)
The problem with the deviants is that they seldom recite the full verse. They pick and choose the verses or part of the verses, and hadith to suit their hidden agendas. For their argument, they recite only the above part of the verse. The rest of the verse which they gulp, is as follows:
'And it is not befitting to the dignity of Allah to reveal to everyone the secrets of unseen. But Allah chooses of His Messengers whom He pleases. They believe in Allah and His Messengers and if you accept faith and become pious, then there is great reward for you'
(Surah Ale-Imran. verse 179)
This verse of The Holy Quran ends all arguments, and the verdict is clearly in favour of the belief of the Ahlus Sunnah Wa Ja'mah. Allah Ta'ala states that He dos not reveal to everyone the secrets of 'unseen', but Allah chooses of His Messengers, whom He pleases. Allah Ta'ala has granted the 'knowledge of the unseen' to His beloved Prophet ﷺ, and this is a miracle of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
In a hadith, Hazrat Abu Hurairah(Radi Allaahu Anhu) narrates, 'Prophet ﷺ deputed me to keep sadaqat of Ramadhan. A comer came and started stealing the foodstuff of sadaqa. I took hold of him and said, 'I will take you to Prophet ﷺ'. He said, 'I am needy and have many dependents and in great need'. I released him and in the morning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked me, 'what did your prisoner do yesterday?' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! He complained of being needy and having many dependents, so I pitied him and let him go'. Prophet ﷺ said, 'indeed, he told you a lie and he will be coming again'. I firmly believed that he would come again as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had told me he would return. So, I waited for him watchfully. When he came and started stealing, I caught hold of him again and said, 'I will definitely take you to Prophet ﷺ'. He said. 'Leave me, for I am needy and have many dependents. I promise, I will not come again'. I pitied him and let him go. In the morning, Prophet ﷺ asked me, ' what did your prisoner do?' I replied 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! He complained of his great need, so I took pity on him and set him free'. Prophet ﷺ said, 'verily he told you a lie and will return'. I waited for him attentively for the third time, and when he came and started stealing, I caught hold of him and said, 'I will surely take you to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as it is the third time you promise not to return, yet you break your promise and come'. He said, 'forgive me and I will teach you some words with which Allah Ta'ala will benefit you'. I asked him 'what are they?' He replied, 'whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi. If you do so, Allah Ta'ala will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no shaitaan will come near you till the morning'. So, I released him. In the morning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
asked 'what did your prisoner do yesterday?' I replied, 'he claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah Ta'ala will benefit me, so I let him go'. Prophet ﷺ asked, 'what are they?' I replied, 'he said to me to recite Ayat-al-Kursi whenever I went to bed. He said if I do that Allah Ta'ala will appoint a guard who will stay with me and no shaitaan will come to me till the morning'. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, 'he really spoke the truth, although he is an absolute liar. Do you know whom you were talking to, these three nights?' I replied, 'Allah and His Messenger ﷺ know the best'. Prophet ﷺ replied, 'it was shaitaan'.
Lessons learned from this hadith:
Hazrat Abu Hurairah(Radi Allaahu Anhu) had not narrated the night's events, but Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked about it before Hazrat Abu Hurairah(Radi Allaahu Anhu) could notify of it. Hazrat Abu Hurairah(Radi Allaahu Anhu) did not question Prophet ﷺ, 'how did you know?' Prophet ﷺ told Abu Hurairah(Radi Allaahu Anhu) that the thief would come again. He(Radi Allaahu Anhu) did not say, 'how do you know?' 'How do you know what would happen in future?'
Hazrat Abu Hurairah was a companion of Prophet ﷺ. The belief (aqeeda) of the companions(Radi Allaahu Anhum) was that Allah Ta'ala granted Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the 'knowledge of the unseen'. Prophet ﷺ has said that jannati will be those who will be on the path shown by his companions(Radi allaahu Anhum). Yet, the Wahabis and their affiliates refuse to believe in the hadith of Prophet ﷺ.
We also learn that shaitaan can also preach or do dawah work. They go to and fro, back and forth, from streets to international destinations to preach Islam. They perform Namaaz, observe Fasts, pay Zakaat, and perform Hajj.' But a shaitaan is a shaitaan. Their beliefs (aqeeda) are corrupt. They regard themselves as more knowledgeable than Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. They regard themselves as Islamic Scholars, but propagandize that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is unknowledgeable. Their corrupt belief is that Prophet ﷺ does not even have the knowledge of what is behind the wall. Maaz Allah.
The deviants also believe and propagandize that the Ahlus Sunnah Wa Jam'ah believe in the 'knowledge of the unseen' of Prophet ﷺ, and therefore are infidels.
Hazrat Abu Hurairah(Radi Allaahu Anhu) and the companions(Radi Allaahu Anhum) firmly believed in the 'knowledge of the unseen' of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. They never questioned the 'knowledge of the unseen' of Prophet ﷺ as the deviant sects do nowadays.
Narrated by Hazrat Umar(Radi Allaahu Anhu): 'One day the Prophet ﷺ stood up amongst us for a long period and informed us about the beginning of the creation (and talked about everything in detail) till he mentioned how the people of Paradise will enter their places and how the people of Hell will enter their places. Some remembered what he had said, and some forgot'.
(Muslim)
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This article is an abridged English translation of an Urdu sermon delivered by his eminence, Peer Syed Imroz Dean Saifi, Hanfi, Maturidi of Masjid Anwaar e Madina, Surrey BC Canada
If there is an inaccurate translation, please pardon it and not let it be a means to negatively reflect on the honoured presenter.
