What Islam says about a person giving very close Predictions (پیشن گوئی)

[Pakistani1947]

Question: There is a woman who claims to worship Allah sincerely, and that whilst she is asleep she is visited by a man wearing a white gown who walks around her, then the next morning she predicts things that are almost true. The people know of her and they have started to visit her and they say that she has knowledge of the unseen, but no one knows the unseen except Allah. What is the ruling on this woman? What do you advise us to do?
Praise be to Allah

Answer:
It is not permissible for anyone to claim to have knowledge of the unseen. The one who makes such a claim is a kafir (disbeliever). And it is not permissible to believe that anyone has knowledge of the unseen. The one who believes that is also a kafir.

Allah has told us that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) does not have knowledge of the unseen, and that the jinn do not have knowledge of the unseen.

What we are referring to here is the unseen in absolute terms, which no one knows except Allah. As for the relative unseen – which some people know and others do not – some people may find a way to know this, so we have to find out how they know it; some may find out by spying and some may find out through the jinn. Both are ways which are forbidden for us to use.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:

Do the jinn have knowledge of the unseen?

He replied:

The jinn do not have knowledge of the unseen because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah.” [27:65]

کہہ دے الله کے سوا آسمانوں اور زمین میں کوئی بھی غیب کی بات نہیں جانتا ​

“Then when We decreed death for him [Sulayman], nothing informed them (jinn) of his death except a little worm of the earth which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick. So when he fell down, the jinn saw clearly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment” [34:14]

پھر جب ہم نے اس پر موت کا حکم کیا تو انہیں ا سکی موت کا پتہ نہ دیا مگر گھن کے کیڑے نے جو اس کے عصا کو کھا رہا تھا پھر جب گر پڑا تو جنوں نے معلوم کیا کہ اگر وہ غیب کو جانتے ہوتے تو اس ذلت کے عذاب میں نہ پڑے رہتے​

So whoever claims to have knowledge of the unseen is a kafir, and whoever believes the one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen is also a kafir, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah.” [27:65]

کہہ دے الله کے سوا آسمانوں اور زمین میں کوئی بھی غیب کی بات نہیں جانتا​

No one knows what is unseen in the heavens and the earth except Allah alone. Those who claim to have knowledge of the unseen future are all fortunetellers, and it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and asks him (about anything), his prayer will not be accepted from him for forty days.” And if he believes him then he is a kafir because if he believes that he has knowledge of the unseen, then he has disbelieved in the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah.” [27:65].

[Majmoo’ Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen]​

And Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen. He replied:

The ruling on one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen is that he is a kafir, because he has disbelieved in Allah. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected.” [27:65]

If Allah has commanded His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to proclaim to all that no one in the heavens or on earth has knowledge of the unseen except Allah, then whoever claims to have knowledge of the unseen has denied what Allah has told us here.

We say to them: How can you possibly have knowledge of the unseen when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not have knowledge of the unseen? Are you better or the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? If they say, “We are better than the Messenger” then they become kafirs by saying that. If they say, “He is better,” then why was the unseen concealed from him but you have knowledge of it?? Allah says of Himself (interpretation of the meaning):

“(He Alone is) the All‑Knower of the Ghayb (unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghayb (nseen). Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen (He informs him of the unseen as much as He likes), and then He makes a band of watching guards (angels) to march before him and behind him.” [72:26-27]

وہ غیب جاننے والا ہے اپنے غائب کی باتوں پر کسی کو واقف نہیں کرتا
مگر اپنے پسندیدہ رسول کو پھراس کے آگے اور پیچھے محافظ مقرر کر دیتا ہے​

The second verse attests to the kufr (disbelief) of the one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen. And Allah commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to announce to all (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): I don’t tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me.”[6:50]

کہہ دو میں تم سے یہ نہیں کہتا کہ میرے پاس الله کے خزانے ہیں اور نہ میں غیب کا علم رکھتا ہوں اور نہ یہ کہتا ہوں کہ میں فرشتہ ہوں میں تو صرف اس وحی کی پیروی کرتا ہوں جو مجھ پر نازل کی جاتی ہے کہہ دو کیا اندھا اور آنکھوں والا دونوں برابر ہو سکتے ہیں کیا تم غور نہیں کرتے
[Majmoo’ Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen]​

The one who predicts the future is called a kahin (fortuneteller, soothsayer), and it is not permissible to ask questions of such a person or to go to him or her. If their predictions are sometimes correct, that is either a coincidence or because the jinn have intercepted the news and conveyed it to the fortuneteller, but they add a hundred lies to it.

It was narrated that ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Some people asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about fortunetellers. He said: “They are nothing.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, sometimes they tell us something and it is true.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “That is a word of the truth that they learn from the jinni which he whispers into the ear of his familiar, but they mix a hundred lies with it.” [al-Bukhari, Muslim].

Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar said:

Al-Qurtubi said: During the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic days of ignorance) they used to consult the fortunetellers about events and rulings, and follow what they said. Then the fortunetellers stopped when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent. But there are still some who resemble them. It is forbidden to go to them, so it is not permissible to go to them or to believe them.

In the version narrated by Yoonus the phrase “sometimes they tell us something and it is true” appears as “they tell something and it turns out to be true.” This phrase has confused the questioner because of the general meaning of the phrase “They are nothing”, which he has understood to mean that they never get anything right. But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commented that although they sometimes coincidentally get things right, it is never completely right for it is always contaminated with many lies.

Al-Khattabi said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained that the reason why the fortuneteller sometimes gets it right is that the jinni tells him of something that he has heard by eavesdropping on the angels, and he adds lies to that to embellish what he heard. So occasionally he gets it right but usually it is wrong. [Fath al-Bari].

With regard to what is mentioned in the question of what this woman sees in her dreams, such dreams are not to be taken as evidence concerning rulings of sharee’ah (Islamic law), let alone whatever they may indicate that goes against any matter of ‘aqeedah (belief) that is confirmed in the texts of Islam. Whatever she sees in her dreams is to be regarded as the shaytan’s toying with her and taking advantage of her ignorance.

For more information on the rulings on what is seen in dreams, please see questions no. 25768[FONT=wf_segoe-ui_light], [/FONT]6537 and23367[FONT=wf_segoe-ui_light].[/FONT]

And Allah knows best.

Source

 

[sensible]

اگر آپ اس میں استخارہ کے بارے میں بھی اضافہ کر دیں تو یہ ایک مکمّل انفارمیشن ہو گی
الله آپ کو جزا دے ہماری رہنمائی کے لیے اس تحقیق کی.

 

[Abdul Allah]

No comments


Sahi Bukhari


Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah's Apostle said, "A good dream (that comes true) of a righteous man is one of forty-six parts of prophetism." (Book #87, Hadith #112)


Narrated Abu Qatada: The Prophet said, "A true good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan." (Book #87, Hadith #113)




Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Nothing is left of the prophetism except Al-Mubashshirat." They asked, "What are Al-Mubashshirat?" He replied, "The true good dreams (that conveys glad tidings)." (Book #87, Hadith #119)

 

[Pakistani1947]

How to pray istikhaarah

اگر آپ اس میں استخارہ کے بارے میں بھی اضافہ کر دیں تو یہ ایک مکمّل انفارمیشن ہو گی
الله آپ کو جزا دے ہماری رہنمائی کے لیے اس تحقیق کی.

Question:Assalam alaikum. How do I pray salat al istikhara, at what times , and are there special dua that I can read for different cicumstances?

Answer: Praise be to Allaah.


The description of Salaat al-Istikhaarah was reported by Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Salami (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said:

“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach his companions to make istikhaarah in all things, just as he used to teach them soorahs from the Qur’aan. He said: ‘If any one of you is concerned about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two rak’ahs of non-obligatory prayer, then say: Allaahumma inni astakheeruka bi ‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min fadlika, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta’lamu wa laa a’lam, wa anta ‘allaam al-ghuyoob. Allaahumma fa in kunta ta’lamu haadha’l-amra (then the matter should be mentioned by name) khayran li fi ‘aajil amri wa aajilihi (or: fi deeni wa ma’aashi wa ‘aaqibati amri) faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma baarik li fihi. Allaahumma wa in kunta ta’lamu annahu sharrun li fi deeni wa ma’aashi wa ‘aaqibati amri (or: fi ‘aajili amri wa aajilihi) fasrifni ‘anhu [wasrafhu ‘anni] waqdur li al-khayr haythu ***** thumma radini bihi (O Allaah, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allaah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me both in this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me both in this world and the next), then turn me away from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6841; similar reports are also recorded by al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and Ahmad).

Ibn Hijr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on this hadeeth:

“Istikhaarah is a word which means asking Allaah to help one make a choice, meaning choosing the best of two things where one needs to choose one of them.

Concerning the phrase ‘The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach us to make istikhaarah in all things,’ Ibn Abi Jamrah said: ‘It is a general phrase which refers to something specific. With regard to matters that are waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (liked or encouraged), there is no need for istikhaarah to decide whether to do them, and with regard to matters that are haraam (forbidden) or makrooh (disliked), there is no need for istikhaarah to decide whether to avoid them. The issue of istikhaarah is confined to matters that are mubaah (allowed), or in mustahabb matters when there is a decision to be made as to which one should be given priority.’ I say: it refers to both great and small matters, and probably an insignificant issue could form the groundwork for a big issue.

The phrase ‘If any one of you is concerned…’ appears in the version narrated by Ibn Mas’ood as: ‘if any one of you wants to do something…’

‘Let him pray two rak’ahs of non-obligatory prayer.’ This is mentioned to make it clear that it does not mean fajr prayer, for example. Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar: He can pray istikaarah after two rak’ahs of regular sunnah prayer done at zuhr for example, or after two rak’ahs of any naafil prayers whether they are regularly performed or not… It seems to be the case that if he made the intention to pray istikhaarah at the same time as intending to pray that particular prayer, this is fine, but not if he did not have this intention.

Ibn Abi Jamrah said: The wisdom behind putting the salaat before the du’aa’ is that istikhaarah is intended to combine the goodness of this world with the goodness of the next. A person needs to knock at the door of the King (Allaah), and there is nothing more effective for this than prayer, because it contains glorification and praise of Allaah, and expresses one's need for Him at all times.

The phrase ‘then let him say’ would seem to imply that the du’aa’ should be said after finishing the prayer, and the word thumma (then) probably means after reciting all the words of the salaat and before saying salaam.

The phrase ‘O Allaah, I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge’ is explaining ‘because You know best.’ Similarly, ‘by virtue of Your power’ most likely means ‘seeking Your help.’ ‘I seek ability’ (astaqdiruka) means ‘I ask You to give me the power or ability (qudrah) to do’ whatever is being asked for, or it probably means ‘I ask You to decree (tuqaddir) this for me.’ So it may mean making it easy.

‘I ask You of Your great bounty’ refers to the fact that Allaah gives out of His great generosity, but no one has the right to His blessings. This is the opinion of Ahl al-Sunnah.

‘You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not’ refers to the fact that power and knowledge belong to Allaah alone, and the slave has no share of them except what Allaah decrees for him.

‘O Allaah, if in Your knowledge this matter…’ According to one report, he should mention it by name. It is apparent from the context that he should state it, but it is probably sufficient to be thinking of the matter whilst making this du’aa’.

‘Then ordain it for me’ means ‘make it happen for me’ or it may mean ‘make it easy for me.’

‘Then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it’ means ‘so that my heart will no longer feel attached to it after it has been turned away.’

‘Make me pleased with it’ means ‘make me content with it, so that I will never regret asking for it or be sorry that it happened, because I do not know how it will turn out, even if at the time of asking I am pleased with it.’

The secret is that one’s heart should not be attached to the matter in question, because that will result in a person becoming restless. Being pleased with something means that one’s heart is content with the decree of Allaah.

(Summarized from the commentary of al-Haafiz Ibn Hijr (may Allaah have mercy on him) on the hadeeth in Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Da’waat and Kitaab al-Tawheed.).


Source

 

[slave of Allah]

but are prophet muhammad pbuh
gave all the predicitons instead told us what will happen and it is happening today

 

[Liaqat Hussain]

Science of prediction

The method will advance so much that in 25 years, humans will be able to scientifically predict 90% accurate and ofcourse with the help of computers

watched a whole documentary on this

 

[Pakistani1947]

but are prophet muhammad pbuh
gave all the predicitons instead told us what will happen and it is happening today

“(He Alone is) the All‑Knower of the Ghayb (unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghayb (unseen). Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen (He informs him of the unseen as much as He likes), and then He makes a band of watching guards (angels) to march before him and behind him.” [72:26-27]

وہ غیب جاننے والا ہے اپنے غائب کی باتوں پر کسی کو واقف نہیں کرتا
مگر اپنے پسندیدہ رسول کو پھراس کے آگے اور پیچھے محافظ مقرر کر دیتا ہے
​

Allah informed (via Wahi) our Beloved Prophet Muhammad pbuh , during his lifetime regarding some information about past, present and future. All of this information our Prophet communicated to his pbuh companions without hiding any of the information. These information about future also includes the sign of Doomsday (Qiyamat).

(Qur'an, 5:67) ۞ يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۖ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ​

O Messenger! proclaim the (message) which hath been sent to thee from thy Lord. If thou didst not, thou wouldst not have fulfilled and proclaimed His mission. And Allah will defend thee from men (who mean mischief). For Allah guideth not those who reject Faith.

اے رسول جو تجھ پر تیرے رب کی طرف سے اترا ہے اسے پہنچا دے اور اگر تو نے ایسا نہ کیا تو اس کی پیغمبری کا حق ادا نہیں کیا اور الله تجھے لوگوں سے بچائے گا بے شک الله کافروں کی قوم کو راستہ نہیں دکھاتا​

Hence whatever limited information about future Allah revealed to his messenger pbuh, all of it was revealed to his pbuh companions and there was nothing left for people like Naimut Ul Allah Shah to tell us about.

 

[modern.fakir]

Proof from the Quran that the Prophet Muhammad [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] has been given the knowledge of Ghayb

Allah says in the Quran,

These are the tidings of Unseen that We reveal to you in secret.

Surah-Ale-Imran, verse 44.

Nor will He disclose to you the secrets of the Unseen. But He chooses of His Apostles (For the purpose)

Surah-Ale-Imran, verse 179.

The Knower of Unseen reveals not His secret to anyone. Except to His chosen Messengers.

Surah-Al-Jinn, verse 26.

Allah has sent down to you the Book and Wisdom and has taught to you what you did not know, and great is the grace of Allah upon you.

Surah Al-Nisa, Verse 113.

Imam Tabari writes under this verse:

Allah TAALA has told the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), you must thank Allah TAALA Who has informed you of what has already happened and what will happen in the future and this is a great grace of Allah upon you.

(Tafsir Tabari under verse 113 of Surah Al-Nisa).

The above Quranic verses prove that Allah TAALA has given Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) the knowledge of the Ghayb.

Proofs from the Ahadith that Prophet Muhammad [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] had the knowledge of the Ghayb

We find in a narration from the collection of Imam Bukhari :

Prophet Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) stood up in one meeting and he started to tell us about events from the beginning of this world to the end and he told us about heaven and hell and about the people who were going to hell and who were going to heaven and what will be their places in heaven and hell. Of course, some people remember what he told us and some people have forgotten.

(Bukhari, Chapter Bada-Ul-Khalq.)

Imam Muslim writes that:

The Prophet Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) led the Fajr prayer and then sat on the pulpit, and until Zuhr he told the people of the things about the Unseen. After Zuhr, he sat on the pulpit and continued until Asar, then sat on the pulpit and continued until Maghrib prayer. He even informed of the dwellers of Paradise and Hell.

(Muslim chapter on Fadial).

Hafidhh ibn Hajar Asqalani in his famous commentary to Sahih Bukhari writes that:

What Prophet Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) told in that one meeting is a miracle of the Prophet and this should not be doubted.

(Fathul Bari chap on Bada-Ul-Khalq).

Imam Bukhari writes:

The Munafiqs (hypocrites- those who were outwardly Muslims but inwardly unbelievers) made an objection to the knowledge of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace). The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) stood on the pulpit and said, Ask me what you will.One person stood up and asked, What will be my place in the Hereafter? The Prophet replied, Hell. Another person whose name was Abdullah bin Huzaifa, (people doubted whether he was a legitimate child), stood up and asked, Who is my Father? The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, Your Father is Huzaifa. (The accusation on Abdullah bin Huzaifa was cleared.) The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) repeated, Ask me, ask me.

[Bukhari Kitab-ul-Itisaam Muslim chap on Fadial].

It is evident from this Hadith that the only people who objected to the knowledge (Ilm-e-ghaib) of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) were the Munafiqs (hypocrites), and the belief that Allah informed His Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) of more knowledge than any one else is the belief of the blessed companions of the Prophet.

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal quotes the following narration which provides more evidence on the Prophets knowledge :

The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) stated, I have seen my Lord, He put His hands upon my chest, after which everything appeared before me and I recognized everything.

[Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, vol 5, page 243]

Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes:

A shepherd was with his goats. Upon which a wolf came and grabbed one goat and ran. The shepherd then chased after the wolf to get the goat back. The wolf then spoke to him and said, Why do you take what food (rizq) which Allah has provided for me? The shepherd was astonished that the wolf spoke. The wolf again said, If you are so surprised that I can talk then go to Madina. You will find the last of the Prophets, and he can inform you of the Past and the Future. The shepherd left his goats and went straight to the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) and mentioned his experience. The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, The wolf spoke the truth" Isnad (chain of narrators) for this hadith is (Jayid) Authentic.

[Taareekh: Chapter of Miracles of Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace].

We also find the following clear cut hadith without any ambigious meanings from Sahih Muslim:

The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) stated, Allah put the earth before me and I saw it from the East to the West

[Muslim (Chapter of Excellence of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace]

This Hadith is a proof that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) was bestowed with the knowledge of the whole world.

Hafidhh Ibn Kathir and Ibn Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab al Najdi write:

Suad bin Qarib recited a poem in front of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. Allah has made you the trustee over all the ghaib.

[Sirat-un-Nabi and Mukhtasar Sirat ul Rasool, Storey on Swad bin Qariq by Hafidhh ibn Kathir and Ibn Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab al Najdi]

Shaykh-ul-Islam, al-Hafidhh Ibn Hajar Asqalani writes that:

One of the qualities bestowed upon a Prophet is the quality that he knows what has already happened in the past and what will happen in the future.

(Fathul Bari chap on Anbiya).

From all the above Ahadith it is proven that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) was bestowed with more knowledge, than any other in the creation by Allah Almighty. It is also clear that he, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), has been bestowed with the knowledge of the past and future and it is therefore permissible to say that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the trustee of the knowledge of Ghayb.

It is proven from the above narrations that Allah Almighty bestowed (that is gave) our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) the knowledge of the Ghayb, so it is permissible to say that he, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) knows the Ghayb. Hence if someone says that they hold the Prophet to know the Ghayb(unseen), he is not committing Kufr or Shirk by holding such a belief.

Sayyedina Khidr (Alay hissalaam) also knew the Ghayb?

Imam Tabari, Imam Qurtabi and Qadi Shawkani quote the following narration:

Ibn Abbas reported that Khidr was a man who did all his work with the knowledge of the Ghayb because he knew the Ghayb.

[Tafsir Tabari, Tafsir Qurtabi, Tafsir Fathul Qadir, by Imam Tabari, Qurtabi and Qadi Shawkani].

The above statement proves from a narration from a Sahabi, which is accepted by leading and reputable classical authorities, that it is permissible to say about Khidhr that he knew the Ghayb, so how can it possibly be wrong to say that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) also knows the Ghayb.

Hafidhh ibn Kathir and Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab al Najdi wrote;

Malik Bin Aouf Nazri has written a Poem about our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) and has written

I have not seen any one like you in this world that I can compare with.

Who always fulfill all that he promises.

There is no one more generous than him,

When you ask him some thing he will inform you of what is going to happen tomorrow.

[Sirat an Nabi Ibn Kathir and Muktasar Sirat al Rasool chapter Gazwa Hawazan by Hafidh ibn Kathir and Ibn Shaykh Najdy]

We will now examine some doubts that are raised by the opponents of the above Quranic and Ahadith based beliefs, and then by the grace of Allah, will answer their doubts so that the truth may become clear, Inshaallah.

Q) How can you say that Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) has been given the knowledge of the Ghayb when Allah Almighty says in the Quran that there are five things of which no one has any knowledge about?

The relevant verse of the Quran is as follows:-

Undoubtedly, Allah has the knowledge of the Hour, and He sends rain and knows what is in the wombs of the mothers and no soul knows in what land it will die. Undoubtedly, Allah is the Knower, All Aware. (Surah Luqman Verse 34)

There are two answers to this:

The word used in this verse in Arabic is Adri, which refers to that knowledge which someone can attain by guessing. Of course the knowledge of the Unseen of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) was not by guessing. Allah informed this to him.

Hafidhh Ibn Kathir (who met and briefly studied with Ibn Taymiyya) has written in his famous commentary to the Quran, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, the meaning of this ayaat, namely, that no-one can find the knowledge of these things on there own endeavor. Only Allah can give this knowledge, for example Allah gives knowledge to the Angels whose duties are to control rain, and therefore on the command of Allah it rains.

Also Allah commands an Angel who goes into the mothers womb and hangs a record around the childs neck what he/she will do in their lifetime. This knowledge is not attained by the Angel but rather it is given by Allah Himself.

If the literal and direct meaning is taken from the above quoted ayaat, then it will mean that only Allah knows what is in the mothers womb but today, we can discover quite easily if the child is a male or female by modern scanning techniques.

If the Angels have some knowledge on the five Unseen things - given to them by Allah, why is it strange if the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) also has some of this knowledge - again bestowed by Allah.

During the battle of Badr, the Prophet mentioned the names of the kafirs that were to die the next and also described the manner in which the companions would achieve martyrdom.

These are clear and authentic examples of the Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), informing his ummah about future events, hidden from all else (ie ghayb), [Taken from Sahih Bukhari chapter on the Battle of Badr and also Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Surah Luqman Ayaat 34.]

(Q) Did Prophet Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) not stop people from saying that he [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] had the knowledge of tomorrow?

On one occasion our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) went to a wedding. There, the girls were singing about the battle of Badr. When they saw the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) coming they stopped singing about Battle of Badr and started to sing that: "There is a Prophet amongst us that knows about tomorrow". The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) said carry on singing what you were singing before. [Miskat chapter Nikah]

If he [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] knew about tomorrow, then why did he stop them from singing it?

The Answer to this is:

These poems were written by a Companion [Sahabi], and had it been incorrect, he [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] would have instructed them to stop immediately and not to repeat.

This means the poem was right. The reason he told them to stop singing was because a wedding celebration was taking place and he wanted them to sing the poem that they were singing before, and secondly he did not want them to praise him in the presence of himself. That was one of the beauties of our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), that he didnt like to be praised.

Everyone knows that our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) did know about the future events up to the Day of Judgment and even after, how else could he have told us about the Mahdi, the Dajjal, the second coming of Jesus, the questions to be asked in the grave, the bridge over Hell which everyone will have to cross to get to Heaven, the Meezan (scales) where everyones actions will be weighed etc etc.

There are countless more proofs which show without a shadow of a doubt that the Beloved Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), had been given the knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen) and ALLAH is the knower of all things!

 

[Pakistani1947]

Science of prediction

The method will advance so much that in 25 years, humans will be able to scientifically predict 90% accurate and ofcourse with the help of computers

watched a whole documentary on this

Please do not mix science of Statics with Knowledge of Unseen (Ilm ul Ghaib). Predicting how many Gold Medals USA may be expected to Win in Olympic games using statistical data is very different than predicting the name of a person who will assassinate (kill) the King of Oman, 200 years from now (Year 2215).

1. Allah's Knowledge is Eternal, Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Knowledge was not eternal.
2. Allah's Knowledge Is Zaati, Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Knowledge Is Granted (by Allah)
3. Allah's Knowledge Is Infinite, Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Knowledge is Finite

Generally known definition of Ilm-e-Ghaib is "Knowledge of Unknown is called Elum e Ghaib"

Correct Definition of Elum e Ghaib is knowledge of unknown WITH OUT ANY SOURCE is called Elum e Ghaib.

First we need to understand the true definition of Ilm-e-Ghaib it will help us in understanding Ayats.

Quran:13.Ar-Ra'd: 8-9

اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ الْأَرْحَامُ وَمَا تَزْدَادُ ۖ وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقْدَارٍ
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Yusuf Ali 8: Allah doth know what every female (womb) doth bear, by how much the wombs fall short (of their time or number) or do exceed. Every single thing is before His sight, in (due) proportion.

الله کو معلوم ہے کہ جو کچھ ہر مادہ اپنے پیٹ میں لیے ہوئے ہے اورجو کچھ پیٹ میں سکڑتا اور بڑھتا ہے اور اس کے ہاں ہر چیز کا اندازہ ہے



عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ
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Yusuf Ali 9: He knoweth the unseen and that which is open: He is the Great, the Most High.

پوشیدہ اور ظاہر کا جاننے والا ہے سب سے بڑا بلند مرتبہ ہے
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Quran:Luqman, 31:34

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
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Yusuf Ali 34: Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does any one know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does any one know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).

بے شک الله ہی کو قیامت کی خبر ہے اور وہی مینہ برساتا ہے اور وہی جانتا ہے جو کچھ ماؤں کے پیٹوں میں ہوتا ہے اور کوئی نہیں جانتا کہ کل کیا کرے گا اور کوئی نہیں جانتا کہ کس زمین پر مرے گا بے شک الله جاننے والا خبردار ہے
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Here Quran is referring to Elum e Ghaib means no one has the knowledge of Unseen except ALLAH . Allah gave example of Womb of mother that you don,t know what is in womb of mother because you don't know unseen. Like saying that you don't know what is behind wall.

Here source comes :

When u see what is in womb of mother through some source (for example, Ultra sound) then it is no more unseen. You are seeing it through some source then you are telling what is in womb of mother it is not knowledge of unseen because you are knowing it through some source.
Quraan didn't say that u cannot invent such tool which can see that what is in womb of mother. Quraan is referring to unseen.

When your are telling what is happening behind wall and in Afghanistan through media or any other source Then this Elum will not be consider as Elum e Ghaib.

Quran 72:26-27

عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا-إِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضَىٰ مِن رَّسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْلُكُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ رَصَدًا
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Yusuf Ali 26-27: "He (alone) knows the Unseen, nor does He make any one acquainted with His Mysteries,- "Except an apostle whom He has chosen: and then He makes a band of watchers march before him and behind him,

وہ غیب جاننے والا ہے اپنے غائب کی باتوں پر کسی کو واقف نہیں کرتا- مگر اپنے پسندیدہ رسول کو پھراس کے آگے اور پیچھے محافظ مقرر کر دیتا ہے​

Quran Al-'Imran, 3:44

ذَ*ٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ ۚ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يُلْقُونَ أَقْلَامَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ
Yusuf Ali 44: This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger.) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point).

یہ غیب کی خبریں ہیں ہم بذریعہ وحی تمہیں اطلاع دیتے ہیں اورتو ان کے پاس نہیں تھا جب اپنا قلم ڈالنے لگے تھے کہ مریم کی کون پرورش کرے اور تو ان کے پاس نہیں تھا جب کہ وہ جھگڑتے تھے
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Today I know what happened with ESSA(a.s) how ADAM(a.s) and HAWA(a.s) expelled from Janat. What will happen after death.These are all news of unseen and Allah gave me this knowledge of unseen and my source is QURAN. I will never say that I have keys of Unseen because am using source and am knowing through some source

Quran:81.At-Takwir: 24

وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ
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Yusuf Ali 24: Neither doth he withhold grudgingly a knowledge of the Unseen.
Shakir 24: Nor of the unseen is he a tenacious concealer.
Pickthal 24: And he is not avid of the Unseen.
Mohsin Khan: 24: And he (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) withholds not a knowledge of the Unseen.

اور وہ غیب کی باتوں پر بخیل نہیں ہے
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Quran Anaam, 165:59

وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ
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Yusuf Ali 59: With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read).

اور اسی کے پاس غیب کی کنجیاں ہیں جنہیں اس کےسوا کوئی نہیں جانتا جو کچھ جنگل اور دریا میں ہے وہ سب جانتا ہے اور کوئی پتہ نہیں گرتا مگر وہ اسے بھی جانتاہے اور کوئی دانہ زمین کے تاریک حصوں میں نہیں پڑتا اور نہ کوئی تر اور خشک چیز ہے مگر یہ سب کچھ کتاب روشن میں ہیں
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Quran,Yusuf,12:102

ذَ*ٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ ۖ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ أَجْمَعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَمْكُرُونَ
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Yusuf Ali 102: Such is one of the stories of what happened unseen, which We reveal by inspiration unto thee; nor wast thou (present) with them then when they concerted their plans together in the process of weaving their plots.

یہ غیب کی خبریں کہیں جو ہم تیرے ہاں بھیجتے ہیں اور تو ان کے پاس نہیں تھا جب کہ انہوں نے اپنا ارادہ پکا کر لیا اور وہ تدبیریں کر رہے تھے
​

In 81:24 ALLAH clearly said that Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is not the with-holder of Unseen means he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) don't have the knowledge of unseen rather I am giving him some news and some knowledge of Unseen he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is getting his knowldege through source through Wahi.

Allah has given him (صلى الله عليه وسلم) some special limited knowledge which was unseen for Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Whole QURAN was totally unseen but Allah gave Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that unseen knowledge . Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) source was different and our source was Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Nither We nor Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) got knowledge without any Source. Sourceless and unlimited knowledge of Unseen is only with Allah and which is real Elum e Ghaib.

Some people in Josh of "Ishq e Rasool" and in reality in hatred of some sect
do GHULU openly say that Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم) knwowledge was LA-MEHDOOD Limitless and his own Which is pure Shirk e Akbar


O People of the Kitaab! Do not commit ghulu' (excess) in your Deen and do not speak about Allah, but the Haqq (truth) (Surah Nisaa, 4:171)

يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ وَلَا تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْحَقَّ ۚ إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَىٰ مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِّنْهُ ۖ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ۖ وَلَا تَقُولُوا ثَلَاثَةٌ ۚ انتَهُوا خَيْرًا لَّكُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا اللَّهُ إِلَـٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۖ سُبْحَانَهُ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ ۘ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا
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Yusuf Ali 171: O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His apostles. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. (Surah Nisaa, 4:171)

اے اہِل کتاب تم اپنے دین میں حد سے نہ نکلو اور الله کی شان میں سوائے پکی بات کے نہ کہو بے شک مسیح عیسیٰ مریم کا بیٹا الله کا رسول ہے اور الله کا ایک کلمہ ہےجسے الله نے مریم تک پہنچایا اور الله کی طرف سے ایک جان ہے سو الله پر اور اس کے سب رسولوں پر ایمان لاؤ اور نہ کہو کہ خدا تین ہیں اس بات کو چھوڑ دو تمہارے لیے بہتر ہو گا بے شک الله اکیلا معبود ہے وہ اس سے پاک ہے اس کی اولاد ہو اسی کا ہے جو کچھ آسمانوں میں ہے اور جو کچھ زمین میں ہے اور الله کارساز کافی ہے
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In Short

1. Allah's Knowledge is Eternal, Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Knowledge was not eternal.
2. Allah's Knowledge Is Zaati, Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Knowledge Is Granted (by Allah)
3. Allah's Knowledge Is Infinite, Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Knowledge is Finite

 

[modern.fakir]

THE AWLIYA'S KASHF (UNVEILING) OF THE UNSEEN

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Kashf or unveiling consists, according to al-Sharif al-Jurjani's definition in his Kitab al-ta`rifat, in "apprehending beyond the veil of ordinary phenomena, whether by vision or experience, the meanings and realities that pertain to the unseen." It is a kind of intuitive knowledge or discovery that typifies Allah's Friends, whose rank Allah extols with the affirmation:


Lo! Verily the friends of Allah are those on whom fear comes not, nor do they grieve (10:62).


Many sayings of the Prophet mention the various types and ranks of the saints, as Suyuti has shown in his collection of these sayings in his fatwa already mentioned entitled: al-Khabar al-dall `ala wujud al-qutb wa al-awtad wa al-nujaba' wa al-abdal or "The reports that indicate the existence of the Pole, the Pillars, the Leaders, and the Substitutes" in his Hawi li al-fatawi. These and other types of perfected individuals form the khawass or elite of the pious, whom Allah also calls the siddiqin (saints, literally "Most Truthful Ones") and ranks directly after the Prophets and before the Martyrs in the verse:
Whoso obey Allah and the Messenger, they are with those unto whom Allas has shown favor, of the Prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they! (4:69)
Their position in relation to Allah on the Day of Judgment is even described as an object of desire for the Prophets in the following sound hadith of the Prophet related by `Umar and others. This is the narration of Abu Malik al-Ash`ari from the Musnad of Imam Ahmad:
When the Prophet finished his prayer he turned to face the people and said: "O people! Listen to this, understand it, and know it. Allah has servants who are neither Prophets nor martyrs and whom the Prophets and martyrs yearn to be like, due to their seat and proximity in relation to Allah."
One of the beduin Arabs who came from among the most isolated of people twisted his hand at the Prophet and said: "O Messenger of Allah! People from humankind who are neither Prophets nor martyrs and yet the Prophets and the martyrs yearn to be like them due to their seat and proximity in relation to Allah?! Describe them for us!"
The Prophet's face showed delight at the Beduin's question and he said:
"They are of the strangers from this and that place. They frequent this or that tribe without belonging to them. They do not have family connections among themselves. They love one another for Allah's sake. They are of pure intent towards one another. On the Day of Resurrection Allah will place for them pedestals of light upon which He will make them sit, and He will turn their faces and clothes into light. On the Day of Resurrection the people will be terrified but not those. They are Allah's Friends upon whom fear comes not, nor do they grieve."[SUP]30[/SUP]
Another famous description of the characteristics of awliya was given by Sayyidina `Ali, as related by Ibn al-Jawzi in the chapter devoted to him in Sifat al-safwa:
They are the fewest in number, but the greatest in rank before Allah. Through them Allah preserves His proofs until they bequeath it to those like them (before passing on) and plant it firmly in their hearts. By them knowledge has taken by assault the reality of things, so that they found easy what those given to comfort found hard, and found intimacy in what the ignorant found desolate. They accompanied the world with bodies whose spirits were attached to the highest regard (al-mahall al-a`la). Ah, ah! how one yearns to see them!
The knowledge of the awliya' may attain higher levels than that of any other knowledge of humankind and jinn including in certain cases even the knowledge of Prophets. The preternatural knowledge or powers which Allah bestows on some of His friends (awliya') who are not Prophets have a firm basis in the Qur'an: for example, the wali who was with Prophet Sulayman and brought him the throne of Balqis faster than the blink of an eye. He was characterized as "one who had knowledge of the Book" as Allah stated:
One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee (O Sulayman) before thy gaze returneth unto thee... (27:40)
and this is Prophet Sulayman's scribe Asif ibn Barkhya according to the Tafsir Ibn `Abbas and the majority of the scholars, i.e. a non-Prophet human being:
"One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture": i.e. an angel... or Jibril... or al-Khidr or Asif ibn Barkhya Sulayman's scribe, which is the most correct, and the jumhur (majority) agrees upon it...[SUP]31[/SUP]
Similarly, al-Khidr -- although considered by many to be a Prophet -- possessed knowledge which Prophet Musa did not have and he is characterized as "one of Our slaves, unto whom We had given mercy from Us, and had taught knowledge from Our presence" (18:66).
However, the greatest of Allah's Friends are those of the Community of the Seal of Prophets, and it is in this sense that Abu Yazid al-Bistami's declaration must be understood whereby "We have crossed an ocean on the shores of which stood the Prophets." That is: the awliya' of the Community of the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace upon him, have inherited from him a knowledge and a position which the Prophets of Banu Isra'il yearned to attain. This is established by the hadith of Abu Malik al-Ash`ari we have just cited, and yet this does not contradict the fact that the Prophets are by far Allah's elect in creation, as Imam Tahawi's article of faith makes clear:
We do not prefer any of the saintly men of the Community over any of the Prophets but rather we say that any one of the Prophets is better than all the awliya' put together.[SUP]32[/SUP]
The word for both vision and true dream is ru'ya, which Allah mentions in the Qur'an thus: "Allah has fulfilled the vision (ru'ya) for his Messenger in very truth" (48:27). The Prophet said:
The vision or dream (al-ru'ya) is one-fortysixth part of prophecy.[SUP]33[/SUP]
When the Time draws near, almost no vision or dream of the believer will be false. The believer's dream is one-fortysixth part of prophecy, and prophecy never lies.
Whoever sees me in vision or dream sees me (truly), for Satan cannot take on my form, and the believer's dream is one-forty-sixth part of prophecy.
Among the greatest of lies is to ascribe to one's eyes the sight in a vision or dream of what one did not see.
Nothing remains of prophecy except the glad tidings (mubashshirat). They asked him: What are they? He said: The good vision or dream. (al-ru'ya al-saliha).[SUP]34[/SUP]
That kashf is an opening granted by Allah that is completely independent of one's own exertion or capacity for learning is clear from the saying of Abu Hurayra: "I have retained from the Prophet two large vessels of knowledge":[SUP]35[/SUP] he used the term "vessels" to preclude the connotation of learning on his part, since liquid is not taught to the vessel, but poured in it. This indicates a state of passive receptivity, independent of exertion or skill. Another hadith, also in Bukhari, confirms that the Prophet was literally pouring knowledge into Abu Hurayra rather than teaching it:
Narrated Abu Huraira: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I hear many narrations from you but I forget them." The Prophet said, "Spread your covering sheet." I spread my sheet and he moved both his hands as if scooping something and emptied them in the sheet and said, "Wrap it around you." I wrapped it round my body, and I have never since forgotten a single Hadith.[SUP]36[/SUP]
Just as the true dream is a characteristic of the believer, so is kashf a characteristic of belief according to the following hadith:
From al-Harith ibn Malik al-Ansari (some chains have: al-Haritha ibn al-Na`man al-Ansari): He passed by the Prophet who asked him: "How are you this morning O Haritha [sic]?" He replied: "This morning I am a real believer." The Prophet said: "Take care of what you say: what is the reality of your belief?" He said: "I have turned myself away from this world by keeping awake at night and by keeping myself thirsty by day; and I can almost see the Throne of my Lord in full sight; and I can see the people of the Garden of Paradise visiting each other; and I can almost see the people of the Fire wailing to each other in it." The Prophet said: "O Haritha, you do know: therefore cleave to it." Some versions add: "This is a believer, Allah has illumined his heart" (mu'minun nawwara Allahu qalbah).[SUP]37[/SUP]
The Prophet highlighted `Umar's gift in this respect in particular:
In the nations before you were people who were spoken to (muhaddathun) though they were not prophets. If there is anyone in my Community, it is `Umar ibn Khattab.
It is related by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Ahmad. It is elucidated by the two hadiths in Tirmidhi (which he graded hasan) whereby "Allah has engraved truth on the tongue of `Umar and his heart" and "If there were a prophet after me verily it would be `Umar." Tirmidhi adds to the muhaddath narration that according to Ibn `Uyayna "spoken to" means "made to understand" (mufahhamun), while in his narration Muslim adds: "Ibn Wahb explained "spoken to" as meaning "inspired" (mulhamun)," and this is the majority's opinion according to Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (7:62:#3689) who adds "spoken to" means "by the angels." Nawawi and Ibn Hajar said respectively in Sharh Sahih Muslim and Fath al-Bari:
The scholars have differed concerning "spoken to." Ibn Wahb said it meant: "inspired" (mulhamun). It was said also: "Those on the right, and when they give an opinion it is as if they were spoken to, and then they give their opinion. It was said also: the angels speak to them... Bukhari said: "Truth comes from their tongue." There is in this a confirmation of the miracles of saints (wa fihi ithbatu karamat al-awliya).[SUP]38[/SUP]
The one among [Muslims] who is "spoken to," if his existence is ascertained, what befalls him is not used as basis for a legal judgment, rather he is obliged to evaluate it with the Qur'an, and if it conforms to it or to the Sunna, he acts upon it, otherwise he leaves it.[SUP]39[/SUP]
One of the "Salafis" claimed that since the hadith states "If there is anyone in my Ummah, it is `Umar," it must follow that at most the number of such inspired people is one. However, it is wrong to think that other Communities had many but this Community only one, as Ibn Hajar also stated in his commentary on that hadith. What is meant by the hadith is the perfection of the quality of ilham (inspiration) in `Umar, not its total lack in other Muslims, and Allah knows best.
The exalted status of the knowledge and power of the awliya' is referred to in the verses "Those who strive hard in Us, We shall most surely guide them in our Ways" (29:69) and ittaqullah wa yu`allimukumullah ("Be aware of Allah, and Allah Himself will teach you" 2:282), and the hadithman `amila bi ma `alima warrathahullahu `ilma ma lam ya`lam ("Whoso acts upon what he knows, Allah will make him inherit a knowledge that he did not have").[SUP]40[/SUP] Our master Bayazid al-Bistami cited this hadith in response to some "Salafi" types in his time who were asking him: "From where and from whom did you get this knowledge which you claim to have?"[SUP]41[/SUP] The Shaykh al-Hakim[SUP]42[/SUP] al-Tirmidhi in the second chapter of his Adab al-muridin describes such striving as a kind of door which leads to nearness to Allah, and Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani refers to the knowledge and power that result from it in Discourse 16 of Futuh al-ghayb:
And fear Allah and He will teach you, then He will invest you with the power of controlling the universe with a clear permission which will have no obscurity in it... and He has done this with many of His Prophets and awliya and people especially favored from among the children of Adam.
To receive such knowledge is called a karama [gift] for the saint and a mu`jiza [act that disables opposition] for the Prophet. The process of receiving it is similarly differentiated: as wahy [revelation] for the latter and ilham [inspiration], ru'ya [vision], kashf [disclosure], firasa [piercing sight],mubashshira [glad tidings from Allah], mukashafa [disclosure], mushahada [mutual vision], or mukhataba [divine conversation] for the former. Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani said in Discourse 9 of his Futuh al-ghayb:
To awliya' and abdal (Substitute-saints) are disclosed such workings of Allah in the course of kashf and mushahada as overwhelm the reasoning power of man and shatter into pieces all habits and customs.
al-Siraj al-Tusi in his famous book al-Luma` (The lights), a compilation of the sayings of the Sufis, mentions the following two definitions of the conditions of kashf:
Abu Muhammad al-Jurayri said: "Whoever does not work to fulfill what lies between him and Allah the Exalted by way of godfear and vigilance, will never reach unveiling and contemplation." al-Nuri said: "The uncoverings of the eyes are through eyesight, and the uncoverings of the hearts are through connection (ittisal)."[SUP]43[/SUP]
One of the highest examples of such favor is undoubtedly the meeting and true vision of the Prophet, which is a reality established in the hadith of seeing the Prophet in dream, and documented through the relations of the trustworthy from the Companions to the Successors and their Successors down to our day. Some of these relations have been recorded in Suyuti's fatwa Tanwir al-halak fi imkan ru'yat al-nabi wal malak (The illumination of intense darkness through the possibility of seeing the prophet and the angels) in his Hawi li al-fatawi. We have already mentioned in the section discussing the evidence that the Prophet hears and sees us al-Haytami's answer in his Fatawa hadithiyya whereby it is possible for Allah's Friends to meet the Prophet while awake in our time.[SUP]44[/SUP] They can also meet al-Khidr, as Sakhawi relates about Imam Nawawi:
It is well-known that he (Imam Nawawi) used to meet with al-Khidr and converse with him among many other mukashafat.[SUP]45[/SUP]
The exalted status of the saints' firasa is mentioned in the hadith whereby the Prophet said: ittaqu firasat al-mu'min fa innahu yara bi nurillah "Beware the vision of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah," then he recited the verse: "Therein lie portents for those who read the signs" (al-mutawassimin) (15:75).[SUP]46[/SUP] Tirmidhi narrated this authentic hadith in the Book of the Commentary of Qur'an in his Sunan and said that some of the commentators have explained "Those who read the signs" as meaning: those who possess vision (al-mutafarrisin)." al-Sakhawi in al-Maqasid al-hasana (#23) mentions another authentic hadith whereby the Prophet said: "Allah has servants who know (the truth about people) through reading the signs" (tawassum).[SUP]47[/SUP]
It is established in the sound hadith that at the end of time every Muslim will be endowed with this ability to "ready the signs," so that he will be able to recognize the dajjal or antichrist as a disbeliever by reading the letters K-F-R over his forehead.[SUP]48[/SUP]
It is related that the firasat of a pious shaykh was at the origin of Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani's decision to take up the study of jurisprudence rather than devote himself exclusively to hadith:
Ibn Hajar said: "He (Muhibb al-Din al-Wahidi al-Maliki) said to me: "Invest some of that energy of yours into fiqh, for I see by way of firasat that the scholars of this country (Egypt) are going to be depleted, and there will be need of you, so don't indulge yourself." And his word to me helped me greatly, and I still pray for him for that reason, may Allah have mercy on him."[SUP]49[/SUP]
The following account of firasa is related about Imam al-Junayd al-Baghdadi:
Abu `Amr ibn `Alwan relates: I went out one day to the market of al-Ruhba for something I needed. I saw a funeral procession and I followed it in order to pray with the others. I stood among the people until they buried the dead man. My eyes unwittingly fell on a woman who was unveiled. I lingered looking at her, then I held back and began to beg forgiveness of Allah the Exalted.
On my way home an old woman told me: "My lord, why do I see your face all darkened?" I took a mirror and behold, my face had turned dark. I examined my conscience and searched: In what did calamity befall me? I remembered the look I cast. Then I sat alone somewhere andI began to ask Allah's forgiveness assiduously, and I asked to do with little for forty days. (During that time,) the thought came to my heart: "Visit your shaykh al-Junayd." I travelled to Baghdad. When I reached the room where he lived, I knocked at his door and heard him say: "Enter, O Aba `Amr, you sin in al-Ruhba and we ask forgiveness for you here in Baghdad."[SUP]50[/SUP]
The possessor of such gifts and powers of vision is of course in no way exempted from the obligations of religion. Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili warned:
If your kashf opposes the Book and the Sunna, leave kashf and tell yourself: Allah has guaranteed infallibility to the Book and the Sunna, but He has not guaranteed it for kashf.[SUP]51[/SUP]
Ibn `Arabi similarly said:
Someone in this Community who claims to be able to guide others to Allah, but is remiss in but one rule of the Sacred Law -- even if he manifests miracles that stagger the mind: ... we do not even turn to look at him, for such a person is not a shaykh, nor is he speaking the truth, for no-one is entrusted with the secrets of Allah Most High save one in whom the ordinances of the Sacred Law are preserved.[SUP]52[/SUP]
Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir Gilani says the same thing in the Futuh. And their leader in this is the Sultan of the Knowers of Allah Bayazid al-Bistami who said:
If you see him fly in the air and walk on water do not be deluded by him, but see how he stands on the orders and the prohibitions.[SUP]53[/SUP]
It is evident from the definition of the term kashf that it refers to a hidden knowledge of a tremendous nature, and that is what Ibn `Arabi meant by saying "the secrets of Allah Most High," as is alluded by continuation of the hadith of Abu Hurayra mentioned above:
I have stored up from the Prophet two large vessels of knowledge. One I have disseminated among the people; if I were to disseminate the other, they would cut my throat.
Imam Bukhari said: "The Knowers (al-`ulama') are the inheritors of the Prophets, that is: they have inherited (their) knowledge."[SUP]54[/SUP] The first part of his statement is actually an authentic hadith of the Prophet.[SUP]55[/SUP] Thus it is beyond anyone's reach to put limitations on the gifts Allah bestows on His Friends, except that we give such gifts different names -- mu`jiza or karama -- depending whether the recipient is a Prophet or a saint. Nor is it impossible that some saints of the Prophet's Community, like the Prophet himself, do know the Unseen except for what Allah hides from them and reserves to others of His creatures -- such as angels -- or exclusively to Himself, according to His will.


The inheritorship of the Prophet's knowledge by the great scholars is illustrated by al-Khatib's relation from al-hafiz Abu Nu`aym already mentioned, whereby Abu Nu`aym considered it incumbent upon all Muslims to invoke Allah for Abu Hanifa in their prayer due to his preservation of the Prophet's Sunan and fiqh for them.[SUP]56[/SUP] Another example is the following account about Imam Malik related by Ibn al-Jawzi in the chapter entitled "Layer 6 of the People of Madina" of his book Sifat al-Safwa:
Abu Mus`ab said: I went in to see Malik ibn Anas. He said to me: Look under my place of prayer or prayer-mat and see what is there. I looked and I found a certain writing. He said: Read it. (I saw that) it contained (the account of) a dream which one of his brothers had seen and which concerned him. He said (reciting what was written): "I saw the Prophet in my sleep. He was in his mosque and the people were gathered around him, and he said: I have hidden for you under my pulpit (minbar) something good -- or: knowledge --and I have ordered Malik to distribute it to the people." Then Malik wept, so I got up and left.[SUP]57[/SUP]


Observe the attitude of the awliya towards the meeting with the Prophet in dream and their strong belief both in the absolute credibility of such dreams and their particular contents. This one explicitly states that the Prophet has kept something good hidden for his Umma, and that he continues to give it through one of the greatly learned `ulama after his time.


Similarly Imam Ahmad cited in Kitab al-zuhd, also Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Abu Nu`aym, Bayhaqi, and Ibn `Asakir from Julays from Wahb ibn Munabbih who said: I saw the Prophet in my sleep, so I said: "Ya Rasulallah, where are the Substitutes (budala') of your Community?" So he gestured with his hand towards Syria. I said: "Ya Rasulallah, aren't there any in Iraq?" He said: "Yes, Muhammad ibn Wasi`, Hassan ibn Abi Sinan, and Malik ibn Dinar, who walks among the people similarly to Abu Dharr in his time."


The "Salafis" have claimed in their ignorance that the principles of kashf and of the inheritorship of the Prophet in any sense other than memorization or bookish learning contradict Allah's saying: "Today I have perfected your religion, completed my favor upon you, and accepted for you Islam as religion" (5:3) and the Prophet's status as having conveyed the Message to the people perfectly. They also direct the same false claims to ijtihad (qualified independent reasoning), ijma` (consensus of the scholars), and qiyas (analogy) themselves, as al-Zahawi showed in his refutation of the Wahhabi heresy:


They (Wahhabis) denounce [the `ulama] by saying that the Imams believe that the religion of Islam is deficient and that they complete it by "reasoning" like ijma' and qiyas. For this, they cite the Qur'anic verse: "Today I have completed your religion." (3:5) They say we find whatever is necessary for life clearly stated in the Qur'an. So what need do we have for qiyas. The texts take in the whole of life's eventualities without need of derivation (istinbat) and analogy (qiyas)...[SUP]58[/SUP]
The sect of the Mu`tazila did not believe in the miracles of the saints, and some today even claim: "The awliya are not known except to Allah, and there is no such thing as kashf in the shari`a" and "We only trust a person whom Allah or His Messenger ordered us to trust, but as for those claimed awliya', there is no specific evidence about them from Allah or His Messenger" as a way to withhold their respect from the pious or pay it out stingily and reluctantly.
These are all matters in which the "Salafis" and those who deny kashf reveal their Mu`tazili leanings. One of them even said: "The sufi-doctrine of "miracles of saints" claims that the awliya' have control over it. Of course they say by Allah's will. (Also, the sect of the Shi`ah believe in that!)"


Observe how he contradicted himself in his haste to cast blame upon a figment of his imagination: on the one hand he makes his concocted "sufi-doctrine" claim control over the elements, yet on the other he makes those who hold that doctrine ("they") say: "By Allah's will," which eradicates any claim of autonomous control! Observe also how they ascribe belief in karamat, which is obligatory in Islam, to the Shi`a.
In all of the above the "Salafis are roundly refuted by no less than Ibn Taymiyya, the most learned among the authorities they claim to follow and a self-proclaimed disciple of al-Gilani whom he calls "my shaykh" and "my master":
It is established that the awliya' possess spiritual communications (mukhatabat) and unveilings (mukashafat).[SUP]59[/SUP]


Another of the principles of Ahl al-Sunna is the faith in the karamat of the awliya, and in whatever Allah causes to happen at their hands of the suspension of the laws of nature in all kinds of knowledge and spiritual unveilings (fi anwa` al-`ulum wa al-mukashafat), and all kinds of powers and influences (wa anwa` al-qudra wa al-ta'thirat) such as reported concerning the ancient Communities, (for example) in al-kahf and others, and as reported from the early beginnings of this Community regarding the Companions and the Followers and from every generation of Muslims after that, and these miracles will not cease to take place in this community until the Day of Resurrection (wa hiya mawjudatun fiha ila yawm al-qiyama)."[SUP]60[/SUP]


The miracles of saints (karamat al-awliya') are absolutely true and correct, by the acceptance of all Muslim scholars and Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama`a [i.e. as opposed to the Mu`tazila]. The Qur'an has pointed to them in different places as well as the authentic hof the Prophet and the reports transmitted from the Companions and the Successors through a large number of sources. Only the innovators such as the Mu`tazila and the Jahmiyya and their followers deny them.[SUP]61[/SUP]
What is considered as a miracle related to knowledge is that sometimes the servant might hear something that others do not hear and see something that others do not see, whether in a wakeful or sleeping state of vision. And he can know something that others cannot know, through revelation or inspiration, or the dawning of necessary knowledge upon him, or truthful piercing sight (firasa sadiqa), and such is called kashf, mushahadat, mukashafat, and mukhatabat.[SUP]62[/SUP]


The hafiz al-Harawi al-Ansari who is the model of "Salafis" in their fight against Ash`aris, spoke the following words about kashf in his books Manazil al-Sa'irin (Stations of the Wayfarers) and `Ilal al-maqamat (The Flaws in the Stages):


Regarding the word "finding" in the verses:
"He will find Allah forgiving, merciful" (4:110)
"They would have found Allah forgiving, merciful" (4:64)
"... and he finds Allah" (24:39)...


It has three meanings: first, it is the finding of knowledge emanating from the divine Presence; it cuts off knowledge based on observations with the soundness of disclosure (mukashafat) from Allah to you.[SUP]63[/SUP]
The renunciation (zuhd) of the privileged is to keep their aspiration (himmat) away from the world, because Allah has kept them from depending on circumstances thanks to the light of unveiling (nur al-kashf).[SUP]64[/SUP]


We would like to hear from the "Salafi" opponents of Ahl al-Sunna which one, of Ibn Taymiyya or al-Harawi, they consider the greatest innovator for stating the above views. Are they placing Ibn Taymiyya among those who hold the beliefs of "the sect of the shi`a"? Or do they still claim that belief in the miracles of saints is a "sufi-doctrine"? Or do you still say that the "claims that the awliya' have control over it. Of course they say by Allah's will" is what the Shi`a believe but not the Sunni? Or is Ibn Taymiyya and al-Harawi using kashf to attain the above conclusions? And if they accept what Ibn Taymiyya and al-Harawi say, why don't they accept the same from others if not because of partisanship and/or blind-following?
As for their claim that the awliya' are not known, it shows ignorance of the Religion, whose sources are replete with their descriptions. We have already quoted from the Qur'an, the hadith, and the sayings of the Companions concerning their characteristics. Allah said: "O those who have believed! Be God-wary and stay with the truthful!" (9:119) and "Who comes against one of my walis, I declare war upon him!" (Bukhari). The Prophet said: "There are some among Allah's servants who, when they swear by Allah, He vindicates them" (Bukhari and Muslim). Is all this referring to unidentifiable beings known to Allah alone? Ibn al-Jawzi in his Sifat al-safwa went so far as to call the saints "the very purpose of existent beings," and if this is true how can they not be known or trusted?


The Friends of Allah and the Righteous are the very purpose of all that exists (al-awliya wa al-salihun hum al-maqsud min al-kawn), they are those who learnt and practiced with the reality of knowledge... Those who practice what they know, do with little in the world, seek the next world, remain ready to leave from one to the other with wakeful eyes and good provision, as opposed to those renowned purely for their knowledge but not for shunning the world and practicing devotion.[SUP]65[/SUP]

The "Salafis" also object to the title of Ghawth or Arch-helper given to Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani and label it with innovation and shirk, claiming that it belongs only to Allah. When confronted with evidence to the contrary from the sound hadith, they remain speechless:


1. Bukhari narrates in his Sahih that our mother Hajar, when she was running in search of water between Safa and Marwa, heard a voice and said: "O you whose voice you have made me hear! If there is a ghawth (help/helper) with you (then help me)!" and an angel appeared at the spot of the spring of Zamzam.


2. Abu Ya`la, Ibn al-Sani, and Tabarani in al-Mu`jam al-kabir narrated that the Prophet said: "If one of you loses something or seeks help or a helper (ghawth), and he is in a land where there is no-one to befriend, let him say: "O servants of Allah, help me! (ya `ibad Allah, aghithuni), for verily Allah has servants whom he does not see." Haythami said in Majma` al-zawa'id (10:132): "The men in its chain of transmission have been declared reliable despite weakness in one of them."


3. Ahmad relates in his Musnad (4:217) that at the time of the greatest fitna of the Dajjal, when the Muslims will be at their weakest point and just before `Isa ibn Maryam descends at the time of salat al-fajr, people will hear a caller calling out three times: "O people, al-ghawth (the helper) has come to you!"


The "Salafis," ignoring the authorities that fail to support them and relying instead on what they can use wherever they find it, turn with glee to Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab's aberrant statement in his Three Principles of Oneness already cited: "One who claims to know something from knowledge of the Unseen is a taghut or false deity." They apply this falsehood to saints but some of them fall short, in their selective logic, of applying it to Prophets, and by so doing desert Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab: for his statement evidently does not preclude anyone -- prophet, angel, jinn, or any human being -- from falling within its scope.


Yet even with respect to saints the false bases of their thinking had long since been exposed by one of the scholars of the Community, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami. Would that they had only acquainted themselves with his fatwa on the matter and reflected upon it, instead of giving precedence to a lesser scholar on the basis of their whim. This fatwa is translated in full in The Reliance of the Traveller, from where we quote it.


w60.0 KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNSEEN
w60.1 (Ibn Hajar Haytami:)


(Question) "Is someone who says, 'A believer knows the unseen (al-ghayb),' thereby considered an unbeliever, because of Allah Most High having said:

"No one in the heavens or earth knows the unseen except Allah' (Koran 27:65),
"and,
"'[He is] the Knower of the Unseen, and discloses not His unseen to anyone...' (Koran 72:26),


"or is such a person asked to further explain himself, in view of the possibility of knowing some details of the unseen?"


(Answer:) "He is not unconditionally considered an unbeliever, because of the possibility of otherwise construing his words, for it is obligatory to ask whomever says something interpretable as either being or not being unbelief for further clarification, as has been stated [n: in Nawawi's al-Rawda and elsewhere]....


"If asked to explain and such a person answers: 'By saying, "A believer knows the unseen," I meant that Allah could impart certain details of the unseen to some of the friends of Allah (awliya')'--this is accepted from him, since it is something logically possible and its occurrence has been documented, it being among the countless miracles [karamat] that have taken place over the ages. The possibility of such knowledge is amply attested to by what the Koran informs us about Khidr (Allah bless him and give him peace), and the account related of Abu Bakr Siddiq (Allah Most High be well pleased with him) that he told of his wife being pregnant with a boy, and thus it proved; or of 'Umar (Allah Most High be well pleased with him), who miraculously perceived [n: the Muslim commander] Sariya and his army who were in Persia, and while on the pulpit in Medina giving the Friday sermon, he said, 'O Sariya, the mountain!' warning them of the enemy ambush intending to exterminate the Muslims. [Abu Bakr ibn al-`Arabi said of this incident: "It constitutes a tremendous rank and an evident gift from Allah, and it is present in all of the righteous incessantly until the Day of Resurrection."][SUP]66[/SUP] Or the rigorously authenticated hathat the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said of 'Umar (Allah Most High be well pleased with him),


" 'He is of those who are spoken to [i.e. preternaturally inspired].'


"....What we have mentioned about the above Koranic verse [N: on the unseen] has been explicitly stated by Nawawi in his Fatawa, where he says: 'It means that no one except Allah knows this independently and with full cognizance of all things knowable. As for [n: knowledge imparted through ] inimitable prophetic miracles (mu'jizat) and divine favors (karamat) it is through Allah's giving them to know it that it is known; as is also the case with what is known through ordinary means' " (al-Fatawa al-hadithiyya, 311-13).


w60.2 (Muhammad Hamid:) Allah Most Glorious is the All-knower of things unseen and their inmost secrets, with primal, intrinsic, supernatural knowledge whose basis no one else has a share in. If any besides Him has awareness or knowledge, it is through their being made aware or given knowledge by Him Magnificent and Exalted. They are unable -- being servants without capacity -- to transcend their sphere or go beyond their limit to draw aside the veils from things unseen, and if not for His pouring something of the knowledge of these things upon their hearts, they would know nothing of it, little or much. Yet this knowledge is disparate in degree, and some of it higher than other of it and more certainly established.


The divine inspiration of it to prophet messengers is beyond doubt and above question, like the rising sun in its certitude and clarity, of which the Koran says,

"[He is] the Knower of the Unseen, and discloses not His unseen to anyone, save a messenger He approves: for him He places protectors before and behind" (Koran 72:26-27),


protectors meaning guards from among the angels, so that nothing of it is leaked to devils when it is being delivered to the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), to safeguard its inimitability and it remain a unique prophetic sign (mu'jiza).

The miraculous perceptions (kashf) of the friends of Allah
(awliya') are a truth we do not deny, for Bukhari relates in his Sahih from Abu Hurayra (Allah Most High be well pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
[h=5]"In the nations before you were people who were spoken to [i.e. inspired] though they were not prophets. If there is anyone in my Community, it is `Umar ibn Khattab."[/h]and Muslim relates in his Sahih from `A'isha (Allah Most High be well pleased with her) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
[h=5]"There used to be in the nations before you those who were spoken to. If there are any in my Community, `Umar ibn Khattab is one of them."[/h]But this intuition (ilham) does not equal the divine inspiration (wahy) of the prophets in strength (n: of certainty), because of the possibility that what is apprehended by the friend of Allah (wali) is merely the thoughts of his own mind. As it is sometimes admixed, and other things are mistaken for it, the possibility of error exists in it, and it cannot be a basis for establishing legal rulings or a criterion for works.


As for what astrologers and fortune-tellers say, there is no way it can be accepted, for sooth-saying was annulled when the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was sent and the heavens were safeguarded by stars, after which heavens were safeguarded by stars, after which devils no longer had access to the heavens as they had had before, to eavesdrop on what angels were saying about the events on earth that Allah Most Glorious informed the angels of before they happened (n: Koran 15:17-18 and 72:8-10). The Holy Koran is explicit that "they [the devils] are prevented from hearing" (Koran 26:212), and in a hadith,
[h=5]"Whoever goes to a 'psychic' ('arraf) or fortune-teller and believes what he says has disbelieved in what has been revealed to Muhammad [Allah bless him and give him peace]."[/h]The things that such people inform of that actually come to pass belong to the category of coincidence, which is not given the slightest value in Islam. All of which is on the topic of the unseen generally. As for the Final Hour, Allah Most High has veiled the knowledge of the time it will occur from all creatures entirely, and no one, archangel or prophetic messenger, knows when it will be, the Koranic verses and hadiths being intersubstantiative and in full agreement on this. Were I to list them it would be a lengthy matter, and what I have mentioned is adequate and sufficient for whomever the divine assistance reaches (Rudud 'ala abatil wa rasa'il al-Shaykh Muhammad al-Hamid, 2.61-63).


As for those that have a disease in their hearts, they are not able to accept the above because it has never happened to them. Their ego does not allow them other than to judge everything according to their own standard, always justifying themselves and never once suspecting that they may in fact be at the lowest level. Wa al-`iyadhu billah. As Ghazali advised those who hear about karamat: "Think good thoughts and do not harbor doubts in your heart".[SUP]67[/SUP] And Haythami warned in a context identical to the story of Ghazali's brother: "Bad thoughts about them (sufis or those who have karamat) is the death of the heart."[SUP]68[/SUP] And Allah knows best.