Shirk In Knowledge of Allah

2008-03-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Shirk In Asma Was Sifaat

Shirk In Knowledge

Islamic Online University

Course: Foundations of Islamic Studies

Assignment #1

Prepared By

Jibran Ahmed Khan

What is The Knowledge of Ghayb?

The Knowledge of Ghayb (Unseen) includes everything which is hidden and not known to mankind, which is neither in the revealed nor in the acquired knowledge of man. It includes all that will happen in the future and, absolute knowledge of all that happened in the past. From the matters of the Unseen are those related to the Hereafter, Barzakh, Paradise, Hellfire, contents of the womb and secrets of the hearts. In simple words, the knowledge of Ghayb is the knowledge to which man don’t have any means of access.

Narrated Ibn Umar:

Allah's Apostle said, "The keys of Unseen are five which none knows but Allah: None knows what will happen tomorrow but Allah; none knows what is in the wombs but Allah; none knows when it will rain but Allah; none knows at what place one will die; none knows when the Hour will be established but Allah." [1]

How Do People Commit Shirk in Knowledge?

The Shirk in knowledge means that one believes that someone other than Allah has the similar kind of knowledge which should only be attributed to Allah. Or if one believes that someone other than Allah has some of the knowledge of the unseen.

This is one of the aspects of Shirk in Asma Was Sifaat. This type of shirk is very common among almost all of the deviant sects.

The Barelvis[2] believe

· The Prophet (SAW) had the supreme knowledge of everything that will happen in the future till the day of Qayamah and the knowledge of Lawh Al Mehfoodh is a small part of the knowledge of Rasool Allah (SAW).[3]

· Rasool Allah (SAW) knows the secrets of the hearts.[4]

· Rasool Allah (SAW) knows everything which Allah knows.[5]

Not only the Prophet (SAW), the knowledge of the unseen is also attributed to Sufis by these ignorant people.[6]

Deobandis[7], like their brothers barelvis, are no way behind them in committing shirk by attributing the knowledge of the unseen to the creation, though they do not clearly announce this belief but since their roots are also linked with Sufism, their books say otherwise. Some examples are as follows:

· In this high stage of spiritual development, matters pertaining to the Thaat (Being of Allah), Sifaat (Attributes of Allah), Af’aal (Acts of Allah), Haqaaiq (realities) as well as relationships between Allah and His servants become manifest.[8]

· Khwajah Maudood Chisti acquired the capabilities known as Kash-e-Quloob (revelations of the conditions of the hearts) and Kashf-e-Quboor (revelation of the conditions of the graves).[9]

Imam Abu Haneefa used to see the sins of the people fall out as they performed wudu.[10]

The shi’ites[11] believe:

· Imam knows his hour of death and his death is in his control.[12]

· Nothing can remain hidden from the Imams, they have a complete knowledge of past, present and future.[13]

There are also hundreds of Shi’ite narrations which say that their imams knew the secrets of the hearts and all the knowledge of the unseen.

Refutation From the Qur’an

Only Allah knows what will happen in the future. He knows whatever is in the heavens and on the earth, no leaf falls but it is in His Knowledge. He alone knows the secrets of the hearts. This magnificence belongs to none but Allah.

Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:

“Say, "None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah , and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected."”[14]

“Indeed, Allah is Knower of the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and earth. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.”[15]

“And to Allah belong the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth and to Him will be returned the matter, all of it, so worship Him and rely upon Him. And your Lord is not unaware of that which you do.”[16]

“And they say, "Why is a sign not sent down to him from his Lord?" So say, "The unseen is only for Allah [to administer], so wait; indeed, I am with you among those who wait."”[17]

“And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.”[18]

“Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.”[19]

“They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival? Say, "Its knowledge is only with my Lord. None will reveal its time except Him. It lays heavily upon the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except unexpectedly." They ask you as if you are familiar with it. Say, "Its knowledge is only with Allah , but most of the people do not know."”[20]

“Allah knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, but they do not encompass it in knowledge.”[21]

The verses quoted above explicitly state that none other than Allah has the knowledge of the unseen, without any ambiguity.

Did Rasool Allah (SAW) have the Knowledge of the Unseen?

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“And Muhammad is not a withholder of [knowledge of] the unseen.”[22]

The Prophet (SAW) used to give the news of the unseen to his companions, but it does not mean that he had the knowledge of the unseen. He only followed what Allah commanded him, he only told those things which were revealed to him and did not know about those things which were not revealed to him.

The Qur’an explicitly states:

“Say, [O Muhammad], "I do not tell you that I have the depositories [containing the provision] of Allah or that I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me." Say, "Is the blind equivalent to the seeing? Then will you not give thought?"”[23]

There are many verses of the Qur’an which prove that the prophet (SAW) did not have the knowledge of the unseen, but he gave some of the news of the unseen because he got revelation and Allah revealed to him some of the knowledge of the unseen. It does not mean that he had absolute knowledge of everything, because it is evident from the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith that he did not know anything of the unseen except that which was revealed to him.

Allah says:

“And among those around you of the bedouins are hypocrites, and [also] from the people of Madinah. They have become accustomed to hypocrisy. You, [O Muhammad], do not know them, [but] We know them.”[24]

“May Allah pardon you, [O Muhammad]; why did you give them permission [to remain behind]? [You should not have] until it was evident to you who were truthful and you knew [who were] the liars.”[25]

Some people say that, yes the Prophet (SAW) did not have knowledge of his own but Allaah revealed to him the absolute knowledge of each and everything. I ask, if Allah had revealed to the Prophet (SAW) the treasures of the unseen, then why did the prophet (SAW) say:

“You asked me about the Last Hour whereas its knowledge is with Allah.”[26]

Some people say that the prophet (SAW) had the absolute knowledge of everything but he concealed a lot of it, like when the day of resurrection will occur. But this argument is clearly against the verse:

“And Muhammad is not a withholder of [knowledge of] the unseen.”[27]

Further, Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Say, "I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe."”[28]

This is a simple question, if Rasool Allah (SAW) had the knowledge of the unseen then how come he got injured in his life? Why did not he take precautionary measures if he already knew that some harm would come to him? For example, once he fell off his horse and injured his leg or shoulder.[29]

Also the incident of accusation against Ayesha RAA testifies that Rasool Allah SAW did not know anything of the unseen until it was revealed to him.[30]

The mother of the believers Ayesha RAA said,

“"If anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen his Lord, he is a liar, for Allah says: 'No vision can grasp Him.' (6.103) And if anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen the Unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: "None has the knowledge of the Unseen but Allah."”

When a few small girls were beating on the duff and singing in the presence of Allah’s Messenger (SAW), they said, “There is a Prophet amongst us who knows what will happen tomorrow.” The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,

“Do not say this, but go on saying what you have spoken before.”[31]

The Prophet (SAW) did not even allowed small children to say something like that, but today our brothers are saying the same in the name of “love” for the Prophet (SAW), while he has forbidden it.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said,

“Do not praise me excessively as the Christians did to ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam, verily I am only a slave, so call me instead the slave of Allaah and His messenger.”[32]

If Someone Claims to Have the Knowledge of the Unseen

If someone claims that he has the knowledge of the unseen then we have to ask him,

“How can you possibly have knowledge of the unseen when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not have knowledge of the unseen? Are you better or the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?”

If he says, “I am better than the Messenger” then he becomes kaafir.

If he says, “He is better” then why was the unseen concealed from him but you have knowledge of it??

Do the Angels And Jinn Have the Knowledge of the Unseen?

About the angels, the Qur’an states:

“They said, "Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise."”[33]

About the Jinns, the Qur’an says:

“And when We decreed for Solomon death, nothing indicated to the jinn his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.”[34]

Knowing the Sex of the Baby Part of the Knowledge of the Unseen?

Though the doctors are now able to find out the sex of the baby in the mother’s womb , it does not mean that they have got access to the knowledge of the unseen. The verse of the Qur’an says:

This verse and other verses like this one, and Ahadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) does not have the word “Sex” in their content.

The matters of the unseen as far as the foetus are concerned are: his life, his deeds, his provision, what will he earn?, will he be a believer or a non-believer?, whether he will enter hell or paradise.

Even if we accept that “Sex” is one of the meanings intended by these verses and Ahadith, yet it does not mean that the doctors have got access to the knowledge of the unseen because the knowledge of the sex of the child is the knowledge of the unseen only when it has not fully formed. Once the sex of the child is fully formed, it no more remains the knowledge of the unseen, and the doctors cannot tell it before it is fully formed.

Other Aspects of Shirk In Knowledge

There are two more aspects of shirk in knowledge, which cannot be discussed in detail in this concise essay but we will insha’Allah shed some light on them.

Visiting or believing the fortune tellers or horoscopes and fortune telling is shirk in Knowledge of Allah SWT,

Rasool Allah (SAW) said,

“Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayers will not accepted for forty days.”[36]

“Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and believes what he says, has disbelieved in that which Allaah revealed to Muhammad (SAW).”[37]

Another aspect of shirk in knowledge and shirk in Asma Was Sifaat is that if someone believes that there is some deficiency in the knowledge of Allah. This is a Shi’ite belief which is called “Bad’aa” which means that Allah does not know about some incidents until they occur.[38]

This belief is clearly against the Qur’an:

“My Lord neither errs nor forgets”[39]

and many other Qur’anic verses quoted above.

And Allah knows best.

Bibliography

Al Barelwiyah by Shaykh Ehsan Elahi Zaheer

Ash Shia Was Sunnah by Shaykh Ehsan Elahi Zaheer

www.islamqa.com

http://www.ahya.org/tjonline/eng/09/09index.html

www.allaahuakbar.net

English Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud , Malik’s Muwatta.

Qur’an - Saheeh International Translation

[1] Bukhari:: Vol. 6 :: Book 60 :: Hadith 219

[2] Download the book (Urdu Translation of Al Barelwiyah) …http://www.islamhouse.com/d/files/ur/ih_books/single/ur_bralwiat.pdf by Ehsan Elahi Zaheer Also See http://allaahuakbar.net/barelwiyat/index.htm

[3] Khalis ul Aiteqaad Barelvi pg 38 (Urdu)

[4] Mawaize Naeemia pg 192 (Urdu)

[5] Al Daulatul Makiyyah pg 210 (Urdu)

[6] Hikayaat e Rizviya pg 55

[7] See http://allaahuakbar.net/deobandism/index.htm

And http://allaahuakbar.net/tableegi_jamaat/index.htm

[8] Shariat And Tasawwuf pg 113 (Urdu)

[9] Mashaikh-e-Chist (Eng. Trans.) pg 138. (Urdu)

[10] Fadha’il e A’maal/ Fadha’il e Namaz pg 13/14 (urdu)

[11] Download the book (urdu translation of Ash Shia Was Sunnah) …http://www.islamhouse.com/d/files/ur/ih_books/single/ur_shia_wal_sunah.pdf by Shaikh Ehsan Elahi Zaheer . Also see http://allaahuakbar.net/shiites/index.htm

[12] Asool Kaafi, Vol. No. 1,Page No. 258

[13] Asool Kaafi, Vol. No. 1, Page No. 260

[14] Surah An-Naml 27:65

[15] Surah Al-Fatir 35:38

[16] Surah Al-Hud 11:123

[17] Surah Al-Yunus 10:20

[18] Surah Al-Anaam 6:59

[19] Surah Luqman 31:34

[20] Al-Araf 7:187

[21] Surah Taha 20:110

[22] Surah At-Takwir 81:24

[23] Surah Al-Anaam 6:50

[24] Surah At-Tawba 9:101

[25] Surah At-Tawba 9:43

[26] Muslim :: Book 31 : Hadith 6162

[27] Surah At-Takwir 81:24

[28] Al-Araf 7:188

[29] Bukhari :: Vol. 1 :: Book 8 :: Hadith 375

[30] Bukhari :: Vol. 3 :: Book 48 :: Hadith 829

[31] Bukhari :: vol. 5:: Book 59 :: Hadith no. 336

[32] Bukhari:: vol.4 :: Book 55 :: Hadith no. 654

[33] Surah Al-Baqarah 2:32

[34] Surah Saba 34:14

[35] Surah Luqman 31:34

[36] Muslim (2230)

[37] Abu Dawood (3904), al-Tirmidhi (135)

[38] Usool e Kafi, Kitaab ut Tauheed vol. 1 pg 148, 327 &238. (Iranian Edition)

[39] Surah Taha 20:52

Siraat Al Mustaqeem