How Knowledge of Ghayb is Exclusive to Allah

By Muzzammil Husayn

To some the claim that knowledge of the unseen (ghayb) is an exclusive attribute of Allah while at the same time He discloses some of this knowledge to Prophets and Awliya seems contradictory. However, Mawlana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (d. 1933) explains in the following passage from Fayd al-Bari that true knowledge is limited to universal knowledge and knowledge of principles, while the fragmentary knowledge of the unseen given to prophets cannot be regarded as knowledge. Hence knowledge of the ghayb is exclusive to Allah while only its disclosure (izhar/ittila’) is possible for prophets and saints.

“Know that these five [things mentioned in Qur’an 31:34 – i.e. knowledge of the timing of the Hour, the sending of rain, the contents of the womb, the locations of death and future earnings], since they are from the creative matters and not the legislative, He did not disclose them to any of His Prophets except what He wished and He kept its keys with Him as He said “With Him are the Keys to the Unseen, none but He knows them” (6:59). This is because the Prophets were sent for legislation, so the sciences of legislation not of creation are fitting for them.

“Moreover, the intent thereof is their principles, and as for knowledge of particulars, the saints are also given of them. This is because knowledge of particulars is not knowledge in reality due to it being subject to changes, and because particular knowledge does not grant access to another particular knowledge, so it as if it is not knowledge. Knowledge is only that which grants access to knowledge of all the particulars of that type, and that is nothing besides knowledge of the principles of a thing. Do you not see that thousands of inventions have come to us from the lands of Europe and we see them and know of them, but we have no knowledge of their principles? So what knowledge have we acquired by these particulars? But knowledge is universal knowledge by which its bearer is able to gain knowledge of the particulars of that type in its entirety and comprehend their realities. This is referred to by Allah (Glorified is He) as “keys,” as when you are given a key, you are able to open all locks whenever you wish, and this condition is not but the condition of universal knowledge. So no one is given but fragmentary particulars [of the knowledge of these five].

“As for the knowledge similar to keys, that is with Your Lord from whom no secret is hidden. Thereupon the restriction in His statement “none but He knows them” is sound without interpretation. As for specifying the five while the principles of other things also are known only to Allah, it was said that these [five] are types and everything stems from them; I say: no, it is because the question of questioner did not occur but on these five, as al-Suyuti mentioned regarding the reason for its revelation in Lubab al-Nuqul fi Asbab al-Nuzul and al-Durr al-Manthur.”

(Fayd al-Bari 1:228-9)

اعلم أن هذه الخمسَ لما كانت من الأمور التكوينية دون التشريعية، لم يُظْهِر عليها أحداً من أنبيائه إلا بما شاء، وجعل مفاتيحه عنده فقال: {وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلاَّ هُوَ} (الأنعام: 59) لأنهم بُعِثُوا للتشريع، فالمناسبُ لهم علومُ التشريع دون التكوين.

ثم المراد منه أصولها. وأما علمُ الجزئيات فقد يُعطى منه الأولياء رحمهم الله تعالى أيضاً، لأن علمَ الجزئيات ليس بعلم في الحقيقة، لكونها محطاً للتحولات والتغيرات، ولأن علماً جزئياً لا يوصل إلى علمٍ جزئي آخر فكأنه ليس علماً. وإنما العلمُ علمٌ يوصِلُ إلى علمِ جميع أفرادِ ذلك النوع، وليس ذلك إلا علمُ أصولِ الشيء. ألا ترى أن ألوفاً من المصنوعات تُجْلبُ إلينا من ديار الأوربا ونحن نشاهدها ونعلمها، ولكن لا علم لنا بأصولها، فأيّ علم حصَّلناه بتلك الجُزئيات؟ ولكنّ العلمَ هو العلمُ الكُلي يتمكنُ به صاحبه من علمِ الجزئيات من ذلك النوع بأسرها ويطلع على حقائقها، وإليه أشار سبحانه بالمفاتح، فإنك إذا أُوتيت مِفْتَاحَاً قَدَرْتَ على فتح المغاليق كُلِّها مهما أردت، وليس هذا الشأن إلا شأن العلم الكلي فلم يُعط أحدٌ إلا جُزئيات منتشرة.

أما العلمُ الذي كالمفتاح فهو عند ربك الذي لا تخفى عليه خافية، وحينئذٍ صح الحصر في قوله: {لاَ يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلاَّ هُوَ} بدون تأويل. أما تخصيصُ الخمس مع أن أصولَ الأشياءِ الأُخر أيضاً لا يعلمها إلا هو. فقيل: إن هذه أنواع والكل راجع إليها. قلت: بل لأن سؤال السائل لم يقع إلا عن هذا الخمس، كما ذكره السيوطي في شأن نزولها في لباب النقول في أسباب النزول وفي الدر المنثور

علامة أنور شاه الكشميري، فيض الباري شرح صحيح البخاري

Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad al-‘Uthmani (d. 1949) offers a similar explanation in Fath al-Mulhim. Al-Nasafi (d. 710 H.) in his tafsir of verse 6:59 offered a similar explanation of “keys to the unseen.” He said “Ghayb has been metaphorically appointed keys because keys give access to treasure chests that are secured by locks, and whoever knows their keys and how to unlock them has access to them. So He means that He alone has access to the unseen, and none besides Him has access to it, just like one who possesses the keys to treasure chests and knows how to open them, he has access to what is in those treasure chests.”

جعل للغيب مفاتح على طريق الاستعارة لأن المفاتح يتوصل بها إلى ما في الخزائن المستوثق منها بالأغلاق والأقفال، ومن علم مفاتحها وكيفية فتحها توصل إليها فأراد أنه هو المتوصل إلى المغيبات وحده لا يتوصل إليها غيره كمن عنده مفاتح أقفال المخازن ويعلم فتحها فهو المتوصل إلى ما في المخازن

The Hanafi fuqaha have stated that the belief that the Prophet (Alah bless him and grant him peace) has knowledge of the ghayb is disbelief, as mentioned by Ibn al-Humam and Kamal Ibn Abi Sharif in al-Musamarah/al-Musayarah:

Similar is knowledge of the ghayb, i.e. the absence of knowledge of the ghayb is just like the absence of knowledge of some issues. Hence, the Prophet does not know thereof except what Allah (Exalted is He) informed him occasionally. The Hanafis have mentioned explicitly in their furu‘ (secondary laws of jurisprudence) that the belief that the Prophet knows the ghayb is disbelief due to conflict with His statement (Exalted is He) “Say; None in the heavens nor on earth besides Allah knows the ghayb” (27:65).

(وكذا علم المغيبات) أي وكعدم علم بعض المسائل عدم علم المغيبات فلا يعلم النبي منها (إلا ما أعلمه تعالى به أحيانا وذكر الحنفية) في فروعهم (تصريحا بالتكفير باعتقاد أن النبي يعلم الغيب لمعارضة قوله تعالى قل لا يعلم من فى السموات والأرض الغيب إلا الله) الله أعلم

كتاب المسامرة في شرح المسايرة في علم الكلام ٢: ٨٦ – ٨٨

This is supported by the hadith in which the Prophet (Alah bless him and grant him peace) forbade a girl from singing “amongst us is a prophet who knows what will happen tomorrow” (وَفِينَا نَبِيٌّ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي غَدٍ), saying “no one knows what will happen tomorrow besides Allah” (لَا يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي غَدٍ إِلَّا اللَّهُ) i.e. no one has complete access to the knowledge of the future besides Allah so it is not appropriate to say he has knowledge of the future without qualification.