This issue is hotly debated between Ahlus Sunnah, Salafis, and Deobandis. Ahlus Sunnah believes that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was given immense knowledge of unseen. They, however, believe that his knowledge is “Granted” “Partial” and “non- independent” whereas Allah’s knowledge is “Personal” “Complete” and “Independent”

The Salafis and deobandis on the other hand make contradictory statements in this regard, such as Prophet did not withhold knowledge of unseen at all, but when confronted with proofs they say whatever he knew of the unseen was just inspired to him.

Ahlus Sunnah also believes that the Prophet knew the unseen due to inspiration and not by himself, therefore this issue is resolved easily.

The proofs which Ahlus Sunnah cite, are:

The Qur’an states: Thus did we show Ibrahim (Abraham) the kingdom of the heavens and the earth that he be one of those who have Faith with certainty. [Muhsin/Hilali: 6:75]

In Tafsir of this verse Imam Ibn Katheer (rah) narrates from Ibn Abbas (ra):

فإنه تعالى جلا له الأمر سره وعلانيته، فلم يخف عليه شيء من أعمال الخلائق

Translation: Allah disclosed the hidden and evident things to (Ibrahim – alayh salam) “AND NOTHING FROM THE DEEDS OF CREATIONS WAS KEPT HIDDEN FROM HIM” [Tafsir Ibn Kathir under 6:75]

Imam at- Tabri (rah) explains this verse as:

حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، عن القاسم بن أبي بزّة، عن مجاهد، قوله: وكَذَلِكَ نُرِى إبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَوَاتِ والأرْضِ قال: فرجت له السموات فنظر إلى ما فيهن حتى انتهى بصره إلى العرش وفرِّجت له الأرضون السبع فنظر ما فيهن.

Translation: Mujahid (rah) said: Ibrahim (alayh salam) saw the kingdom of the heavens and earth and he “SAW ALL THAT IS BETWEEN THEM, TO THE EXTENT THAT HE SAW ARSH” and he also saw the 7 earths and all that is between them. [Tafsir at- Tabri under 6:75]

Qur’an mentions the wonderful incident between Moses and Khidr which emphatically proves that Allah’s friends are granted knowledge of unseen. Read the complete story from Surah al- Kahf (18), Verse 60 to 82. I will mention the important verses here:

فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا

And there they found one of Our servants upon whom We had bestowed Our mercy, and to whom We had imparted a special knowledge from Ourselves [Translation Abul Ala Mawdudi: 18:65]

Then Qur’an mentions the detailed and beautiful story which emphatically proves that Khidr (a.s) was given knowledge of unseen. In verse 18:71 Khidr made a hole in boat which he and Moses embarked, Moses questioned Khidr about it but later Khidr tells the reason in 18:79 that boat belonged to poor people working at sea whereas the King used to seize every good ship.

In verse 18:74 Khidr kills a boy and again Moses questions him for killing a pure soul. Khidr then tells the reason in 18:80 that boy’s parents were believers whereas the boy would later harm them through his disbelief (i.e. shall become a disbeliever when he grows old).

In 18:77 it says that they came to a town whose people did not give them food, however Khidr still built a falling wall in that town, again Moses was amazed and Khidr tells him the reason in 18:82 that the wall belonged to two orphan boys and underneath it was a treasure.

This passage clearly proves that Khidr (a.s) was granted knowledge of unseen. There is dispute whether Khidr was a Prophet or Saint. The mainstream opinion is that he was a saint. Now all people who deny knowledge of unseen for Prophets should take heed that Allah even grants knowledge of unseen to Saints let alone Prophets.

Qur’an states: On no account will Allah leave the believers in the condition, which you are in until, He separates the evil from the good; nor is Allah going to make you acquainted with the unseen, but Allah chooses of His messengers whom He pleases; therefore believe in Allah and His messengers; and if you believe and guard (against evil), then you shall have a great reward. (Shakir: 3:179)

This verse proves that Allah chooses of his messengers whom He grants knowledge of unseen.

Qur’an also states: He (alone) knows the Unseen, nor does He make any one acquainted with His Mysteries, "EXCEPT A MESSENGER WHOM HE HAS CHOSEN" and then He makes a band of watchers march before him and behind him (Yusuf Ali: 72:26, 27)

There are many more verses of the Qur’an which prove knowledge of Unseen being given to the Prophets, such as:

Quran states: And Allah has revealed to you the Book and the wisdom, and He has taught you what you did not know (وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُن تَعْلَمُ) and Allah's grace on you is very great..(Shakir: 4:113)

وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُن تَعْلَمُ [and taught you what you did not know] is explained by Overwhelming Mufasireen as

--Tafsir al- Jalalyn explains it as-

Translation: {and taught you what you did not know } of rulings and Unseen.

--Imam al- Khazin (rah) explains it as –

 يعني من أحكام الشرع وأمور الدين وقيل علمك من علم الغيب ما لم تكن تعلم وقيل معناه وعلمك من خفيات الأمور وأطلعك على ضمائر القلوب وعلمك من أحوال المنافقين وكيدهم ما لم تكن تعلم

{And taught you what you did not know} means the Ahkaam (rulings) of Sacred law and matters of religion and It is said of knowledge of unseen which you did not know has been taught to you and it is also said that ALLAH taught you what was in hearts and taught you presentments and clever tricks of hypocrites which you did not know.

--Imam al- Baghawi (rah) explains it as: --

من الأحكام، وقيل: من علم الغيب 

Translation: {and taught you what you did not know} It is Rulings and It is knowledge of unseen.

--Imam Ismail al Hiqqi (rah) in Ruh ul Bayan explains it as—

Translation: And ALLAH taught you through inspiration the unseen and hidden matters and {Knew not before} is till that time when ALLAH had not taught you.

Quran being best Tafsir of itself says: One day We shall raise from all Peoples a witness against them, from amongst themselves: and We shall bring you as a witness against them and We have sent down to you the Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims. (16:89)

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) knew the whole Qur’an perfectly and the above verse of the Qur’an proves that Qur’an explains everything.

Quran states in 81:24:

وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى ٱلْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ

Neither does he withhold grudgingly the knowledge of the Unseen. (81:24)

i.e. Prophet (Peace be upon him) is not Bukheel (stingy) in teaching the knowledge of unseen

There are many more verses in the Qur’an that prove knowledge of the unseen being granted to the Prophets and others. Let us now come towards hadiths:

Hadith # 1

Volume 8, Book 77, Number 601: (Sahih Bukhari)

The Prophet once delivered a speech in front of us wherein he left nothing but mentioned (about) everything that would happen till the Hour. Some of us stored that our minds and some forgot it. (After that speech) I used to see events taking place (which had been referred to in that speech) but I had forgotten them (before their occurrence). Then I would recognize such events as a man recognizes another man who has been absent and then sees and recognizes him.

This hadith clearly proves that Prophet knew everything till the hour.

Hadith # 2

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 414: (Sahih Bukhari)

Narrated 'Umar: One day the Prophet stood up amongst us for a long period and informed us about the beginning of creation (and talked about everything in detail) till he mentioned how the people of Paradise will enter their places and the people of Hell will enter their places. Some remembered what he had said, and some forgot it.

This hadith explicitly proves that Prophet knows about all details from start of creation till end, even of people who will enter paradise and hell.

Hadith # 3

Volume 9, Book 92, Number 397: (Sahih Bukhari)

The Prophet came out after the sun had declined and offered the Zuhr prayer (in congregation). After finishing it with Taslim, he stood on the pulpit and mentioned the Hour and mentioned there would happen great events before it. Then he said, "Whoever wants to ask me any question, may do so, for by Allah, you will not ask me about anything but I will inform you of its answer as long as I am at this place of mine." On this, the Ansar wept violently, and Allah's Apostle kept on saying, "Ask Me! "Then a man got up and asked, ''Where will my entrance be, O Allah's Apostle?" The Prophet said, "(You will go to) the Fire." Then 'Abdullah bin Hudhaifa got up and asked, "Who is my father, O Allah's Apostle?" The Prophet replied, "Your father is Hudhaifa." The Prophet then kept on saying (angrily), "Ask me! Ask me!" 'Umar then knelt on his knees and said, "We have accepted Allah as our Lord and Islam as our religion and Muhammad as an Apostle….

Prophet knew of hidden matters i.e. who is father of someone and where someone is destined.

Hadith # 4

Vol. 5, Book 57, Hadith 24 (Sahih Bukhari)

The Prophet once climbed the mountain of Uhud with Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman. The mountain shook with them. The Prophet said (to the mountain), "Be firm, O Uhud! For on you there are no more than a Prophet, a Siddiq and two martyrs."

This hadith proves that Prophet already knew about the martyrdom of Umar (ra) and Uthman (ra)

Hadith # 5

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 824: (Sahih Bukhari)

The Prophet had informed us of the death of Ja'far and Zaid before the news of their death reached us, and his eyes were shedding tears.

There were no telephones, televisions or such technology at that time, hence this hadith proves knowledge of Unseen being given to Prophet.

There are three authentic hadiths in Jami’ at- Tirmidhi, which prove comprehensive knowledge of unseen being given to the Prophet (Peace be upon him)

Hadith # 6, 7, and 8

The Prophet(Peace be upon him) said: “My Lord came to me in the best form” – the narrator said: “I think he said: ‘in my sleep’” – “and asked me over what did the Higher Assembly (al- mala’ al- a‘lâ) vie I said I did not know, so He put His hand between my shoulders, and I felt its coolness in my innermost, and I knew what was in between the east and the west.

Narrated by al- Tirmidhi (Book 47, Hadith 3541, 3542. Arabic reference) with three chains: two from Ibn ‘Abbas – in the first of which he said “so I knew what was in the heavens, and what was in the earth”

One chain from Mu‘adh (hasan sahih) which explicitly mentions:

فتجَلَّى لِي كُلُّ شَيْءٍ وَعَرَفْتُ

THEN EVERYTHING WAS ILLUMINATED TO ME AND I RECOGNIZED EVERYTHING! [Jami’ at- Tirmidhi, Book 47, Hadith 3543. Arabic Reference]

Imam at- Tirmidhi said after this hadith:

قال أبو عيسى: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صحيحٌ. سَأَلْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بنَ إِسْماعِيلَ عَن هَذا الحَدِيثِ فَقَالَ هَذَا حديث حسنٌ صحيحٌ

Translation: This is a Hasan Sahih (good and authentic) hadith and I asked Muhammad ibn Isma'il (Imam Bukhari) about this hadith and he said: This hadith is good and authentic. [ibid]

It was very rare that Imam at- Tirmidhi mentioned about asking his teacher Imam al- Bukhari in his Jami’ at- Tirmidhi. He does it in this hadith to authenticate it strongly.

From these hadiths the immense knowledge of unseen is proven for Prophet (Peace be upon him) to the extent that he knew all things from east to west, all things in heaven and the earth, and everything being illuminated to him and he recognized everything!

Hadith # 9

Volume 2, Book 23, Number 428:  (Sahih Bukhari)

One day the Prophet went out and offered the funeral prayers of the martyrs of Uhud and then went up the pulpit and said, "I will pave the way for you as your predecessor “AND WILL BE A WITNESS ON YOU” BY ALLAH! I SEE MY FOUNT (KAUTHER) JUST NOW AND I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE KEYS OF ALL THE TREASURES OF THE EARTH” (or the keys of the earth) By Allah! I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah after my death, but I am afraid that you will fight with one another for the worldly things

This hadith proves beyond doubt that Prophet has been given “ALL KEYS TO THE TREASURES OF THE EARTH”

Let us see a hadith which clearly proves foresight and future knowledge of Prophet (Peace be upon him)

Hadith # 10

It was narrated from Al- Harith bin Hatib that “A THIEF WAS BROUGHT TO THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH AND HE SAID "KILL HIM." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, he only stole (something)." He said: "Kill him." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, he only stole (something)." He said: "Cut off his hand." Then he stole again, and his foot was cut off. Then he stole at the time of Abu Bakr, until all his extremities had been cut off. Then he stole a fifth time, and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH KNEW BETTER ABOUT HIM WHEN HE SAID: ‘KILL HIM.’ Then he handed him over to some young men of Quraish to kill him, among whom was 'Abdullah bin Az- Zubair who liked to be in a position of leadership. He said: "Put me in charge of them," so they put him in charge of them and when he struck him, they would strike him, until they killed him. [Sunnan Nasa’i Vol. 5, Book 46, Hadith 4980. Hadith is declared Sahih in Dar us Salam Salafi version]

This hadith clearly proves knowledge of unseen being given to Prophet (Peace be upon him). The punishment for thief is cutting off of hands but the Prophet told to kill him even on first theft as he knew he will keep on committing more thefts.

Hadith # 11 & 12

Abbas (RA) accepted Islam due to Ilm ul Ghayb of Prophet (Peace be upon him)

When the Prophet " took a ransom from al- Abbās in exchange for his release when he was captured after the battle of Badr, the latter said, You have made me the poor man of Quraysh for the rest of my life!. The Prophet " replied: .How can you be the poor man of Quraysh when you deposited gold nuggets with Umm al- Fadl and told her, If I am killed, I have left you rich for the rest of your life.?. Hearing this, he said, .I bear witness that none but she and I know this, and truly I know that you are the Messenger of Allāh![ Narrated from Ibn Abbās by Abu Nu’aym in Dala’il al- Nubuwwa (p. 476- 477 #409, 410) with two good chains cf. Ibn Hajar, Fath al Bari (7:322)]

قال ما ذاك عندي يارسول الله قال: «فأين المال الذي دفنته أنت وأم الفضل ؟ فقلت لها إن أصبت في سفري هذا ، فهذا المال الذي دفنته لبني الفضل وعبد الله وقثم» قال: والله يارسول الله إني لأعلم أنك رسول الله إن هذا لشيء ما علمه أحد غيري وغير أم الفضل فاحسب

Ibn Kathir mentions another version in which al-Abbas said to the Messenger of Allah ": I do not have money (to pay the ransom) O Rasul Allah (Peace be upon him), The Prophet " replied: Then where is the money you and Umm al-Fadl buried before you told her, If anything happens to me during my trip, use this money for my two sons al-Fadl and Qutham? Al-.Abbas said: .By Allah, I swear I know you are the Messenger of Allah! None knows this other than myself and Umm al-Fadl [Cited by Ibn Kathīr in his Tafsīr (2:328) Sūrat 8:70 and al- Bidāya, chapter on the prisoners of Badr]

Hadith # 13

Volume 1, Book 8, Number 410:  (Sahih Bukhari)

 Allah's Apostle said, "Do you consider or see that my face is towards the Qibla? By Allah, neither your submissiveness nor your bowing is hidden from me, surely I see you from my back."

Hadith # 14

Volume 2, Book 24, Number 501: (Sahih Bukhari)

Narrated 'Aisha: Some of the wives of the Prophet asked him, "Who amongst us will be the first to follow you (i.e. die after you)?" He said, "Whoever has the longest hand." So they started measuring their hands with a stick and Sauda's hand turned out to be the longest. (When Zainab bint Jahsh died first of all in the caliphate of 'Umar), we came to know that the long hand was a symbol of practicing charity, so she was the first to follow the Prophet and she used to love to practice charity. (Sauda died later in the caliphate of Muawiya).

This is what exactly happened, hence the Prophet knew beforehand which of his wives shall die first after him.

Hadith # 15

نبي يرى ما لا يرى الناس حولـه ويتلو كتاب اللـه في كل مشهد وإن قال في يوم مقالة غائب فتصديقها في اليوم أو في ضحى الغد

Hassan ibn Thabit the Sahabi said : A Prophet who sees around him what others do not and recites the Book of Allah in every assembly! If he says something of a day which he has not yet seen What he says is confirmed on the morrow or the next day [Narrated from Hisham ibn Hubaysh by Imam al- Hakim (3:9, 10, Hadith #4274) Where Imam Hakim declared it “SAHIH” and al- Dhahabi also agreed, also narrated by al- Tabrani in al- Kabir (4:48 to 50)]

Hadith # 16

Hudhayfa (ra) mentions that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) told us about all the leaders of evil who shall appear till the day of judgment, he told that they would be more than 300, he even told us "THEIR NAMES, THEIR FATHERS NAMES AND THE NAME OF THEIR TRIBES" [Sunnan Abi Dawud Volume No.2 , Page No.441]

Hadith # 17

....Uthman will be killed while reciting the Qur'an. Perhaps Allah will have him wearing a shirt [i.e. the Caliphate]. They will want to remove it and his blood will fall on his utterance of Allah's words: "Allah is enough for you against them." (2:137). [Mustadrak al Hakim ala Sahihayn 3:103]

Hadith # 18

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said that: Caliphate will stay for 30 years and after this there will be Malookiyah (i.e. Kingship) [Tirmidhi # 2226] (Qadhi Iyaad) said: This was also fulfilled as caliphate stayed till Imam Hassan (ra), then kingship started from the rule of Ameer Mua’wiyah. [Ash- Shifa, Chapter of “Grant of Unseen and of things which have to happen in future” (1/206 to 212)]

Hadith # 19

Regarding Imam Hassan (ra), the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: This son of mine is a Sayyid (chief), Allah will bring peace between two groups of Muslims through him [Sahih Bukhari 5.22]. He did bring peace between his group and that of Ameer Mu’awiya (ra).

Qadhi Iyaad (rah) has at least mentioned fifty hadiths as proofs of Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) knowledge of unseen and thus there remains no shadow of doubt about the vast knowledge of the unseen being taught to the Prophet (Peace be upon him] [Refer to Kitab ash- Shifa, Volume No.1, Pages: 206 to 212]

In the end, we would like to mention detailed extract from Ash- Shifa the best ever Seerah (biography) written about the Prophet.

Qadhi Iyaadh made a chapter with title:

Qadhi Iyaadh said: The hadiths on this subject are like a vast ocean, the depth of which cannot be found and the water of which cannot end. This is one aspect of his miracles which is "DEFINITELY KNOWN" We have many hadiths which have reached us by multiple paths of transmission (tawatur) which prove that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) has been given knowledge of Unseen. It is narrated by Hudhayfa (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) stood on his (Pulpit) and "HE DID NOT LEAVE OUT ANYTHING BUT EXPLAINED WHAT SHALL HAPPEN UNTIL THE LAST HOUR" Whoever remembered it remembered it and whoever forgot it forgot it.

[Qadhi Iyaad's Ash- Shifa, Volume No.1, Page No. 206]

On the next pages Qadhi Iyaadh (rah) mentions overwhelming hadiths which prove the Prophet (Peace be upon him)’s knowledge of  the unseen.

Now it stands established that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had immense knowledge of the unseen. He mentioned everything from beginning of creation till the end; he knew what was from east to west, what is in the heaven and the earth, and everything was illuminated to him.

However there are some verses in the Qur’an and hadiths which Salafis and deobandis use to deny immense knowledge of the unseen given to Prophets. For example, they quote:

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."[Sahih International: 7:188]

This verse itself says “EXCEPT WHAT ALLAH HAS WILLED” and then the Prophet is asked to say he does not know unseen. If this verse is taken literally then many verses and hadiths which we have been shown above would contradict it. We believe there are no contradictions in the Qur’an and authentic hadiths, therefore it has to be believed that Prophet did nafi (negation) of “personal and independent” knowledge but not the one “granted” to him by Allah.

Ibn Kathir says under this verse: …but he knows of it only what Allah informs him [Tafsir Ibn Kathir under 7:188]

So this sums it all up i.e. Prophet knows through the grant of Allah, not by himself i.e. he only knows what Allah grants him.

There is no difference of opinion between Ahlus Sunnah, Salafis, and Deobandis in this regard. We believe that the Prophet had that much knowledge which Allah granted him. The issue then arises, how much did Allah grant him? The opposing parties constantly try to minimize the quantity of knowledge that was granted, whereas Sunnis prove it to be comprehensive.

The opponents also quote:

Say, "None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected."[Sahih International: 27:65]

This verse is also talking about personal knowledge of Allah and it does not have the negation of the granted knowledge of unseen to Prophets. If this is not accepted then Qur’an will contradict with other verses like we showed above such as: 3:179, 6:75, 72:26, 27, 4:113, 81:24, 16:89, 18:65 to 82. And many hadiths which have also been shown.

They also use other verses such as 6:59 and also hadiths which talk about Prophet not knowing about certain matters. All those hadiths are of the time when the Prophet was not yet informed, however the hadiths from Bukhari, Tirmidhi, and others which were shown above prove comprehensive knowledge of unseen given to the Prophet (Peace be upon him)

 Then there are 5 things which Qur’an talks about:

Qur’an states: Surely Allah is He with Whom is the knowledge of the hour, and He sends down the rain and He knows what is in the wombs; and no one knows what he shall earn on the morrow; and no one knows in what land he shall die; surely Allah is Knowing, Aware. [Shakir: 31:34]

This verse mentions five matters, which are:

1.    When the hour will come?

2.    When it will rain?

3.    What is in the wombs?

4.    What one shall earn tomorrow?

5.    Where would one die?

We have shown many hadiths above which prove that the Prophet got knowledge of everything; according to Sahih Hadiths in Bukhari, the Prophet mentioned everything from the beginning of creation till people will enter their places in paradise or hell. 

Hadiths specifically about these 5 matters will be discussed now. The order will be changed, but remember even if one of the above five is proven for the Prophets or Awliya then it means that the verse does not negate knowledge of any of the five matters being granted to Prophets and Saliheen, nor can it be called as Shirk or Bidah.

1.    Where would one die?

The Prophet said:

هَذَا مَصْرَعُ فُلاَنٍ  قَالَ وَيَضَعُ يَدَهُ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَا هُنَا وَهَا هُنَا قَالَ فَمَا مَاطَ أَحَدُهُمْ عَنْ مَوْضِعِ يَدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ 

Translation: This is the place where so and so would be killed. He placed his hand on the earth (saying) here and here; (and) none of them fell away from the place which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had indicated by placing his hand on the earth. [Sahih Muslim, Hadith # 4394]

This hadith clearly proves that Prophet knew the exact locations of where the Kufaar would die in battle of Badr. 

As we said before, even if one of the 5 Ghuyub mentioned in Qur’an are established for Prophets/Awliya then it will stand proven that it is not shirk nor Bidah to believe that Allah can grant knowledge of the five hidden matters too.

 

2.    What is in the wombs?

According to modern science, one can find out about the gender of child in the womb through ultrasound. The Salafis then run towards Ta’weel that the verse does not talk about sex of child in womb but rather what would the child become. Remember Qur’an is talking about it generally i.e. knowledge of gender of the child is included.

Let us see the following hadiths on this matter:

Umm Fadl said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! It is as if I saw (in a dream) one of your limbs in my house.’ He said: ‘What you have seen is good. Fatimah will give birth to a boy and you will breastfeed him.’ Fatimah gave birth to Husain or Hasan, and I breastfed him with the milk of Qutham.’ She said: ‘I brought him to the Prophet (ﷺ) and placed him in his lap, and he urinated, so I struck him on the shoulder.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “You have hurt my son, may Allah have mercy on you.” [Sunnan Ibn Majah, Vol. 5, Book 35, Hadith 3923. In Salafi Dar us Salam version it is declared as “SAHIH”]

Salafis and Deobandis can claim that Prophet (Peace be upon him) knew interpretation of dreams which is why he predicted it rightly. The point to note is that Hadith mentions a “LIMB” of Prophet (Peace be upon him) and that can refer both to a boy or girl, but the Prophet precisely told that it will be a boy.

If Salafis and Deobandis are still stubborn then it has also come in a long hadith of Muwatta Imam Malik that Abu Bakr (ra) already knew about the female child to be born.

Book 36, Hadith 40: (Muwatta Imam Malik)

A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Abu Bakr as- Siddiq gave me palm trees whose produce was twenty awsuq from his property at al- Ghaba. When he was dying, he said, 'By Allah, little daughter, there is no one I would prefer to be wealthy after I die than you. There is no one it is more difficult for me to see poor after I die than you. I gave you palm- trees whose produce is twenty awsuq. Had you cut them and taken possession of them, they would have been yours, but today they are the property of the heirs, and they are your two brothers and your two sisters, so divide it according to the Book of Allah.' A'isha continued, "I said, 'My father! By Allah, even if it had been more, I would have left it. There is only Asma. Who is my other sister?" Abu Bakr replied, 'What is in the womb of Kharija? (Kharija was the wife of Abu Bakr's 'brother' from the Ansar.) I think that it is going to be a girl.'

 

3.    What one shall earn tomorrow or what will happen tomorrow.

Many hadiths have been shown above which prove that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) not only knew of what will happen tomorrow but also of everything till the Day of Judgment. The Qur’an proves that the Prophets knew about future.

Qur’an states: [Joseph] said, "You will plant for seven years consecutively; and what you harvest leave in its spikes, except a little from which you will eat. Then will come after that seven difficult [years] which will consume what you saved for them, except a little from which you will store.[12:47, 48]

These verses prove that Prophet Yusuf (a.s) mentioned what will happen in next 14 years.

Qur’an also states: O my two mates of the prison! As for one of you, he shall give his lord to drink wine; and as for the other, he shall be crucified, so that the birds shall eat from his head, the matter is decreed concerning which you inquired. [Shakir: 12:41]

Clearly Yusuf (a.s) is telling of days to come and what those people will do in those days.

Plus It has come in Sahih hadith of Bukhari and Muslim which proves that Prophet already knew about Tomorrow and he said he will give flag to someone who wil be given victory in Khaybar. The flag wasa given to Ali.

Narrated Sahl: On the day (of the battle) of Khaybar the Prophet said, "Tomorrow I will give the flag to somebody who will be given victory (by Allah) and who loves Allah and His Apostle and is loved by Allah and His Apostle."… [Sahih Bukhari Book 4 (Fighting for the Cause of Allah), Volume 52, Hadith 253]

Plus one hadith has been shown before about the Aqida of Sahabi Hasaan bin Thabit (ra) who said:

Hassan ibn Thabit the Sahabi said : A Prophet who sees around him what others do not and recites the Book of Allah in every assembly! If he says something of a day which he has not yet seen What he says is confirmed on the morrow or the next day [Narrated from Hisham ibn Hubaysh by Imam al- Hakim (3:9, 10, Hadith #4274) Where Imam Hakim declared it “SAHIH” and al- Dhahabi also agreed, also narrated by al- Tabrani in al- Kabir (4:48 to 50)]

4.    Knowledge of when the hour shall come.

There are many hadiths in which Prophet (Peace be upon him) precisely told about many signs of the hour i.e. appearance of Imam Mahdi, appearance of Dajjal, a big smoke will appear, details of Gog and Maggog, sun rising from the west, and so on. The Prophet also mentioned the day and time of the hour, the only thing he did not mention is the Year! Scholars have explained that he did not mention the year because that would contradict the Qur’an as Qur’an states:

"Verily the Hour is coming - My design is to keep it hidden - for every soul to receive its reward by the measure of its Endeavour. [Yusuf Ali: 20:15]

Therefore had Prophet told about the year, then it would have contradicted Qur’an but this does not mean he was not granted knowledge of it. 

It is to be noted that Bible proves that even Jesus (Peace be upon him) did not know of the hour. Book of Mark states:

 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. [Mark 13:32]

Our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is superior in status to Jesus, hence Allah teaching him time of the hour is a proof against Christians that Islam is superior and so is our Prophet.

Here are proofs that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) knew minute details about the hour and it is not wrong to believe that he was told when it would take place. Remember this is not among Qatiyaat, if someone denies that Prophet did not know of the hour then such a person will not be misguided let alone Kafir because many scholars denied it too. Here are hadiths which give clear hints that Prophet knew of the hour.

The Prophet said: "The best day that the sun has risen upon is Friday. On it Adam was created, on it he entered Paradise, and on it, he was expelled from it. And the Hour will not be established except on Friday." [Jami’ at- Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Book 4, Hadith 488. It is declared Sahih in Salafi Dar us Salam version]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: The hour will come on the 10th day of Muharram [Fadhail al- Awqat by Imam al- Bayhaqi, Page # 441]

Timing of hour: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: The hour will come between Asr and Maghrib prayers on the day of Friday [al- Asma wa Sifaat by Imam al- Bayhaqi, Page # 383]

Now let us look at opinions of many scholars in this regard.

Imam al- Qastalani (rah) the Sharih of Bukhari said:

لا یعلم متی تقوم الساعة الا اللہ الا من ارتضی من رسول فانه من یشاء من غیبیه والولی التابع له یا خذ عنه

"No one except Allah knows when the Judgment Day will come, except (also) His chosen Messengers. He discloses His unseen to any of His Messengers; but as far as Saints are concerned then they receive these unseen from the Prophets [Irshad us- Sari, Sharh Sahih ul Bukhari (7/186)]

Imam al- Zarqani said in commentary of al- Qastalani’s book al- Muwahib : The knowledge of hour and these 5 matters which have been mentioned in verse (of Surah Luqman). THE SCHOLARS HAVE SAID THAT ALLAH GRANTED THE PROPHET KNOWLEDGE OF THESE 5 BUT ORDERED HIM TO KEEP IT SECRET [Sharh ala Mawahib al Laduniya, (1/265)]

Imam al- Sawi al Maliki (rah) said:

قال العلماء الحق انه لم يخرج نبينا من الدنيا حتي اطلعه علي تلك الخمس، ولكنه أمربكتمها

The scholars said that the truth of the matter is that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not depart from this world till Allah made him aware of these 5 matters, but Allah ordered him to keep (this knowledge) secret [Tafsir as- Sawi (3/215)]

Imam Fakhr ud- din Razi said:

Allah is Aalim ul Ghayb (the ultimate knower of the unseen) and He does not reveal his specific knowledge of unseen to anyone, however those with whom he is pleased he grants it, such as Prophets [Tafsir al- Kabir, (10/678)]

Note: The specific quality of Allah, i.e. Aalim ul Ghayb cannot be applied to anyone but Him. Not even Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) could be called Aalim ul Ghayb. Imam Ahmed Ridha (rah) contrary to propaganda against him by Salafis and deobandis has himself said that Prophet cannot be called Aalim ul Ghayb just like Muhammad azza Wajjal cannot be said. 

While refuting the misguided sect Mu’tazila in regards to the miracles of Awliya, Imam at- Taftazani (rah) said:

هوا وقت وقوع القيمة بقرينة السباق ولا يبعد ان يطلع عليه بعض الرسل من الملئكة او البشر فصيح الاستثناء

Translation: …The time on which Day of Judgment shall occur, it is not distant that the Messengers out of men and angels be granted its knowledge. On this basis the exception made by Allah is correct. [Sharh -ul- Maqasid, Darul Mu'arif An- Nau'maniyah (Lahore), Vol 2, Page 204, 205]

Imam Jalal ud- din Suyuti said:  Some (scholars) have said that Prophet (Peace be upon him) was granted knowledge of 5 matters, also when would hour establish and also about spirit, but you were ordered to keep it secret [Sharh as Sudoor, Page # 319, and Khasais al Kubra (2/335)]

Salafis misuse a hadith and claim that Prophet (Peace be upon him) denied knowledge of when the hour would be. It is the famous of Hadith of Jibreel (a.s) about Islam, Iman, and Ihsan. Jibreel (a.s) asks:

قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَتَى السَّاعَةُ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَا الْمَسْئُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنَ السَّائِلِ، وَلَكِنْ سَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ أَشْرَاطِهَا

… "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) When will the Hour be established?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "The one who is asked about it does not know more than the questioner does, but I will describe to you its portents... [Sahih Bukhari, 6.300]

This hadith has no Nafi (negation) of Prophet (Peace be upon him) knowing it. The Prophet just equates his knowledge about it with Jibreel (a.s) who could know it too. Had the Prophet not known then he would have categorically said I do not know rather than saying: The one who is asked about it does not know more than the questioner. Also it is to be noted that Jibreel (a.s) came to teach the Ummah about deen, so he asking the question “When will the hour be” is also part of Islamic knowledge which he and Prophet knew. Had it been shirk or Bidah to say Prophet knows of the hour then Jibreel (a.s) would have never asked this question.

We know that many scholars of Shariah have given Taweel that above hadith asserts that Prophet did not know of the hour, however we have shown multiple proofs from other classical scholars that he was granted knowledge of it. Now both parties cannot be called wrong. Remember we have not shown a single proof from Barelvi school of thought who are falsely accused that they were the first ones to say that Prophet knew of the hour.

5.    Regarding when it would rain.

According to the latest science of weather forecasting, the exact day of rain is known correctly almost 90% so why would the spiritual and divine knowledge of Prophet be deprived of it? 

Opponents also use the hadith of “IFK” i.e. when Sayyidah Aisha (ra) was accused of fornication, and claim that Prophet did not know about the issue and waited for the revelation [See the Long hadith, reference is: Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 462 (Sahih Bukhari)]. We also accept that Prophet does not know things by himself but is taught by Allah. It has been clarified many times before. If we read the hadith carefully we get to know that Prophet (Peace be upon him) was sure in heart that Sayyidah Aisha was innocent but he waited for the revelation so that matter is cleared absolutely through Qur’an.

Salafis and deobandis also use some other hadiths, like for example the hadith when Jews asked the Prophet regarding what is “RUH (SPIRIT)” and Prophet kept quiet till revelation came to him. Again we accept that Prophet does not know by himself but by grant of Allah. Now regarding reality of Ruh and was Prophet aware of it or not? Then the best answer to opponents is that your big authority like Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah wrote a whole book on Ruh and proved many amazing things about it. When your scholar can write a whole book on it then how dare you say that Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not know reality of Ruh?

They misuse a verse of Qur’an which states: They are asking thee concerning the Spirit. Say: The Spirit is by command of my Lord, and of knowledge ye have been vouchsafed but little. [Pickthall: 17:85]

Muhsin Khan/Hilali the Salafi translators did a huge corruption while translating this verse and mistranslated it as: And they ask you (O Muhammad SAW) concerning the Ruh (the Spirit); Say: "The Ruh (the Spirit): it is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little." [Muhsin Khan/Hilali: 17:85]

Please note Muhsin Khan/Hilali did not put “it is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord” in brackets which means they directly translated the verse like that. Nowhere does the verse says such, here is the Arabic wording of this part of verse and word by word translation of it:

قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي

 قُلِ means: Say

ٱلرُّوحُ means: The Spirit

مِنْ means: (is) from

أَمْرِ means: Command

رَبِّي means: (of my) Lord.

Why did Muhsin/Hilali corrupt the translation even if they believed that Prophet does not know of Ruh? They had no right to alter the words of Qur’an.

Imam Fahkr ud -din ar- Razi (rah) mentions in his great Tafsir al Kabir in regards to Ruh:

أنه تعالى قال في حقه:

{ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ * عَلَّمَ ٱلْقُرْءانَ }

[الرحمن: 1، 2]

{ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ وَكَانَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيماً }

[النساء: 113] وقال:

{ وَقُل رَّبّ زِدْنِى عِلْماً }

[طه: 114] وقال في صفة القرآن:

{ وَلاَ رَطْبٍ وَلاَ يَابِسٍ إِلاَّ فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ }

وكان عليه السلام يقول: " أرنا الأشياء كما هي " فمن كان هذا حاله وصفته كيف يليق به أن يقول أنا لا أعرف هذه المسألة مع أنها من المسائل المشهورة المذكورة بين جمهور الخلق بل المختار عندنا أنهم سألوه عن الروح وأنه صلى الله عليه وسلم أجاب عنه على أحسن الوجوه

Translation: Allah Ta’ala said (in regards to Prophet), Ar Rahman who taught the Quran [55:1, 2] , and taught thee what thou Knewest not (before): And great is the Grace of Allah unto thee. [4:113], and said: say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.[Taha 114] and while explaining the quality of Quran said: 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).[Al- Anaam 59] and Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to say Show me the Haqiqah of things, So the state and attribute of such a person (i.e. Prophet is so high from saying) that he does not know about this matter (i.e. Ruh), although this matter is amongst the famous and most narrated ones amongst majority of creation, They (i.e. Jews) inquired of the Ruh and Prophet (saw) gave the best answer!

He then said:

فإذا كانت معرفة الله تعالى ممكنة بل حاصلة فأي مانع يمنع من معرفة الروح.

Translation: When (Prophet) has Marifah of Allah Ta’ala then (of course) why would he not have Marifah of Ruh! [Tafsir al- Kabeer]

Imam Nasafi (rah) in his Tafsir al Madarik mentions:

كان السؤال عن خلق الروح يعني أهو مخلوق أم لا. وقوله: { من أمر ربي } دليل خلق الروح فكان هذا جواباً

Translation: The Question was about creation of Ruh i.e. whether Ruh is Makhlooq or not, Allah said Amri Rabi (i.e. It is the command of Allah) which is Proof of it being creation, hence this is the answer!

Imam Badr ud din Ayni (Rahimuhullah) says:

قلت جل منصب النبي وهو حبيب الله وسيد خلقه أن يكون غير عالم بالروح وكيف وقد منَّ الله عليه بقوله وعلمك ما لم تكن تعلم وكان فضل الله عليك عظيما (النساء 113)

Translation: I say that Prophet (Peace be upon him) is Allah’s loved one (حبيب الله) and is Chief of all creation (وسيد خلقه), The quality of Prophet is way above than attributing to him that he did not have knowledge of Ruh because Allah said: and taught thee what thou Knewest not (before): And great is the Grace of Allah unto thee. (An- Nisa 113) [Umdatul Qari Sharh Sahih ul Bukhari Volume 2, Page No 200]

Above all Qur’an states: 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). [Yusuf Ali: 6:59]

Kitabim Mubeen refers to Qur’an. As Prophet (Peace be upon him) is perfect Aa’rif (knower) of whole Qur’an hence he knows in depth complete knowledge as a Makhlooq.

The status of Prophets is too high whereas even about Awliya Allah a Sahih hadith states:

Narrated Abu Sa'eed Al- Khudri: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Beware of the believer's intuition, for indeed he sees with Allah's Light." Then he recited: Surely in this are signs for those who see (15:75). [Jami’ Tirmidhi, Hadith # 3127. Wrongly declared as weak in Salafi Dar us Salam version]

This hadith has come from other Sahaba with authentic chains. Hence it is ignorance of Salafis to declare the one in Tirmidhi as weak. They should have mentioned that it is Sahih li Ghayrihi (Authentic due to other hadiths). Let us look at another hadith from different Sahabi:

وعن أبي أمامة ، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلّم قال: «اتَّقُوا فِرَاسَةَ المُؤْمِنِ فًّانَّهُ يَنْظُرُ بِنُورِ الله» رواه الطبراني، وإسناده حسن

Translation: Abi Amama (ra) narrates that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: Beware of Momin’s Firasah because he sees with the Nur of Allah – Imam al- Haythami said: This is narrated by at- Tabarani and the chain is “HASAN (GOOD)” [Majma uz- Zawad (10/473, Hadith #17940]

Now this is the state of Awliya Ikraam according to hadiths, then imagine the foresight and knowledge of Prophets!

Salafis and Deobandis also use some other hadiths which say that Prophet did not know of certain matters. The answer to all of them is the same that Prophet did not know by himself but was taught by Allah. We Ahlus Sunnah never claimed that Prophets have knowledge by themselves, but are granted by Allah. One of the biggest proofs which degraders of Prophet bring forward is this:

Narrated `Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I am your predecessor at the Lake- Fount (Kauthar) and some men amongst you will be brought to me, and when I will try to hand them some water, they will be pulled away from me by force whereupon I will say, 'O Lord, my companions!' Then the Almighty will say, 'You do not know what they did after you left, they introduced new things into the religion after you.' [Sahih Bukhari  Vol. 9, Book 88, Hadith 173]

The degraders of Prophet shout, look look the Prophet would not know what some companions (some hadiths even say I will recognize them and they will recognize me) did after him! Now this hadith is misused both by Shia and Salafis/Deobandis. The extremist Shia say that many of the companions turned apostates as some hadiths mentions that they became Murtad after the Prophet left. On the other hand Salafis/Deobandis say these hadiths prove that Prophet is not made aware of the deeds of Ummah (Although you must have read authentic hadith in Tawassul chapter about deeds being presented to Prophet).

The first answer is that we have to safeguard Sahaba from these hadiths if taken literally. This issue is resolved as one hadith mentions word “UMMAH” rather than Companions [See Sahih Muslim # 5684], hence by now it is established that there is Idhtirab (inconsistency) in wording of hadith. Now coming to point about Prophet knowing or not then remember there is even Idhtirab about the wording “YOU DO NOT KNOW” as one hadith does not say this phrase at all [See Sahih Muslim Hadith # 482] whereas some others say “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THESE PEOPLE DID AFTER YOU [SEE SAHIH MUSLIM # 480]” Plus in some hadiths it is Allah who says this to Prophet (as shown above) whereas in some it is Jibreel (a.s). Hence this hadith has serious Idhtirab and cannot be used against knowledge of unseen given to Prophet and also cannot be used against Sahaba.

Above all how can this hadith be a proof against Ilm ul Ghayb of Prophet when the Prophet has already told us through these hadiths what will happen at hawdh? Hence these hadiths are rhetorical in nature. It is common sense that had Prophet not known about those people then how was he mentioning this hadith already?

Even if assuming that Prophet (Peace be upon him) would not know about such people (although the hadith is itself proof that It is rhetorical in nature and Prophet Peace be upon him is telling something of future beforehand) then let’s see what Quran says:

On the Day when some faces will be (lit up with) white, and some faces will be (in the gloom of) black: To those whose faces will be black, (will be said): "Did ye reject Faith after accepting it? Taste then the penalty for rejecting Faith.(Yusuf Ali: 3:106)

Hence It is proven from Quran that there will be distinctive signs by which people will be recognized therefore there is no chance of Prophet (Peace be upon him) not knowing about Ahwaal!

Qur’an states: (For) the sinners will be known by their marks: and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet.(Yusuf Ali: 55:41)

Nobody can understand the Quran better than Prophet (Peace be upon him), hence he will perfectly know the difference between sinners and righteous

Qur’an states: And other faces that Day will be dust- stained, Blackness will cover them, Such will be the Rejecters of Allah, the doers of iniquity. (Yusuf Ali: 80:40 to 42)

Qur’an states: The Day when the Trumpet will be sounded: that Day, We shall gather the sinful, blear- eyed (with terror). (Yusuf Ali: 20:102)

There are many ahadith which prove the signs of believers and those who turned renegades, so how can Prophet not know they were renegades? Actually the Prophet will call them to give them some hope but then repel them to shatter their hope completely. The opponents use some Shuroohat that those people will have Marks of light on their foreheads due to which Prophet will call them towards himself. However the scholars did not present that as conclusive interpretation and we have to follow Qur’an and Sunnah.

The opponents also use narration from Sayyidah Aisha (ra) which states:

It is narrated on the authority of Masruq that he said: I was resting at (the house of) 'A'isha that she said: O Abu 'A'isha (kunya of Masruq), there are three things, and he who affirmed even one of them fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I asked that they were. She said: He who presumed that Muhammad (ﷺ) saw his Lord (with his ocular vision) fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I was reclining but then sat up and said: Mother of the Faithful, wait a bit and do not be in a haste. Has not Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:" And truly he saw him on the clear horizon" (Al- Qur'an, Surat at- Takwir, 81:23) and" he saw Him in another descent" (Al- Qur'an, Surat Najm 53:13)? She said: I am the first of this Ummah who asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about it, and he said: Verily he is Gabriel. I have never seen him in his original form in which he was created except on those two occasions (to which these verses refer); I saw him descending from the heaven and filling (the space) from the sky to the earth with the greatness of his bodily structure. She said: Have you not heard Allah saying: "Eyes comprehend Him not, but He comprehends (all) vision. and He is Subtle, and All- Aware" (Al- Qur'an, Surat al- An`am 6:103)? (She, i.e. 'A'isha, further said): Have you not heard that, verily, Allah says: "And it is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger to reveal, by His permission, what He wills. Indeed, He is Most High and Wise." (Al- Qur'an, Surat ash- Shura, 42:51) She said: He who presumes that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) concealed anything from the Book of Allah fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. Allah says: "O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people." (Al- Qur'an, Surat al- Ma'idah, 5:67). She said: He who presumes that he would inform about what was going to happen tomorrow fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. And Allah says "Say, 'None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah , and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.'" (Al- Qur'an, Surat an- Naml, 27:65). [Sahih Muslim, Hadith # 337. It is also narrated by Imam Bukhari and others]