Madrasah al-Sawlatiyyah, Makkah al-Mukarramah

Translator’s foreword: Below is the fourth chapter of the incomplete yet ongoing translation of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Hafiz’s Mawqif A’immat al-Harakat al-Salafiyyah min al-Tasawwuf wa ‘l-Sufiyyah. In this chapter, the author, a student and khalifah of Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi, produces a series of excerpts from the writings of Hafiz Abu ‘l-Fida ‘Imad al-Din Isma‘il ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi al-Shafi‘i that demonstrate the positive manner by which the shaykh regarded Sufism and the Sufis. All of the excerpts in this section are from Hafiz Ibn Kathir’s Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah.

1. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah^[1] (part 11, p. 180) regarding those eminent individuals who died in 322 ah:

Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Qasim Abu ‘Ali al-Rudhbari — it is said his name was Ahmad ibn Muhammad and also said [that his name was] al-Husayn ibn al-Humam; the first is correct. He was originally from Baghdad and lived in Egypt. He was from the offspring of leaders, viziers and learned men.

He remained in the company of Junayd,^[2] heard hadith [from him] and memorised much from him; he learned fiqh from Ibrahim al-Harbi and Nahw from Tha‘lab. He would give plenty of sadaqah and charity to the poor. When he would give something to the poor, he would place his palm below the person’s hand and the person would take. He wished that the hand of the poor did not come below his hand.

Abu Nu‘aym said: “Abu ‘Ali al-Rudhbari was asked regarding the person who listens to musical instruments and says that he has reached a station in which the changing of situations does not have an effect. Al-Rudhbari responded, ‘Yes, he has reached. However, that is to hell…’ He also said: ‘Surely, those who are desirous of Allah find the sweetness of [their] desire — at the time when the essence of connecting to His proximity (qurb) is revealed to them — sweeter than honey…’ He also said: ‘In earning the world lies the disgracing of souls, and in earning the hereafter is its honour. How strange is that person who opts for disgrace in seeking that which shall perish over honour in seeking that which shall remain?”

Among his poems there are:

There is no wonder if all of that (wealth) which I have was to go,

Wonder is only in that small amount — how did it remain behind?

Take hold of the remainder of your soul which has become ruined,

Before separation comes, for this is the last breath.

Among those eminent individuals who died in 332 ah there was:

Muhammad ibn Isma‘il — who was popularly known as Khayr al-Nassaj (Khayr the Weaver) Abu al-Husayn al-Sufi; he was from among the major shaykhs who were of excellent spiritual states (hal) and known for famous miracles (karamah). He met Sarri al-Saqti and others from the shaykhs of the community. He lived a hundred and twenty years.

When the time of his demise came, he looked at the corner of the house and said: “Stop, may Allah have mercy on you, for you’re a slave who has been given an order and I am also a slave who has been given an order. That which you have been ordered to do shall not pass whereas that which I have been ordered to do will pass.” He then stood up, performed ablution, offered prayer, lay down and passed away — may Allah have mercy on him. Some people later saw him in a dream and asked him: “What did Allah do with you?” he replied: “We gained respite from your wicked world.”

2. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 11, p. 334) regarding events that occurred in 394 ah. After mentioning some amazing stories regarding the qaris (reciters of the Quran), he writes:

When those two qaris returned, the ruler assigned them to Abu Bakr ibn al-Bahlul, who was also an excellent qari, so they may lead the people in the Tarawih prayers in Ramadan. The crowd behind them was large on account of their beautiful recitation. They would also lengthen the prayer a lot and would take turns in leading. They would recite thirty verses in each rak‘ah. People would not leave the Tarawih save when a third of the night had passed or close to the middle of the night. Ibn al-Bahlul had one day, in the al-Mansur Jami‘ Masjid, recited the verse: “Has the time not yet come for those who believe that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah and for the truth that has descended (through revelation)?” (57:16), when a Sufi stood up. He was swaying and said: “What did you say?” Ibn al-Bahlul repeated the verse and the Sufi said: “Why not? I swear by Allah.” He then fell dead, may Allah have mercy on him.

Ibn al-Jawzi said: “A similar incident occurred to Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Khashshab Shaykh Ibn al-Raffa, who was a student of Abu Ibn al-Adami who has been mentioned earlier. He was also excellent in reciting the Quran and had a beautiful voice. This Ibn al-Khashshab recited, in the Jami‘ Masjid of the al-Rusafah districts, this verse: ‘Has the time not yet come for those who believe …’ (57:16), when a Sufi went into ecstasy (wajd) and said: ‘Why not? The time has come.’ He sat and cried for a long time, and then became silent; he had died, may Allah have mercy on him.”

3. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 11, p. 84) regarding events that occurred in 287 ah:

Among those who died this year was Abu Bakr ibn Abu ‘Asim, the man of sunnah and [author] of many books. He was Ahmad ibn Abu ‘Asim al-Dahhak ibn Mukhlad al-Nabil. He has many books in hadith, including the book Al-Sunnah in relation to the hadiths containing the attributes of Allah according to the way of the predecessors. He was a hafiz of hadith and in charge of the judiciary in Isfahan after Salih ibn Ahmad. He visited many lands before that in search of hadith and stayed in the company of Abu Turab al-Nakhshabi and other Sufis shaykhs.

An astonishing miracle (karamah) once occurred to him. He, along with two major pious men, was in a journey when they descended on some white sand. Abu Bakr began kissing the sand with his hand and said: “Oh Allah grant us some khabis^[3] that can be our lunch and let it be the colour of this sand.” It had hardly been uttered when a Bedouin came with a dish within which was khabis the colour of that white sand. They then ate it.

He used to say: “I do not want an innovator, or one who makes false allegations, or a slanderer, or one who curses, or one who uses obscene language, or one who is abusive, or one who has digressed from al-Shafi‘i and the people of hadith to attend my gatherings.”

He died this year in Isfahan. Some of them saw him after his death and he was offering salah. When he finished they asked: “What did Allah do with you?” He said, “My Cherisher Most High was friendly to me.”

4. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 11, p. 97) regarding events that occurred in 290 ah:

[Among those notables who died this year there was] Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah Abu Bakr al-Daqqaq.^[4] He was one of the Sufi imams and heavy worshippers from among them. He narrates regarding Junayd that he said: “I saw Satan in a dream and it was as if he was naked. So I said: ‘Don’t you have any shame from the people?’ He replied: ‘These people? I play with them as a child plays with a ball. The real people are a group apart from them.’ So I asked: ‘Who are they?’ He said: ‘They’re a people in the Masjid al-Shuniziyyah. They have weakened my heart and exhausted my body. Each time I target them, they signal unto Allah and it is close that I might be burned.’” Junayd said: “When I woke up, I dressed and went to the mosque that he mentioned. In it were three men who were sitting and their heads were [lowered] in their tattered clothes. One of them raised his head towards me and said: ‘Oh Abu ‘l-Qasim, do not be deceived by the words of the wicked.’ They were Abu Bakr al-Daqqaq, Abu ‘l-Husayn al-Nuri and Abu Hamza.

5. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 11, p. 113) regarding events that occurred in 298 AH:

[Among those notables who died in this year, there was] al-Junayd ibn Muhammad ibn al-Junayd, Abu ‘l-Qasim al-Khazzar. He was also called al-Qawarir. His origins were in Nahavand; he was born in Baghdad where he was also raised. He heard hadith from Hussayn ibn ‘Arafah. He studied fiqh from Abu Thawr Ibrahim ibn Khalid al-Kalbi and would issue fatwas in his presence when he was twenty years old. We have mentioned him in Tabaqat al-Shafi‘iyyah. He became famous for remaining in the company of al-Harith al-Muhasibi and his maternal uncle Sarri al-Saqati. He would remain firmly in worship and so Allah opened up for him, on account of that, much knowledge. He would speak of the way (tariqah) of the Sufis. Offering three hundred rak‘ah of prayer and thirty thousand tasbih was part of his daily wird. For forty years he did not retire to bed and thus, such beneficial knowledge and pious acts opened to him which was not attained by others from his era.

He used to know all types of knowledge. When he would take a subject, then there would be no opportunity for him to stop or stumble until he would say regarding one issue many different points which had not occurred to the ‘ulama. This was also the case with Tasawwuf etc. When death came close, he began to offer prayer and recite the Quran. It was said to him: “Why don’t you be gentle with yourself at a time like this?” He replied: “There is none more in need of this than me at this moment. This is the time of the folding of my book [of deeds].”

Ibn Khallikan said: “He took fiqh from Abu Thawr. It was said that he learned fiqh according to the madhhab of Sufyan al-Thawri. Ibn Surayj would remain in his company and study by him. At times he benefitted from him in issues of fiqh that had not occurred to him. It was said that he once asked him regarding an issue and he gave numerous answers. So Ibn Surayj said: ‘Oh Abu ‘l-Qasim, I only knew, in this matter, three answers from those that you mentioned. Repeat them to me.’ So he mentioned some more answers apart from them. So Ibn Surayj said: ‘I have never heard of the like of this. Dictate them to me so I can write them down.’ So Junayd said: ‘If it was coming from me then I would dictate it. Meaning that it is surely Allah who allows it to flow on my heart and my tongue speaks it. This is not gained from books or from learning. This is only through the grace of Allah Most High. He inspires me with it and allows it to flow from my tongue.’ So Ibn Surayj said: ‘From where did you learn this knowledge?’ He replied: ‘Through my sitting in front of Allah for forty years.’ What is correct is that he was on the madhhab of Sufyan al-Thawri and his way, and Allah knows best.

Ibn Khallikan said: “Junayd was asked regarding the ‘arif, he said: ‘Who speaks regarding your secret while you remain quiet.’ He also said: ‘This way of ours is bound by the Book and the Sunnah. He who does not read the Quran and writes hadith should, according to our madhhab and way, not be followed.’ Some of them saw him with prayer beads (misbahah), so it was said to him: ‘You, in spite of your nobility, carry prayer beads?’ He replied: ‘I shall not leave the way by which I reached Allah.’

“His maternal uncle Sarri al-Saqati once said to him: ‘Preach to the people.’ He would, however, not see himself in the position [to do so]. In a dream he saw the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) who told him: ‘Preach to the people.’ In the morning he went to his uncle who said to him: ‘Why didn’t you listen to me and now it is that the Messenger of Allah has had to tell you.’ He then preached to the people.”

Ibn Khallikan said: “One day a Christian youth, in the appearance of a Muslim, came to him and said: ‘Oh Abu ‘l-Qasim, what is the meaning of the saying of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): Fear the insight (firasah) of a believer for he sees with the light of Allah?’ Junayd lowered his head and then raised it and said: ‘Become a Muslim, it is time you became one.’” Ibn Khallikan said that the youth accepted Islam.

Junayd said: “I have never benefitted from anything in the way I have benefitted from these couplets which I heard from a slave girl who sang them in a room. She said:

When I say: Abandoning [of others for your love] has given me threadbare clothes,

You will say: If there was no abandoning [of others] then love would not be pleasant,

And if I were to say: This heart, passion has burned it,

You will say: Surely passion is the honour of the heart,

And if I were to say: What sin have I committed? She would say,

Your life is such a sin that no other sin can compare with it.

Junayd said: “I became stunned and screamed. So the owner of the house came out and said: ‘Oh master, what has befallen you?’ I said: ‘It happened on account of what I heard.’ He said: ‘She is a gift from me to you.’ So I said: ‘I accept and she is free for the sake of Allah.’ I then married her to a man, and she gave birth to a pious son who performed the Hajj thirty times on foot.”

6. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 11, p. 192) regarding events that occurred in 328 ah:

From among those notables who died this year was Abu Muhammad Ja‘far al-Murta‘ish, he was one of the shaykhs of the Sufis, as mentioned by al-Khatib. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami said: “His name was ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad Abu Muhammad al-Nisaburi. He was a man of wealth, which he relinquished, and adopted the company of Junayd, Abu Hafs and Abu ‘Uthman. He remained in Baghdad until he became a shaykh of the Sufis. It used to be said: The wonders of Baghdad are three — the allusions (isharah) of al-Shibli, the expressions of al-Murta‘ish and the stories of Ja‘far al-Khawwas.”

I heard Abu Ja‘far al-Sa‘igh say that al-Murta‘ish said: “Whoever thinks his actions shall save him from the fire or take him to Allah’s pleasure (ridwan), then he has placed his self and actions in danger. And he who places trust in the bounty of Allah, then Allah will take him to the utmost stations of His pleasure.”

It was said to al-Murta‘ish: “Such a person treads on water.” He replied: “Surely, disobeying the desires is greater than walking on water and flying in the air.” When his death came nigh at the Masjid al-Shuniziyyah,^[5] they calculated his debts which were seventeen dirhams. He said: “Sell these tattered clothes of mine and pay it off with that. I have hope in Allah that He will grant me a shroud. I have surely asked Allah for three: that He grants me death as a poor person, grants me death in this mosque for I have remained in the company of the people within it, and places me with those who I am friendly with and whom I love.” He then closed his eyes and died.

7. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 11, p. 193) regarding events that occurred in 328 ah:

[From among those notables who died there was also] ‘Ali ibn Muhammad, Abu ‘l-Hasan al-Muzayyin al-Saghir. He was one of the shaykhs of the Sufis. He was originally from Baghdad and remained in the company of Junayd and Sahl al-Tustari. He resided in Makkah until his death this year. He would say regarding himself: “I came to a well in the land of Tabuk. When I drew close to it, I slipped and fell into it and there was none who saw me. When I reached the bottom, there was a stone bench [on the side] which I clung to. I said: ‘If I die then I shall end up ruining the water for people.’ My soul then became restful and it started to yearn for death. I was in this condition when a serpent descended upon me and wound itself around me. It then raised me to land and slithered away. I knew not where it went and from where it came.

Among the other shaykhs of the Sufis there is one who is called Abu Ja‘far al-Muzayyin al-Kabir who resided in Makkah and also died there. He was among those known for their worship.

Al-Khatib has narrated from ‘Ali ibn Abu ‘Ali Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Tabari from Ja‘far al-Khuldiyy who said: “I bade farewell to Muzayyin al-Kabir when leaving for some pilgrimages and said to him: ‘Provide me with some provisions.’ He told me: ‘When you lose something then say: O He Who will assemble all people on the day in which there is no doubt. Surely, Allah does not back out of His promise. Join me with whatever it is [that you have lost]. Surely Allah will join you with that thing.’ He also said: ‘I went to al-Kattani and bade him farewell and asked him to provide me with some provisions. He gave me a ring on whose stone was an inscription. He then said: “When you are in distress then look at this stone, your distress will be removed.” I would supplicate with this prayer and it would surely be accepted and I would surely look at this stone and that feeling would go. Once, when I was in a ship, there was a severe wind so I took out the ring to look at it. However, I had no idea where it went. So I began supplicating using that supplication for the entire day. When I returned home, I searched my belongings at home and found the ring in some clothes which had been in the house.’”

8. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 13, p. 93) regarding events that occurred in 617 ah:

[From among those notables who died this year was] Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Yunini who was given the title The Lion of the Levant (Asad al-Sham), may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him. He was from a village in Baalbek called Younine. He had a zawiyah which people would travel to and visit. He was from among the major pious individuals, and famous for worship, spiritual exercises (riyadah), and commanding good and forbidding vice. He was very high minded in terms of his asceticism and piety in that he would not keep anything for himself; he did not have wealth or clothes, but would borrow what he wore. He would not wear more than one tunic (qamis) during the summer and would wear a fur overcoat over it during the winter. He would wear a cap made from goatskin, the hair of which would be on the outside.

He would never remain behind from participating in battles. He would shoot a bow that weighed eighty ratl.^[6] He would sometimes live in the mountains of Lebanon. He would, in the winter, come to the springs of al-‘Asriya at the foot of the mountain overlooking the village of Douma situated to the east of Damascus on account of the warmth of the water. People would, hence, head for him there to meet him. He would at times come to Damascus and stay at the foot of Mount Qasyun close to al-Qadsiyyah. He was of [high] spiritual states (hal) and of righteous kashf. He was called the Lion of the Levant.

Abu ‘l-Muzaffar, the maternal grandson of Ibn al-Jawzi has narrated from Qadi Jamal al-Din Ya‘qub, the governor of Al-Karak al-Biqa, that he once saw Shaykh ‘Abdullah performing ablution in the River Tora close to the Jisr al-Abyad (the White Bridge) when a Christian passed by him and with him was a mule carrying wine. “The animal stumbled on the bridge and the load fell. He then saw the shaykh who had finished his wudu who did not know him. He asked him for help to raise the load on to the animal so the shaykh called me and said: ‘Come here oh faqih, help us place this load on the animal.’ The Christian then left. I became astonished by this and followed the animal as I was heading to the city. The Christian took it to the ‘Uqayba [neighbourhood] and went to a seller of wine there where it became clear that it had suddenly become vinegar. The wine seller then said to the Christian: ‘Woe unto you. This is vinegar.’ So the Christian said: ‘I know where this has come from.’ He tied his animal in a rest house and returned to a group of pious people. He asked regarding the shaykh and came to know of him. He then came to him and accepted Islam at his hands.”

He was a man of many spiritual states and miracles. He would stand for no one who entered on him and would say: “People only stand for the Cherisher of the Worlds.” When al-Amjad^[7] would enter on him, he would sit in front of him. The shaykh would then say to him: “Oh al-Amjad, you did this and you did that.” He would then command that which he needed to command him to do and forbid him from that which he ought to forbid him from. Al-Amjad would obey all that he would say to him and that was only on account of the shaykh’s sincerity in asceticism, piety and way.

He would accept the spoils of war and would not keep any of it for the next day. When his hunger became severe he would take the leaves from an almond tree, which he would rub and press and then eat till his fill. He would then drink cold water on top of this. May Allah Most High have mercy on him and make pleasant his resting place.

They mention that he completed the Hajj some years in the air [by flying]. This has happened to a large group of ascetics and pious worshippers. This has not reached us regarding any of the major scholars. The first regarding whom this is mentioned is Habib al-‘Ajami, who was from among the companions of Hasan al-Basri, and then some pious individuals after him — may the mercy of Allah Most High be on all of them.

On Friday, 10 Dhu ‘l-Hijjah of this year, ‘Abdullah al-Yunini offered the morning prayer and the Friday prayer at the Jami‘ Masjid of Baalbek. It is correct that he had visited the lavatory that day before the prayer. After completing the prayer he said to Shaykh Dawud al-Muadhdhin who would wash the dead: “See how you will be tomorrow.” The shaykh then began to ascent towards his zawiyah and spent that night awake in the dhikr of Allah Most High. He remembered his friends and those who were good to him, even if that goodness was a little. He would supplicate for them. When the time for the Morning Prayer came, he offered the prayer with his companions. He then sat leaning while doing the dhikr of Allah and in his hand was his prayer beads (subhah). He then died in this condition while sitting and did not fall. The prayer beads also did not fall from his hand. The news reached al-Amjad, the ruler of Baalbek. He came and saw him thus. He then said: “What if we were to build a structure around him and he was to be kept like this so people could see a sign.” So it was said to him that this is not from the sunnah. The shaykh was moved, washed, shrouded and prayed upon. He was buried beneath the almond tree under which he would sit offering the dhikr of Allah Most High – may Allah have mercy on him and may He fill his grave with light.

He died on Saturday and he was over eighty years of age. May Allah Most High have mercy on him and make pleasant his resting place. Shaykh Muhammad al-Faqih al-Yunini was from among his students and from among those who served him. He was the grandfather of all of those shaykhs in the town of Baalbek.

9. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 13, p. 137) regarding events that occurred in 630 ah.

[Among those who died this year was] Shaykh Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi,^[8] the author of Awarif al-Ma‘arif, ‘Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ummuwayh. His name is ‘Abdullah al-Bakri al-Baghdadi, Shihab al-Din Abu Hafs al-Suhrawardi, the shaykh of the Sufis in Baghdad. He was from among the major pious individuals and leaders of the Muslims. He would leisurely come and go between the caliphs and kings, and he gathered great wealth which he distributed among the poor and needy. He once offered the Hajj and in his company was a group of ascetics the condition of whom only Allah Most High knew. In him were the qualities of generosity, aiding those who are in trouble, supporting the needy, and commanding good and forbidding vice. He would deliver lectures wearing threadbare clothes. He once recited this poem [a loose translation of which is as follows]:

There is not among the companions a man of divine ecstasy (wajd) with whom we may speak regarding the lofty way. Nor is there a man afflicted with divine love with whom we may vie.

He began repeating this and went into ecstasy (wajd). From among those who were present was a youth who — dressed in a tunic and wearing a small turban — stood and said: “Oh shaykh, how many ecstatic statements will you utter (shatahat) and reproach the people. I swear by Allah there is surely in them those who are not pleased to vie with you, nor will you understand that which they say. If only you recited [the following poem]:

There is none among the riders — and it is that their animals have carried on — save lovers of him; and among them is the beloved,

It is as if Yusuf is on each camel and there is Ya‘qub in each home within the neighbourhood.

The shaykh screamed and descended from the pulpit. He then headed towards the youth to apologise but could not find him. In his place he found a hole in which there was much blood and which the youth had hollowed out with his feet while the shaykh recited the poem.

Ibn Khallikan has mentioned much of his poetry and greatly praised him. He died this year at the age of ninety three — may Allah Most High have mercy on him.

10. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 13, p. 141) regarding events that occurred in 631 ah:

[Among those who died this year was] Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Armani. He was one of the worshippers and ascetics who would traverse lands. He would live in deserts, mountains and lowlands. He would gather with the qutubs, abdals and awtads,^[9] and those of spiritual states (hal), kashf, spiritual exercises and travel in all regions and directions. He had studied the Quran at the beginning [of his studies] and memorized [Mukhtasar] al-Quduri according to the madhhab of Abu Hanifah. He then preoccupied himself with rectifying conduct and spiritual exercises. He then took up residence in Damascus at the end of his life where he died. He was buried at the foot of Mount Qasyun.

Many beautiful things have been narrated about him. Among that is that he said: “I once cut close to a town while travelling and my soul sought that I enter it. I promised myself I would not eat food therein. I entered it and passed by a laundry man who looked at me with aversion and so I became fearful of him and fled the town. This man caught up to me and with him was some food. He then said: ‘Eat, for you have exited the town.’ So I said to him: ‘You have such a [spiritual] station and you wash clothes in the markets?’ He replied: ‘Don’t raise your head and don’t look at any of your deeds. Remain a slave unto Allah. If he uses you in good, then be pleased with that.’ He then said:

If it were said to me to die, then I would say hear and obey,

And I would say to the caller of death: welcome, welcome (ahlan wa marhaba).

Hafiz Ibn Kathir further narrates many other stories regarding this shaykh.

11. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 13, p. 227) regarding events that occurred in 658 ah:

[Among those who died this year there was] Shaykh Muhammad al-Faqih al-Yunini al-Hanbali al-Baalbekki al-Hafiz. He is Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Isa ibn Abu ‘l-Rijal Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Ishaq ibn Ja‘far al-Sadiq.

Shaykh Qutb al-Din al-Yunini has narrated his lineage thus from the writing of his elder brother Abu ‘l-Husayn ‘Ali who informed him that his father told him: “We are from the progeny of Ja‘far al-Sadiq.” He also said: “He only narrated that to him at the time of death so he abstains from accepting sadaqah.

Abu ‘Abdullah ibn Abu ‘l-Husayn al-Yunini al-Hanbali Taqi al-Din, the faqih, the Hanbali, the hafiz of hadith, he who benefitted others, the erudite, the worshipper and the ascetic. He was born in the year 572 AH. He heard [hadith] from al-Khushu‘i, Hanbal, al-Kindi and Hafiz ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi who would praise him. He learned fiqh from Shaykh al-Muwaffaq and remained in the company of Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Yunini and benefitted from him. Shaykh ‘Abdullah would praise him, give him preference and follow him in the fatwas of Shari‘ah.

He donned the mantle (khirqah) from Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Bata’ihi and excelled in the knowledge of hadith. He memorised Al-Jam‘ bayn al-Sahihayn in its entirety and a good portion of Musnad al-Imam Ahmad. He knew Arabic and learned that from al-Taj al-Kindi. He would write beautifully. People would benefit from his expertise in many types of knowledge and would take from him good ways. He acquired great prestige among the rulers and others. He once performed the wudu in the presence of Sultan al-Ashraf while he was by him at the castle listening to al-Bukhari in the presence of [Shaykh] al-Zabidi. When he had finished his wudu, the sultan shook his towel and spread it on the ground for him to walk on. The sultan swore that it was clean and that he should step on it. The shaykh did so.

Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) then expands on his virtues and lofty status. He then writes:

All of the kings venerated him and exalted him. The children of al-‘Adil^[10] and others would come to his town. This was also the case with the fuqaha like Ibn al-Salah, Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam, Ibn al-Hajib, al-Hasiri, Shams al-Din ibn Sani al-Dawlah, Ibn al-Jawzi, and others who would venerate him and return to his word on account of his knowledge, actions, honesty and trustworthiness.

Many spiritual states (hal), incidents of kashf and miracles have been narrated about him — may Allah have mercy on him. Some of them have said he was a qutb for twelve years. Allah is most knowledgeable… His son, Qutb al-Din mentioned that he died on 19 Ramadan of this year at the age of eighty eight years — may Allah Most High have mercy on him.

12. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 13, p. 342) regarding events that occurred in 694 ah:

[Among those who died this year there was] Al-Faruthi — the shaykh, the imam, the worshipper, the ascetic, the orator ‘Izz al-Din Abu ‘l-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Shaykh Muhiy al-Din Ibrahim ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Faraj ibn Sabur ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Ghunaymah al-Faruthi al-Wasati. He was born in the year 614 ah, heard hadith and travelled in search for this. He had an excellent hand in this, and also in tafsir, fiqh, delivering advice and eloquence. He was religious, pious and ascetic. He came to Damascus during the rule of al-Zahir^[11] and was given the responsibility of teaching at the [Madrasah] al-Jarudiyyah and leading prayers at the Ibn Hisham Masjid. For that he was assigned a salary according to the need, this he would distribute to others. He was a man of pious conditions (hal) and many kashf…

Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates many stories and makes mention of the lofty stations of this shaykh. He then continues:

The day of his death was a day to be seen in Wasit. His funeral prayer was also offered in Damascus and other places — may Allah Most High have mercy on him. He donned the mantle of Tasawwuf according to the Suhrawardi way. He would recite the ten ways of reading the Quran. He left behind two thousand two hundred books. He narrated a lot. Al-Birzali heard many hadiths from him: Sahih al-Bukhari, Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah, Musnad al-Shafi‘i, Musnad ‘Abd ibn Humayd, Mu‘jam al-Tabarani al-Saghir, Musnad al-Darami, Fadail al-Quran of Abu ‘Ubayd, and another eighty other books apart from this.

13. Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 14, p. 227) regarding events that occurred in 749 ah:

On Saturday, 3 Rajab, the funeral of Shaykh ‘Ali al-Maghribi, one of the students of Shaykh Taqi al-Din ibn Taymiyyah, was offered at Jami‘ al-Aframi at the foot of Mount Qasyun where he was buried — may Allah have mercy on him. He was a person of worship, asceticism, simplicity in dress and piety. He did not take up any post at all in this world. He also had no wealth. Rather, he would be given some spoils from war which he would spend little by little. He would be preoccupied with Tasawwuf and left behind a wife and three children. May Allah have mercy on him.

Previous sections:

Sufism and the Imams of the Salafi Movement: Introduction
Shaykh Muhammad bin ‘Abd al-Wahhab and Sufism
Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim and Sufism – Part One
Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim and Sufism – Part Two
Imam al-Dhahabi and Sufism

1. Published by Maktabah al-Riyad al-Hadithiyya, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Shaykh ‘Abd al-Hafiz
2. He is the great shaykh of the Sufis who known by them and others as sayyid al-ta’ifah (master of the Sufis) — Shaykh ‘Abd al-Hafiz.
3. Khabis is a type of sweet dish made using flour. Several versions of this dish are mentioned in Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq’s 10^th century cookery book Al-Kitab al-Tabikh. It seems that Khabis al-Jazr (khabis made from carrots) is the classic Indo-Pak carrot halwa — translator.
4. In some versions it is al-Zaqqaq — translator.
5. According to the Mu‘jam al-Buldan (The Dictionary of Countries), al-Shuniziyyah is a cemetery in the east of Baghdad and the resting ground of a group of pious people — translator.
6. The ratl is a unit of weight used in many Muslim lands. The ratl varies in weight. According to J. G. Hava’s Classical Arabic-English Dictionary, one ratl is the weight of 5 lbs in Syria and 15 ¾ oz in Egypt. South Asians often use the word to denote the imperial pound — translator.
7. Al-Amjad was the grand nephew of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (may Allah have mercy on him) and governor of Baalbek between 1182 and 1230 — translator.
8. He is the one to whom returns all of the chains of the Suhrawardi tariqah – Shaykh ‘Abd al-Hafiz.
9. Explanation of these terms will follow in greater detail in the section regarding Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, insha Allah — translator.
10. Al-‘Adil (1145-1218) was an Ayyubid general and ruler. His full name was al-Malik al-Adil Sayf al-Din Abu-Bakr ibn Ayyub. He was the son of Najm al-Din Ayyub and a younger brother of Salah al-Din Ayyubi. He provided crucial military and civilian support to his brother in their wars against the Crusaders — translator.
11. Al-Zahir was the Mamluk Sultan Baibars whose complete name was al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baibars al-Bunduqdari (1223 –1277). He was one of the commanders of the forces which inflicted a devastating defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France — translator.

Tasawwuf was the special focus of the seniors of Deoband who, on completion of their exoteric studies, would not rest until they had achieved proficiency in the esoteric sciences to become ‘ulama who embodied the two wings of Shari‘ah and Tariqah. The letters of the seniors of Deoband are replete with discussions on Tasawwuf and highlight the importance that they gave to spiritual reformation. The following is a collection of three letters between Imam Rabbani Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi and Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri. These letters are of twelve that appear in Tadhkirat al-Rashid and Tadhkirat al-Khalil. Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya would advise his murids, especially those who had been granted khilafah, to read these letters diligently. These three letters were also reproduced in Shaykh al-Hadith’s introduction to Ikmal al-Shiyam. They provide excellent insight into our seniors and exemplify the way they lowered themselves in front of their spiritual guides to reform themselves. Incidentally, Ikmal al-Shiyam is to be soon published by White Thread Press together with Shaykh al-Hadith’s introduction – editor.

Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri’s Letter

My master and mawla, the medium of my day and night — may Allah perpetuate the shadow of your blessings.

 The lowliest slave, the smallest of those who pay homage and the worse from among the murids, the disgraced Khalil — after offering his salutations and salams — wishes to say that for some time I have intended to inform you of my lowly and sorrowful condition. However, fear of being audacious and the anxiety relating to not having means became a misfortune for the self and an impediment.

Firstly, after the association (i.e. bay‘ah) and by virtue of [your] spiritual attention (tawajjuh), I felt the consolation that is felt by a child. However, since the blessed days of fasting (Ramadan) I have been thrown into an abyss of confusion — what can I say? Save proximity [to] (qurb) and joining (wisal) [with Allah], I am experiencing distance and a feeling of being forsaken. It is not just loss of that spiritual state (hal) but there is also a feeling of the matter being strait in that there is no way of proximity, joining and witnessing Him (mushahadah) — I have nothing in respect to the Lord of Lords Who is Most High. From the beginning until the present time, this useless one has been unable to do anything. Nevertheless, the grace of Allah Most High has been with me by virtue of your spiritual attention. Although I have always been deficient in the fulfilment of commands, you have not curtailed your acute benevolence. As a result, I have always mustered courage [to continue]. My courage, however, is now breaking; in fact it has now broken. We have not recognised you as you deserve.

Whatever I think about, I see “the other” (ghayr)^[1] — the different types of nur are ghayr, existence (wujud) is ghayr and bewilderment (hayrat)^[2] is ghayr. The heart yearns for the perception of the divine (idrak) in a formless state; this, however, appears impossible. There is no formless idrak. Whatever idrak that occurs is coupled to some form.

[Mawlana Saharanpuri then quotes a couplet from an Urdu poem, the translation of which is as follows - editor]

The search is for You; tell us where.

The point is that my temperament remains in strange thoughts. There was, at the beginning, hope of a gracious gaze which could be seen; now it cannot be seen even when searching for it — it is as if it was something never mentioned.  Along with this bewilderment, darkness can be felt which seems to be from one side. Nevertheless, all praise is for Allah and again all praise is for Him that [the feeling of] hudur^[3] is intact and there is a feeling of consolation in the interior of the heart. To be more audacious and write further would be disrespectful. If there is a blessed prayer for this servant in this respect then do instruct as it will be a means for contentment and peace.

[Mawlana Saharanpuri then quotes the following Urdu poem - editor]

Let it enlighten the various sections of the heart and soul

So that you may become a coveted full moon,

It is heard that with your light you

Enlighten the fourteen worlds at once.

The most contemptible servant who is hopeful for your gracious gaze.

Khalil Ahmad (may he be forgiven)

Saharanpur,

Friday, 9 Dhu ‘l-Qa‘dah, 1315 ah

Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi’s Reply

From the slave Rashid Ahmad (may he be forgiven).

After the sunnah salam, know that your letter has reached me. Your condition has been understood. Whatever you have written in regard to bewilderment is, in fact, divine proximity — the saints have said that those in close divine proximity dwell in bewilderment.

The Being (dhat) of Allah is beyond comprehension (idrak) as is said [in the Qur’an]: “Eyes cannot comprehend Him” (6:103). In fact, even the heart and intelligence of man cannot comprehend Him.

[Mawlana Gangohi then quotes a Persian poem, the translation of which is as follows -- editor]

Other than those who have been granted the spiritual foresight of the Realm of A’last,

None else can even imagine the reality of The True Existence.^[4]

That Being is absolute (mutlaq) — in fact, He is above absoluteness (itlaq); there is no scope for even any sense of absoluteness. Whatever has entered one’s heart or mind is all ghayr; the Pure Being is free of all that. Hence, in such a condition what possibility is there for a formless state? The lot of the slave is only hudur and that is all. All praise is for Allah that you have acquired a portion of this. The hadith, “That you worship your Cherisher as you are seeing Him,” is everyone’s purpose and this is the claim of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace). Fortunate is he who attains whatever amount of it.

All other spiritual conditions (hal) besides this are not the purpose. Thus, on the basis of [the Qur’anic verse]: “If you are grateful, I shall certainly increase (my bounties) for you,” (14:7) continue to strive in [developing] the relationship (nisbat) of hudur and do not seek anything else. Hope for the kindness of Allah.

[Mawlana Gangohi then quotes a Persian couplet, the translation of which is as follows -- editor]

Whatever little water the cupbearer pours us is exact kindness.

Wa ‘l-Salam. Pray for this slave who will also supplicate for you.

14 Dhu ‘l-Qa‘dah 1315 ah

Mawlana Gangohi’s Second Letter

Molwi Khalil Ahmad, Al-Salamu ‘alaykum.

Your letter has arrived. I am extremely pleased to learn of the said [condition of] hudur and your inability to express gratitude [for this state] — all praise for this is due unto Allah. If every particle and hair of man were to be transformed into thousands and thousands of tongues and then one were to wish for a lengthy period of time of this world to give thanks for the most insignificant favour [of Allah], then thanking Allah Most High would not be possible. In fact, every intention to express thanks is also a great blessing. Who is there who can express gratefulness for the accordance of [the condition of] hudur?

Yes, if Allah accepts man’s inability of giving thanks in lieu of thanks, then it would not be too remote to say that the slave is under [divine] favour in that such a worthless and incapable one has had dealings with the Eternal Benefactor. He should thus completely annihilate himself and become shameful. The shame of one’s shortcomings and His favours should make one feel as if one is nothing. What else can be done?

It is of great thanks that you have been bestowed with this station (maqam) which, in the nomenclature of the Naqshbandis, is known as yad-dasht. Now, along with this yad-dasht, it is essential to have shame for Allah Who is the true sovereign. Just as one will not commit a displeasing degrading act in the presence of some senior benefactor of standing, so too should be one’s attitude in privacy with that ever present and seeing (hazir wa nazir) Protector (mawla), so that the reality of hudur can be complete.

Measure and weigh every act of yours, while keeping in view the Master Most High, according to the scale of Shari‘ah, which is the law by which to acquire [His] pleasure. This meditation (muraqabah) should be practised constantly. In short, one should contemplate every action in front of that Being; every action should be fulfilled or abandoned on the basis of His pleasure and displeasure — this is ihsan; may Allah grant us accordance. Pray for this incapable one that he also may be bestowed with this. Alas, life has been wasted and the actual goal has not been attained. However, the good estimate (husn al-zann) of friends could be of use then I have hope in [the hadith]: “I am according to the opinion which My servant has of Me.”

Regarding the issue of nikah, what advice can I give? It is my firm belief that there is no comfort in anything in the way there is in remaining unmarried. However, from among those necessary needs there is also nikah and to fulfil one necessity one needs to tolerate many difficulties. If there is no need to fulfil this need then I do not feel having a family is better than remaining single. However, if the intention is to increase the Ummah, then this is a different matter. Hence, I am unable to write anything clear and decisive on this issue — you know your situation more than I.

Regarding your desire to take up residence in Gangoh, what objection do I have? What else can I say? I have no objection regarding this. If you feel that it will be beneficial for you, then that is better…^[5] Continue to meticulously ask regarding your [spiritual] condition. That is all.

1. The word ghayr is used by the Sufis to mean things apart from Allah Most High. Only when the heart is removed from all sorts of ghayr will it be in a position to be for Allah [editor].
2. A spiritual state of ecstatic bewilderment in Divine Presence [translator].
3. The sense of the presence of Allah Most High. This is what the Sufis aspire [editor].
4. The translation of this poem has been kindly provided by Mawlana Tameem Ahmadi. The mawlana also provided a brief explanation of the above poem, he writes, “No human being can ever comprehend the true reality of Allah Most High’s sublime Being. The only thing that can ever perceive His existence is the heart of the gnostic (‘arif) who has been endowed with the recognition (ma‘rifah) of Allah Most High and remembers the ancient covenant from the World of Souls (‘Alam Arwah) when the souls answered the call of their Sustainer saying ‘of course’ (bala).” He also adds that the ancient covenant is referred to by the Sufis as the ‘Ahd-i-A’lastu; a name that has roots in the Qur’an (7:172) [editor].
5. There is a short sentence here which has not been translated as its meaning is unclear [editor].

Yes, since the basis of this faculty is the collectiveness of the mind and the unity of thought, it often occurs to some of those engaged in the remembrance of Allah Almighty who shun the world and what is in it, for they are at a high degree of collectiveness of mind and unity of thought. Its performance has been reported from some of them on some occasions, although the gnostics from them would scorn this and consider it a deficiency of complete servitude. This is why tasarruf has not been reported from the Prophets (upon them peace) at all.

Because it proceeds from some saints, tasarruf has become confused with karamah, although it is not in reality a part of karamah at all. Rather, karamah is the act of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) without the medium of natural means like imagination and contemplation, and the intention and volition of the performer of the miracle have no bearing on it, just like mu‘jizah. There is no difference between mu‘jizah and karamah except that the first is exclusive to Prophets (upon them peace) and is from the signs of prophethood, while the second is exclusive to saints and is from the signs of sainthood, and both of them proceed without the medium of natural means and without the intervention of the intention and volition of their [performers].^[1]

The upshot is that tasarruf is not a part of sainthood and [is not a sign of] acceptance with Allah Almighty at all, although it may have proceeded from some saints also. Yes, miracles are a sign of acceptance with Allah Almighty and of the saintliness of its performer.

In this context [i.e. Qur’an verses 27:38-40], both matters of karamah and tasarruf are conceivable from the companion of Sulayman (upon him peace). However, the exegetical narrations which have preceded indicate outwardly that it was a karamah since it was a consequence of his supplication using the Greatest Name of Allah. If it is said his statement: “I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you,” (27:40) indicates outwardly that it was intentional and volitional and this is a sign of tasarruf and not karamah, we say: It is possible that Allah Almighty inspired in his heart the acceptance of the supplication and the emergence of a karamah at his hands, so he said what he said based on the report of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), not based on it being intentional and volition. This is what our teacher [Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi] – may his sciences last – taught us.

Ahkam al-Qur’an, Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, Karachi: Pakistan, Third Edition, 1429 H, 3:38-9

1. See The Reality of Miracles

Some of them said: This desirable act should be totally abandoned in order to block the means to disobedience and to sever the substance of innovation in the religion.

And some of them said: This abomination is removed, and a recognised desirable act is not abandoned for its sake.

The Hanafis, Malikis and Hanbalis have inclined to the first [view]. Their proof is in His (Exalted is He) statement: “O you who believe, do not say ra‘ina, but say unzurna,” (Qur’an 2:104), as Ibn Kathir said in his Tafsir:

Allah Almighty forbade His servants from resembling the disbelievers in word and deed, and that is because the Jews would keep in mind the allusion in the speech with the objective of degrading [the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace)] – may the curses of Allah be upon them. Thus, when they intended to say: “Listen to us,” they would say: “Ra‘ina” (observe us) with the hidden meaning of “stupidity” (ru‘unah). [This is] as He (Exalted is He) said: “Among the Jews there are some who distort the words against their contexts, and say, ‘We hear and disobey,’ and, ‘Hear. May you not be made to hear,’ and, ‘Ra‘ina,’ twisting their tongues and maligning the religion.” (Qur’an 4:46)

Al-Baydawi said:

“Twisting their tongues,” twisting and turning with [their tongues] the speech into what resembles an insult, since they used ra‘ina, which resembles what they would use to insult one another, in place of unzurna.

It is not hidden that the sanctity of the Sahabah (Allah Almighty’s pleasure be on them all) is far removed from them [ever] alluding as the Jews would allude, or twisting their tongues as they would twist [them], yet despite this, you see they were forbidden from this word. This is not but from the door of blocking the means to abomination, and severing resemblance with the disbelievers. This is an elementary principle, from which uncountable branches derive.

From this the meaning of “relative innovation” (al-bid‘ah al-idafiyya) which ‘Allamah al-Shatibi discussed in his book al-I‘tisam is understood, and we will quote here a beautiful passage from it. He said:

Often an original practice is lawful but it falls onto the pattern of an innovation through the door of means…The reason for the inclusion of innovation here is that all that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) performed continuously of optional prayers and which he displayed openly in congregations, they are Sunnah, so acting on optional activities which are not Sunnah in the way a Sunnah is practiced equates to removing the optional act from its place stipulated in the Shari‘ah. Then a consequence of this is the laypeople and the ignorant believe that it is a Sunnah. This is a great evil! Because believing what is not a Sunnah [to be a Sunnah], and acting upon it within the remit in which a Sunnah is practiced equates to changing the Shari‘ah, just as if it were believed that an obligation is not an obligation or that that which is not an obligation is an obligation, and then practice in accordance with this belief – For, this is ruinous! So, granted, the action is originally valid, but its extraction from its remits [stipulated in the Shari‘ah] in belief or practice equates to ruining the laws of the Shari‘ah.

From this the justification of the righteous Salaf in their intentional avoidance of Sunnahs becomes manifest – so that the ignorant person doesn’t believe that it is from the obligations, like the sacrifice (udhiyah) and other than that, as has preceded. This is why most of them also forbade tracing the relics [of pious people], as al-Tahawi, Ibn Waddah and others transmitted from Ma‘rur ibn Suwayd al-Asadi, he said: “I attended the [Hajj] season with the commander of the believers, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him). When we turned back to Medina, I went back with him. When he had prayed with us the Morning Prayer and recited therein alam tara kayfa fa‘ala (Sura 105) and li’ilafi Quraysh (Sura 106), he then saw people taking a path, so he said: ‘Where are these people going?’ They said: ‘They are going to a mosque here wherein the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) prayed.’ He said: ‘Those before you were destroyed because of this! They traced the relics of their Prophets and adopted them as churches and monasteries. Whoever [unintentionally] catches the prayer in any of these mosques in which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) prayed, then he should pray in them, otherwise he should not intentionally proceed to them.’”

Ibn Waddah said: I heard ‘Isa ibn Yunus – the Mufti of the people of Tartus – say:

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered the cutting of the tree under which the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was pledged allegiance. He cut it because the people would go and pray under it, so he feared temptation for them.

Ibn Waddah said:

Malik ibn Anas and other jurists would dislike going to those relics of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) with the exception of Quba’ alone.

…

Malik would dislike all innovations even if it was [done] in goodness. All of this is a means to not take as a Sunnah what is not a Sunnah, or to consider as part of the Shari‘ah what is not recognised. Malik would dislike going to the Bayt al-Maqdis for fear that that would be taken as a Sunnah, and he would dislike going to the graves of the martyrs and he disliked going to Quba’ for that very fear – despite the reports that have come on encouragement towards this, but since the ‘ulama feared the consequence of that, they avoided it.

Ibn Kinanah and Ashhab said: We heard Malik say when he came to [the grave of] Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas: “I wish my legs were paralysed and I did not do this!”

…

Sa‘id ibn Hassan said: I used to read [hadiths] to Ibn Nafi‘, and when I read the hadith of spending generously [on one’s family] on the night of ‘Ashura’, he said to me: “Burn it!” I said: “Why is that O Abu Sa‘d?” He said: “For fear that it will be taken as a Sunnah.”

Hence, these are permissible or desirable activities, but they disliked their performance for fear of innovation, because taking them as Sunnah by continuously practicing upon them with open display of them – which is the nature of Sunnah – and when it falls on the pattern of Sunnahs, they turn into innovations without doubt. (End of abbreviated quote from al-Shatibi)

I say: This is the position of our Hanafi Imams (Allah Almighty have mercy on him). It is according to this [principle,] al-Halabi said in Sharh al-Munyah under “The Prostration of Gratitude and what is Done after the Prayer”: “It is disliked because the ignorant believe it is Sunnah or obligatory, and every permissible act leading to this is disliked.” Al-Shami said in the “Undesirable Acts of Prayer” of Radd al-Muhtar (1:43): “When a ruling wavers between Sunnah and innovation, avoidance of Sunnah is given priority.” The same [passage] is found in the Funerals [section] of Fatawa ‘Alamgiriyya and in it there is the addition: “That which wavers between obligatory and innovation, it should be practiced with caution.” Al-Tibi and al-Sayrafi said in their marginalia to Mishkat al-Masabih under the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud, “None of you should make any part of his prayer for the devil by believing that it is duty-bound on him to turn to his right, for indeed I have seen the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) many times having turned to his left,”: “[The principle] behind this is that one who persists on a recommended act and has resolve on it, and does not act on a concession, then the devil has afflicted him, so what about the one who persists on innovations or abominations?” These [quotations] are found in Majmu‘at al-Fatawa al-Laknawiyyah (2:295).

In brief, blocking the means and cutting off resemblance with the disbelievers is a wide door in the religion on which is premised uncountable branches and rulings; and the basis of all of this is what is contained in this noble verse of a clear indication to this.^[1]

Ahkam al-Qur’an, Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, Karachi: Pakistan, Third Edition, 1429 H, 1:54-6

1. This is part of the commentary of Surah Baqarah from the work Ahkam al-Qur’an which was completed by Mawlana Zafar Ahmad al-‘Uthmani on the 21^st of Shawwal 1358 H (1939 CE) “under the shade of the knower of Allah, the sage of the Muhammadan nation, the renewer of the monotheistic religion, the interpreter of the Qur’an, the master of elucidation, the bringer of proof and evidence, the greatest of the exegetes of his time, the haven of the jurists and hadith-scholars in his time, the chief gnostic, the head of the perfect saints, the noblest of the practicing scholars, the trustworthy and firm proof, the pious saint, the commander of the believers in exegesis, hadith and jurisprudence, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi, may Allah cause the shadows of his blessings to last, and overflow the worlds with his righteousness and good deeds, and lengthen his stay in safety, good health and happiness.” (Ahkam al-Qur’an, Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, Karachi: Pakistan, Third Edition, 1429 H, 1:746)

Say, “None in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the unseen except Allah.” And they do not know when they will be raised again. (Qur’an 27:65)

The Exclusiveness of the Knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen) to Him (Exalted is He) apart from all Creation

This verse proves the exclusiveness of the knowledge of the ghayb to Him (Great and Glorious is He), and its negation from all besides him, whoever he may be. This is an undisputed verdict, pronounced by clear texts of the Book and Sunnah. The ummah have agreed upon it, and the four schools and all the jurists of the towns have reached consensus on it, and the one who denies it, turns apostate. However, some of the children of our time have with respect to this [matter] fallen into straitness and difficulty, so much so that some fools and commoners have almost fallen into a grave affair – and protection is from Allah (Exalted is He)! Therefore, I wished to expand the discussion on this [topic] with some detail, in which the harmony between the verses, hadiths and reports of the Salaf will be studied and the import [of their speech] will be determined. Then the doubts of those who have strayed from the straight path will be dispelled – and Allah is the Guide to the Straight Path.

Determining the Meaning of the Ghayb that is Exclusive to Him (Exalted is He)

Know, firstly, that those who have become obsessed in this matter with figurative interpretation or denial, it is only the affirmation of knowledge of ghayb for the Chief of the Prophets and Messengers, the collector of the sciences of the earlier and later peoples, our master and our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), that drives them to this, due to their belief that its negation from him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is a blemish within the sanctity of his prophethood and messengership, or a reduction in his rank. Hence, they got into [the dilemma] which they got into without determining the meaning of the ghayb that is exclusive to His (Exalted is He) essence, which is negated from him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the rest of creation; and they began to derive proof for their conclusion from all that is transmitted about his knowledge or his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reports about the unknown, yet they do not know that what is established by these proofs is not negated from him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the Shari‘ah according to any of the Muslims, and what is negated from him is not established by these verses.

Therefore, you must firstly determine the meaning of ghayb which is exclusive to His (Glorious and High is He) essence, that is negated from all besides Him, so it becomes clear to you that the ghayb which is specific to His (Glorified and Exalted is He) essence cannot possibly be acquired by any of the creation. Just as the negation of divinity and exclusive divine attributes from our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and all prophets and messengers is not a blemish or a reduction in their ranks at all, similarly negating this ghayb from him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) does not infringe on his rank or on a merit from his merits at all. The objective of this negation is not that he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) knows nothing of the unknown. How [can this be the objective], when the texts of the Book and Sunnah regarding his (upon him blessing and peace) comprehension of many things from the unknown have been recurrently transmitted such that the scope of this subject is too small to contain them?

The Meaning of Ghayb Linguistically and in the Shari‘ah

Verifying the meaning of ghayb, Imam al-Raghib al-Asfahani said in Mufradat al-Qur’an:

Ghayb is a verbal noun of [ghaba in the sentence]: “The sun – and other than it – went out of sight (ghabat)” when it is concealed from the eye. It is said: “Such-and-such was hidden (ghaba) from me.” He (Exalted is He) said [quoting Sulayman (peace be upon him)]: “Or is he [i.e. Hudhud] from the absentees (gha’ibin)?” (27:20). It [i.e. ghayb] is used for everything hidden from the senses and all that is hidden from the knowledge of people in the sense of [being] absent. He said: “There is nothing hidden in the heavens and the earth that is not in a manifest book.” (27:75)

A thing is called “unseen” (ghayb) and “hidden” (gha’ib) by consideration of it with respect to people, not with Allah (Exalted is He), for nothing is hidden from Him, as not even the measure of an atom in the heavens and earth is hidden from Him (Qur’an 34:2, 10:61). His statement: “Knower of the unseen and seen” (6:73) refers to what is hidden from you and what you see. The “unseen” (ghayb) in His statement: “They believe in the unseen” (2:3) [refers to] that which does not fall below the senses (hawass) and the immediate intuition of the intellects does not necessitate it, and it is only known from the report of the prophets (upon them peace), and by its rejection the term “apostasy” (ilhad) applies to a person.

…

Based on these [meanings] are His statements: “Those who fear their Lord unseen” (21:49), “To Allah belong the secrets of the heavens and the earth” (11:123), “Has he peeped into the unseen?” (19:78), “He does not disclose His unseen to anyone” (72:26), “None in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the unseen except Allah” (27:65), “This is from the news of the unseen” (3:44, 11:49, 12:102), “Allah is not one to acquaint you with the unseen,” (3:179) and, “Surely You alone have the full knowledge of all that is unseen” (5:109).

The outcome of this is that “unseen” (ghayb) and “hidden” (gha’ib) in the Mighty Qur’an are used for a number of meanings. Hence, in His (Exalted is He) statement: “Or is he from the absentees (gha’ibin)?” (27:20) by “absentee” is meant the recognised linguistic meaning, that is, something hidden from the senses. And in His (Exalted is He) statement, “None in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the unseen (ghayb) except Allah” (27:65) and its equivalents, which concern us [here], the intent of “unseen” is that which does not fall below the senses, and is not comprehensible by rational, experiential or mathematical proofs. Thus, whatever can be comprehended by the senses or rational, experiential or mathematical proof or by any normal or natural means, it is not ghayb based on this definition, and is exclusive to His essence (Exalted is He).

It says in al-Nibras, the marginalia to Sharh al-‘Aqa’id al-Nasafiyyah:

In conclusion, ghayb is all that is hidden from the senses and [from] immediate and theoretical knowledge. The Qur’an has pronounced the negation of its knowledge from all besides Him (Exalted is He). Therefore, whoever claims he knows it, he has disbelieved, and whoever assents to the [claim of the] claimant has disbelieved. As for that which is known by sense-perception or by immediate knowledge or any proof, it is not ghayb, and there is no disbelief in claiming [knowledge of] it, and nor is its assent with certainty in definitive [proof] and with uncertainty in conjectural [proof] [disbelief] according to the verifiers. By this conclusion, the doubt about matters which are assumed to be from the ghayb, and [in reality] are not from it due to being comprehensible by hearing, sight or any other proof, is dispelled.

One of them [i.e. those matters assumed to be from the ghayb but are in reality not from them] is the reports of the prophets (upon them peace), because that was acquired through revelation or the creation of an immediate knowledge in them, or through exposing the [created] existents to their senses.

A second of them is the report of a saint because that is acquired from a prophet or from a true dream or from inspiration or from peeping into the Preserved Tablet which is affirmable according to the people of unveiling, although some jurists disallow it.

A third of them is the report of the one who calculates the sonar and lunar eclipse because it is by the means of definitive astronomical proofs.

A fourth of them is the reports of an astrologer and geomancer because astrology and geomancy are two theoretical sciences revealed to some of the prophets, and then they were taken away and people became confused about them, so whoever draws proof using a prophetic principle he will deliver in [his] report.

A fifth of them is the report of a soothsayer because it is from that which the jinni informs him after seeing or hearing the angels who know future occurrences by revelation.

The equivalent of this is stated in Ruh al-Ma‘ani with more clarity and detail. It is mentioned in it after this that:

The unqualified usage of “knowledge of the ghayb” for these things after this is unjustified, yet if you refuse but to call these things “ghayb,” then knowledge of it – because it is through the medium of means – is not from the knowledge of ghayb that is negated from other than Him (Exalted is He) at all. Similar is all knowledge of the unknown acquired through the medium of a means from the means like our knowledge of Allah (Exalted is He) and His lofty attributes and our knowledge of Paradise and Hell and the like of this. However, if you were to be fair you would recognise that what the astronomer and his ilk possess is not real knowledge but is merely suspicion and guesswork, and is premised on what is weaker than the house of a spider. In sum, knowledge of the ghayb without a medium, completely or partially, is exclusive to Allah (Glorious and High is He), which none of creation know at all. (Ruh al-Ma‘ani)

I say: By this the answer to what some doctors report of what is in the wombs whether male or female according to experience, procedures and medical means, and what the modern scientists report of the time of the rain coming down, its place and the quantity of rain by means of what they observe from the vapours rising from the oceans and then their movement to a region from the regions, and the quality of their movement and their density, and similarly what those who possess a powerful imaginative faculty called the mesmerists claim from the knowledge of the ghayb, will become clear to you, because it is not from the aforementioned ghayb at all, nor is their knowledge of these things a real certain knowledge, rather they are merely guessing, “and guesswork avails nothing against truth” (Qur’an 53:28), because all that they report of from the unknown, it is by the indication of experience and norms and through the medium of the imaginative faculty, so it is not ghayb according to the aforementioned meaning. Moreover, the knowledge acquired by these [means] is also not real knowledge; rather most of what they claim are errors and misjudgements which they use as a trap to catch the ignorant people while they are themselves wavering in doubt. Whatever is accurate from them, in spite of its rarity and uncommonness, it also does not offer knowledge – it is ultimately probability and guesswork, while [our] discussion is only about knowledge and certainty.

Once the meaning of the ghayb that is exclusive to His (Glorious and High is He) essence is clear to you from what we have relayed to you, most of the doubts of the laypeople will be dispelled thereby, because many of the things which they call ghayb and then identify that [some] people know it and thus they deem it a contradiction of this undisputed verdict, that is the exclusiveness of knowledge of the ghayb to Him (Exalted is He), then after this definition you are aware that all of what they know by effort and experiment is not ghayb in reality and is not exclusive to His (Exalted is He) essence and is not impossible for creation; rather, that which is exclusive to His (Exalted is He) essence is not acquirable by anyone.

The Distinction between Knowledge of the Ghayb and Reports of the Ghayb

Similarly, the foolishness of those who claim that the opinion of the exclusiveness of the knowledge of ghayb to His (Glorified and High is He) essence entails that our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and all the prophets (upon them peace) do not know anything of the unseen and this contradicts recurrently transmitted texts, is exposed thereby, as you are aware from what we mentioned that this fallacy only arises due to not having defined the ghayb that is exclusive to His (Exalted is He) essence. After defining it, the true state of affairs, that His (Exalted is He) exclusive knowledge of the ghayb does not negate our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and all prophets (upon them peace) being aware of millions of secrets by His (Glorified and Exalted is He) sending revelation to them, becomes clear, and indeed the texts of the Qur’an have stated this where He (Exalted is He) said in a number of verses: “These are from the reports (anba’) of the ghayb which we revealed to you.” (3:44, 11:49, 12:102) Hence, it is apparent that the reports of the ghayb are given to prophets, but this is not knowledge of the ghayb which is exclusive to Him (Exalted is He).

Yes, total encompassing knowledge of all of the secrets of what was and will be, such that their knowledge becomes equal to the knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) quantitatively [i.e. with respect to created things], will not be attained by them, and this is because the texts indicate that total encompassing knowledge such that not even the measure of an atom is hidden from it in the world and in the sky is exclusive to Him (Exalted is He), in just the same way the exclusiveness of intrinsic knowledge of the ghayb to Him (Exalted is He) has been established. Now, there remains only the establishment of these two exclusive attributes by the texts of the Qur’an and hadith.

The Proofs for the Exclusiveness of Knowledge of the Ghayb to Him (Exalted is He)

That is, the exclusiveness of intrinsic knowledge of the ghayb to Him (Glorified is His Eminence) and the exclusiveness of encompassing knowledge of all that was and will be to Him, so we say, and Allah grants success:

As for the exclusiveness of intrinsic knowledge of the ghayb to Him, the texts of the Book proclaim it in such a way that there is no room for a doubter to doubt. There are many verses stating this, stemming from three basic principles:

First, those in which are mentioned the exclusiveness of knowledge of the ghayb absolutely, without exception, to Him (Exalted is He).

Second, those in which the exception of those who are from the messengers are mentioned.

Third, those in which are mentioned the exclusiveness of the five keys of the ghayb or a particular part of it to Him (Glorified and High is He).

All of these are in agreement, some of them explaining the other, as is the nature of the Qur’an. So beware of thinking that they contradict one another such that you cancel out some of them by means of others, as is the practice of the heretics. The exclusiveness of ghayb to His (Exalted is He) essence absolutely does not negate in any way the exception of those approved from the messengers, and likewise specifically mentioning the keys to the ghayb or some of them, due to their position as the core elements of the ghayb, does not negate the establishment of the exclusiveness of ghayb to His (Exalted is He) essence absolutely as is not hidden to one who has a grasp of knowledge.

The verses which stem from the first principle are, for example, His (Exalted is He) statement: “Say, ‘No one in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the ghayb except Allah.’” (27:65) and His  (Exalted is He) statement: “To Allah belongs the ghayb of the heavens and the earth, and to Him the entire matter shall be returned” (11:123) and His  (Exalted is He) statement: “To Allah belongs the ghayb of the heavens and the earth; and the matter of the Hour is but as a twinkling of the eye, or it is nearer” (16:77) and His  (Exalted is He) statement: “To Him belongs the ghayb of the heavens and the earth” (18:26) and His  (Exalted is He) statement: “The day when Allah will assemble the messengers and will say to them, ‘How were you responded to?’ They will say, ‘We have no knowledge. Surely You alone have the full knowledge of all that is ghayb.’” (5:109) and His (Exalted is He) statement [commanding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to say]: “If I had the knowledge of the ghayb, I would have accumulated a lot of good things, and no evil would have ever touched me” (7:188) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “And they say, ‘Why is it that no sign has been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say, ‘The ghayb is only for Allah. So, wait. I am waiting with you.’” (10:20) and His (Exalted is He) statement [commanding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him to say]: “And I do not say to you that I have the treasures of Allah, nor that I have the knowledge of the ghayb, nor do I say that I am an angel” (11:31).

The verses which stem from the second principle are, for example, His (Exalted is He) statement: “Knower of the ghayb. So He does not let anyone know His ghayb, except a messenger whom He chooses [to inform through revelation], and then He appoints [angels as] watching guards before him and behind him, so that He knows that they have conveyed the messages of their Lord. And He has encompassed all that is with them, and has comprehensive knowledge of everything by numbers.” (72:26-8) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “Allah is not to inform you of the ghayb, but Allah selects from His messengers whom He wills.” (3:179) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “These are from the reports of the ghayb, which We reveal to you.” (11:49) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “That is from the reports of the ghayb, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they determined their target, and when they were planning.” (12:102)

The verses which stem from the third principle are, for example, His (Exalted is He) statement: “With Him are the keys of the ghayb. No one knows them but He.”  (6:59) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “Verily with Allah is knowledge of the Hour. He sends down the rain, and He knows that which is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Verily, Allah is Knower, Aware.” (31:34)

Ibn Kathir said in its commentary:

These are the keys of the ghayb, which correspond with His (Exalted is He) statement: “With Him are the keys of the ghayb. No one knows them but He.” (6:59) It is reported in the Sunnah that these five are called the keys of the ghayb.

It is thus acknowledged that the verse of Surah Luqman (31:34) is an explanation of the verse from Surah An‘am (6:59).

And for example, His (Exalted is He) statement: “They ask you about the Hour, ‘When is it due to happen?’ Say, ‘Its knowledge is only with my Lord. No one can unfold it except He at its time.’” (7:187) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “To Him alone the knowledge of the Hour is to be referred” (41:47) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “They ask you about the Hour as to when it will take place. In which capacity are you to tell this?” (79:43-4) and other such examples in which are mentioned the restriction of the knowledge of the Hour to His (Glorified and High is He) essence; and His (Exalted is He) statement: “Nor does a female conceive a baby, nor does she deliver it, but with His knowledge.” (41:47)

You are aware that the specific mention of some particulars for a reason and a wisdom does not negate the establishment of another part. Do you not see that He (Exalted is He) said: “To Allah belongs the ghayb of the heavens and the earth” and His (Exalted is He) statement: “Knower of the ghayb” in which only the unseen (ghayb) is mentioned, but this does not contradict His (Blessed and Exalted is He) statement in Surah al-Mu’minun: “Knower of the unseen (ghayb) and the seen (shahadah), Exalted is He above that which they associate!” (23:92)? Similar to this is His (Exalted is He) statement in describing those conscious [of Allah]: “Those who believe in the unseen, and are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided them” (2:3), since He specifically chose to mention faith in the unseen, prayer and charity, and He did not mention in this [verse] fasting and Hajj or other obligations which are incumbent on believers, as the specification of the aforementioned three [things] in the verse does not negate the establishment of the remainder also by indication of other texts. Hence, the specific mention of the Hour or what is conceived in a female or all the five keys does not negate the exclusiveness of knowledge of other ghayb to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He).

As for the purpose of specification, it is because these five are the core elements of the ghayb and are its foundations, and because the exception mentioned in His (Exalted is He) statement: “Except a messenger whom He chooses” (72:26) does not apply to these five since He (Exalted is He) does not reveal them to any of the prophets (upon them peace) with complete identification such that it creates absolute certainty as is the outward of the Qur’an. More verification of this will come in Surah Luqman if Allah (Exalted is He) wills.

Hence, these verses stemming from those three principles all pronounce the exclusiveness of intrinsic knowledge of the ghayb to His (Exalted is He) essence, while excluding what He (Exalted is He) taught His prophets and His close friends of some of the unknown.

Similarly, the texts of the hadith pronouncing this are more than can be counted. From them is what al-Bukhari narrated from ‘A’ishah (Allah Almighty be pleased with her) in a long hadith, she said: “Whoever tells you that Muhammad (Allah bless him and gtrant him peace) knows the ghayb, he has lied, as He [i.e. Allah] has said none knows the ghayb besides Allah.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tawhid). From them is what Ibn Jarir narrated from ‘A’ishah (Allah be pleased with her), “Whoever claims that he [i.e. the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)] tells people of what will happen tomorrow, he has produced a great slander against Allah, for Allah says: ‘None in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the unseen except Allah’ (27:65)” (Tafsir Ibn Jarir, Surah al-Naml). After citing these clear texts of the Book and Sunnah, there is no need to mention the reports and statements of the Salaf and the Imams. However, a nice selection of them will come shortly.

The Exclusiveness of Encompassing Knowledge to Him (Exalted is He)

As for the exclusiveness of total encompassing knowledge to Him (Exalted is He) and its absolute impossibility for other than Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), intrinsically or extrinsically, the texts of the Book and Sunnah pronounce this too.

As for the Book, for example His (Exalted is He) statement: “He knows what is in the land and the sea. No leaf ever falls but that He knows about it, and there is no grain in the dark layers of the earth, or anything fresh or dry that is not recorded in a manifest book.” (6:59) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “My dear son, in fact, if there be anything to the measure of a grain of rye, and it be [hidden] in a rock or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Surely, Allah is All-Fine, All-Aware.” (31:16) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “He knows what is before them and what is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge, except what He wills.” (2:255)

It says in Ruh al-Ma‘ani:

Knowledge of what is before them and what is behind them is an allusion to His (Glorified and Exalted is He) encompassing knowledge, and its meaning is none of them know the true nature of any part from the contents of His (Exalted is He) knowledge except what He wishes for them to know.

He said: “Hidden from your Lord is nothing even to the measure of an atom on the earth or in the heavens.” (10:61) and He (Exalted is He) said: “So that you may know that Allah is powerful over everything, and that Allah has encompassed everything in knowledge.” (65:12) and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: “He has encompassed all that is with them, and has comprehensive knowledge of everything by numbers.” (72:28) and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: “Allah has full knowledge of everything.” (4:176) These verses and their equivalents which are difficult to enumerate pronounce that total encompassing knowledge, such that even the measure of an atom is not hidden from it, is from the attributes of Allah which are exclusive to Him and impossible for creation, as revealed by the context of all these verses, while such knowledge is negated from other than Allah (Exalted is He) explicitly in some of them^[1].

The outcome of this discussion is that, that which is exclusive to His (Glorified and High is He) essence is intrinsic knowledge of the ghayb, as well as total encompassing knowledge from which the measure of an atom is not hidden of all that was and will be. Everything besides this is attainable by the prophets and the chosen servants by His (Glorious and Exalted is He) bestowal. Thus, there is no confusion in the hadiths in which reporting of the unseen is established from our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). This was stated by the verifying scholars. Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676 H) said in his Fatawi:

The meaning of this is none knows this independently and with encompassing knowledge of all knowable things besides Allah (Exalted is He). As far as miracles and charismata are concerned, it is by means of Allah’s (Exalted is He) revelation to them that it is known, and likewise what is known by extrapolating from the norm. (al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyyah)

‘Allamah Ibn Hajar al-Makki (d. 974 H) in al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyyah (p. 223) said [something] similar to this.

‘Allamah Mufti Abu al-Su‘ud (d. 982 H) said in the commentary of His (Exalted is He) statement: “Knower of the ghayb, so He does not reveal His ghayb to anyone” (72:26):

The fa’ (so) is for the progression (tartib) from His (Exalted is He) exclusiveness in having knowledge of ghayb absolutely to not revealing the ghayb. This means: He does not enclose to any of His creation His ghayb with complete enclosure whereby the true state of affairs is completely uncovered resulting in absolute certainty (‘ayn al-yaqin). “Except a messenger whom He chooses,” meaning, except a messenger to whom He chooses to reveal some of His ghayb which have a complete connection to his messengership since the identification of the one who was chosen is expressed as a “messenger,” either because [this knowledge] is from the foundations of his message in that it is a miracle proving its genuineness or because it is from its pillars and its rules like all the obligations of Shari‘ah which all accountable people are commanded towards, and [like] the conditions of their works, their rewards as a consequence of them in the afterlife; and what it [i.e. the messengership] depends on from the conditions of the afterlife, explaining which is from the functions of messengership. As for that ghayb which has no connection to it [i.e. messengership] in either of these two manners, from the totality of which is the time the Hour will be established, He never shows it to anyone. Moreover, revealing its timing infringes on the divine wisdom around which that message revolves. This does not contain proof of the negation of the miracles of the saints related to unveiling (kashf), as none of the saints claim to be at the level of the messengers (upon them be peace) in complete unveiling which is acquired through precise revelation.

‘Allamah Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami (d. 1252 H) said after quoting this in his treatise Sall al-Husam al-Hindi, the upshot of which is:

Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) alone has absolute knowledge of ghayb related to all knowable things. He only discloses to His messengers partial ghayb related to the message, a disclosure through precise revelation that is manifest and clear containing no doubt. This does not negate that some saints comprehend some of this [ghayb], a comprehension that is less than it in rank. Therefore, whoever claims knowledge of some events of the ghayb through revelation from its recipients [i.e. prophets] or through unveiling from the workers of miracles [i.e. saints], he is truthful and his claim is valid because what is exclusive to Him (Exalted is He) is absolute ghayb. Moreover, whatever the servant claims [to know of the unseen] is not real ghayb because it is by the disclosure of Allah (Exalted is He).

Al-Nasafi (d. 710 H) said in the commentary of His (Exalted is He) statement: “Except a messenger whom He chooses”: “Meaning, a messenger He chooses to [give] knowledge of some ghayb.” (Madarik)

Ibn Rashad said:

The statement of a man: “The sun will eclipse tomorrow” based on astronomy is not the same as the statement: “So-and-so will arrive tomorrow” in all respects because the claim of eclipse is not from the knowledge of ghayb because it is arrived at by astronomy so there is no heresy and no disbelief in it. However, occupation in it is disliked because it is from that which is of no concern and because when the ignorant person hears it he thinks it is knowledge of ghayb, so its practitioner will be reprimanded and disciplined. (From Rasa’il Ibn ‘Abidin, 2:315)

‘Allamah ‘Ali al-Qari (Allah have mercy on him) (d. 1014 H) said in al-Mirqat:

Ghayb has foundations and appendages. An angel brought near or a messenger sent will never comprehend its foundations. As for the appendages, it is that which Allah (Exalted is He) reveals to some of His beloveds from the tablet of His knowledge, and this is then excluded from absolute ghayb and becomes relative ghayb.

Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 310 H) said in the commentary of His (Exalted is He) statement: “No one can unfold it [i.e. the knowledge of the Hour] except He at its time.” (7:187):

This is a command from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to His Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to answer those who question him about the Hour that none knows the time of its establishment except Allah Who [alone] knows the ghayb, and He will not reveal its time and He (Glorious and Great is His Mention) will not make it known to [any] other than Him. (Tafsir Ibn Jarir, 9:88)

Imam Hafiz ‘Imad al-Din Ibn Kathir (d. 774 H) said in the commentary of His (Exalted is He) statement: “People ask you about the Hour (i.e. the Day of Judgment). Say, ‘Its knowledge is only with Allah.’” (33:63):

He (Exalted is He) says in communicating with His Messenger (the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he has no knowledge of the Hour, although people are asking him about it, and He instructed him to refer its knowledge to Allah (Great and Glorious is He) as He stated in Surah al-A‘raf (7:187) which is Meccan and this (i.e. 33:63) is Medinan, so the situation remained on referring its knowledge to the One Who will establish it. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The majority of the exegetes clearly stated the like of this. ‘Allamah ‘Ali al-Qari said in Sharh al-Shifa’:

The upshot is that the prophets do not know the secrets of things except what Allah (Exalted is He) told them from time to time. Our Hanafi ‘ulama have stated explicitly the one who believes that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) knows the ghayb is regarded as a disbeliever because of the clash with His (Exalted is He) statement: “Say, ‘None in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the unseen except Allah.’” (27:65). This was mentioned in al-Musamarah by Ibn al-Humam. (Sharh al-Shifa’, p. 469)

Al-Baghawi (d. 516 H) said in the commentary of His (Exalted is He) statement: “But Allah chooses from His messengers whom He wills” (3:179): “Thus, He discloses to him some of the knowledge of ghayb.” Al-Baydawi said in the commentary of this verse: “But Allah selected for His message whoever He wishes to reveal to him and inform him of some of the unseen.”

It says al-Mawdu‘at al-Kabir by Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari: “Whoever believes in the equality of the knowledge of Allah (Exalted is He) and His messengers, he is a disbeliever by consensus.”

In al-Rawdah it says as part of a long discussion on this issue:

The conclusion of this is that it is possible for the elite to know the ghayb in one matter or many matters as has occurred and is well-known from many of them, and that which is exclusive [to Allah] is complete knowledge and [complete] knowledge of the keys of the ghayb. (From Rasa’il Ibn ‘Abidin, 2:315).

This is a nice collection containing clear statements of the scholars in this chapter, sufficient for [our] purpose.

It is Impossible for all Creation to have Knowledge Equal to Allah Almighty Qualitatively and Quantitatively

That is, it is impossible for all creation to have knowledge equal to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), qualitatively and quantitatively. By “quality” is meant its acquisition without the medium of a means and proof like His (Glorified and Exalted is He) knowledge; and by “quantity” [is meant] its encompassment of all that was and will be without even the measure of an atom being hidden from it. So whoever claims such knowledge that is equal to Allah (Glorious is His Majesty) for any of creation whoever he may be, he has disbelieved, due to opposition to the Qur’an and appointing a partner with Allah in an attribute exclusive to Allah (Exalted is He).

Everything besides this is rationally possible. Hence, whatever is established from it for any of the messengers by authentic transmission, we accept it wholeheartedly, and whatever the Book and Sunnah is silent about, we remain silent about it, and whatever the Book and Sunnah negate for other than Allah, we negate it. This is the straight path and the upright way of all the predecessors and successors of this ummah.

It is not permissible to unqualifiedly use “knower of the ghayb” for any of the messengers, and likewise [it is not permissible to] unqualifiedly use “ignorance” for any of them. It is not hidden to you that the acquisition of some of the unknown by one of the servants is one thing, and calling him because of that “knower of the ghayb” is another thing, as the first is permissible and established as has preceded while the second is absolutely impermissible. The outcome of this is that the messengers and saints who know some of the unknown by being given the knowledge from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), it is not permissible to call any of them “knower of the ghayb” and [say] that he has knowledge of the ghayb. This is because firstly, that which is known by them after Allah (Exalted is He) informed [them] no longer remains absolute ghayb, rather relative to other than them of creation. Secondly, if it were conceded that it is ghayb, it may be established as an attribute of somebody in accordance with the literal meaning, but despite this, it is not permissible to unqualifiedly use its derivative for him due a wisdom of the Shari‘ah. Do you not see that nurturing (tarbiyah) amongst the creatures from one of them to another is widespread, and despite this it is not permissible to unqualifiedly use “lord” (rabb) for one who has taken the responsibility of nurturing, besides His (Glorified and Exalted is He) essence. Similarly, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) gives His kingdom to whoever He wills, and yet it is not permissible to call the one He gives it to “king of kings” in order to purify the words [used in everyday conversations] from any inkling of shirk. This is as is narrated by Muslim that he (upon him blessing and peace) forbade the master to call his slave: “O my slave!” or the slave [to call] his master: “O my Lord!” There are other such divine names whose meanings are shared between Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and His servants and even the [cognates of] the words are shared, but it is not permissible to unqualifiedly use its derivative for other than Allah (Exalted is He) like the All-Merciful (rahman), the Holy (quddus), the Sustainer (razzaq), the Self-Subsisting (qayyum) etc. since although from the perspective of their general meanings it entails that it is permissible to unqualifiedly use them for a servant, however, the Shari‘ah has restricted them to His (Exalted is He) essence, and it has not permitted its usage for other than Him, in order to elevate His glory and to block the means to shirk for the ummah. This was mentioned by al-Alusi in Ruh al-Ma‘ani.

Similarly, the keys to the ghayb and the knowledge of things which have not been established for the messengers, it is not permissible to unqualifiedly use the word “ignorance” of them with respect to them since due to its repulsiveness, it is bad manners with respect to them (Allah’s blessings and peace be on them all) as Qadi ‘Iyad stated in his Shifa’ (1:469) where he said:

When he speaks of knowledge, he should say whether it is possible he does not know or did not know, and he should not say “he is ignorant” due to the ugliness and repulsiveness of the word.

The upshot is that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) bestowed on His messengers knowledge of some of the ghayb and He prevented some others [of it], and just as the brilliant Shari‘ah gives due consideration to the matter of realities and truths, likewise it gives due consideration to the purification of [the usage of] words to caution from bad manners with respect to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) or with respect to His messengers, so it does not allow the usage of the word ignorance with respect to the dignity of the prophets (upon them peace), rather it is expressed as: “Their knowledge and their awareness of a certain thing is not established in the Shari‘ah.”

As for finding those who establish knowledge of the ghayb for other than Allah (Exalted is He) guilty of disbelief, there is some detail to this, which is that whoever claims knowledge of ghayb without a medium for other than Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) or [claims] total encompassing knowledge of all that was and will be such that the measure of an atom is not hidden from it, a knowledge equal to the Real (Glorified is His Majesty) in quality or in quantity [i.e. with respect to created things], and his speech does not bear any possibility of a favourable interpretation, he is a disbeliever by consensus due to his making a partner with Allah (Exalted is He) in an attribute from His (Exalted is He) exclusive attributes, and due to his opposition to verses proving the exclusiveness of ghayb to Him (Exalted is He).

Whoever claims knowledge of some ghayb by means of Allah’s (Exalted is He) disclosure to one of His messengers or close servants, and he calls him because of this “knower of the ghayb” or he says that “he knows the ghayb,” he is a sinful innovator, because he has acted disrespectfully with respect to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in this designation, just as if a master were to say to his slave: “My slave” or a slave to his master: “My lord,” or as if some creatures were to be named “the All-Merciful” (rahman) or “Sustainer” (razzaq) and their equivalents from those names which are exclusive to His (Exalted and Glorified is He) essence and the Shari‘ah has not allowed its unqualified usage for other than Allah (Exalted is He) like kind (ra’uf) and compassionate (rahim) [which have been used for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Qur’an (9:128)] and their equivalents. This is as is mentioned in al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyyah by Ibn Amir al-Hajj al-Maliki regarding the one who says, “The stars indicate to such-and-such [an event] but it is [only] by the act of Allah (Exalted is He) the matter will take place on the earth,” that it is a forbidden and innovated speech, so [the one who says this] will be disciplined but not found guilty of disbelief. Similar to this is what has preceded from Ibn Rashad that when the ignorant person hears it he thinks it is knowledge of ghayb, so its practitioner will be reprimanded and disciplined for it. (From Rasa’il Ibn ‘Abidin, 2:315). Thus, whatever appears in the books of the Hanafis and others, of the verdict of apostasy for one who affirms ghayb for anyone, it is understood to be in the first scenario and not the second.

‘Allamah al-Shami said in his treatise Sall al-Husam al-Hindi:

The [opinion] which we have endorsed, of the possibility of comprehending some matters of the ghayb by miracles or charismata or a natural sign by the preordainment of Allah (Exalted is He), has become clear to you. But if one were to claim it of himself independently or by means of a jinni reporting that to him with the belief of their knowledge of the ghayb or by means of reliance on the effect of stars, he is a disbeliever.

This is the intent of what is mentioned in al-Bazaziyyah that if one were to say, “I know the stolen items” he disbelieves, and whoever claims knowledge of ghayb for himself, he disbelieves. It says in al-I‘lam bi Qawati‘ al-Islam:

Al-Rafi‘i said, transmitting from the Hanafi imams, if one were to read [Qur’an] while striking the drum or playing the reed, or he was asked, “Do you know the ghayb?” and he said, “Yes,” he has disbelieved, and they differed over one who leaves for a journey whereupon a magpie caws and then he turns back, whether he disbelieves [or not].

It adds in al-Rawdah: “I say: The truth is that he does not disbelieve in the three instances.” His assessing the second [instance not being disbelief] as true was criticised because in saying “yes” there is a rejection of the text which is His (Exalted is He) statement: “With Him are the keys of the ghayb. No one knows them but He.”  (6:59) and His (Great and Glorious is He) statement: “Knower of the ghayb. So He does not let anyone know His ghayb, except a messenger whom He chooses” (72:26) where He (Exalted is He) did not exempt [anybody] besides a messenger. This is answered by [explaining] that his statement [“Yes” in response to “Do you know the ghayb?”] does not negate the text and does not incorporate a rejection [of it], due to [the possibility of] his truthfulness in having knowledge of the ghayb in a [particular] matter; and this is not specific to the messengers, rather it is can be found in other than them from the truthful saints, so it is possible for the elite to know the ghayb in one matter or multiple matters as has happened to many of them and is famous. That which is exclusive to Him is only knowledge of everything and knowledge of the keys of the ghayb referred to in His (Exalted is He) statement: “Verily with Allah is knowledge of the Hour. He sends down the rain, and He knows that which is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Verily, Allah is Knower, Aware.” (31:34)

[Allamah Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami said after quoting this:]

The conclusion of this account is that whoever claims knowledge of the ghayb in one matter or multiple matters, he does not disbelieve, and this is the context of what is found in al-Rawdah, while whoever claims its knowledge in all matters he disbelieves, and this is the context of what is found in its original reference. (Rasa’il Ibn ‘Abidin 2:311)

‘Allamah al-Qari (Allah have mercy on him) said: “Whoever believes in the equality of the knowledge of Allah (Exalted is He) and His messengers, he is a disbeliever by consensus.”

I only spoke at length on this subject although the issue is agreed-upon and not in need of much detail and explanation because of what has occurred in our lands of excessiveness and negligence in this subject. Hence, some of them claimed knowledge of ghayb for our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and gave him the title “knower of ghayb” with [the justification] that he knows the ghayb, while some ‘ulama attempted to declare them disbelievers absolutely.

The rightful truth from which you should not deviate is the aforementioned distinction, that whoever claims knowledge of ghayb without medium or total and comprehensive knowledge of all that was and will be such that it becomes equal to the knowledge of Allah (Glorified and High is His station), he is undoubtedly a disbeliever. However, those who affirm knowledge of ghayb for the messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) through the medium of revelation and Allah’s (Glorified and Exalted is He) disclosure, and then they do not claim him having comprehension of all that was and will be and the keys of the ghayb, rather [only] some of the unseen, it is not permissible to declare them disbelievers, rather they have innovated in their naming and have acted disrespectfully with respect to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). This is when the knowledge of those hidden things which they claim the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) knew is established by sound transmission. If it is not established by sound and reliable transmission according to the scholars of this science, then they have combined between two sins: the sin of innovation in calling him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) knower of the ghayb and the sin of fabricating about the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and he (upon him blessing and peace) said: “Whoever lies upon me intentionally let him prepare his seat in the Fire.” Despite this, they are sinful Muslims and it is impermissible to regard them as disbelievers. Most of the innovators who subscribe to [the doctrine of] knowledge of the ghayb for Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in our lands, those of them who are affiliated to knowledge, all of them are on this belief, so it is not permissible to consider them disbelievers. Yes, some of the ignorant of them state clearly he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) has encompassing knowledge of all that was and will be and even the five keys so there is no doubt in their disbelief if their speech does not contain the possibility of a favourable interpretation.

In sum, it is necessary to not be hasty in the ruling of disbelief with respect to them so long as their speech has not been investigated nor their objective defined, as the ruling of disbelief for a Muslim is a difficult affair in which there is no room for carelessness.

In Jami‘ al-Fusulayn [it says]: “Al-Tahawi narrated from our [Hanafi] scholars: ‘Nothing takes a man out of faith except denial of what admitted him into it.’ Thereafter, that in which there is certainty that it is apostasy, it will be determined as such, and in whatever there is doubt that it is apostasy, it will not be determined as such, since [their] Islam is positively established so will not be negated by a doubt, while Islam is also dominant. When this is raised to a scholar, he should not be hasty in [anathematising] the people of Islam, while he should also pass judgement on the soundness of the Islam of one forced [to leave Islam].”

In al-Fatawa al-Sughra [it says]: “Disbelief is a grave affair, so I do not consider a Muslim a disbeliever whenever I find a report that he has not disbelieved.”

In al-Khulasah and others [it says]: “When in an issue there are [a number of] possible angles necessitating the ruling of disbelief [on an individual] and one possible angle preventing the ruling of disbelief, the mufti must tend towards the angle which prevents disbelief, in order to maintain a good opinion of the Muslim.” In al-Bazaziyyah it adds: “Unless he clarifies an intention that necessitates disbelief.”

In al-Tatarkhaniyyah [it says]: “One is not ruled a disbeliever by [an act or statement] that holds [multiple interpretations], because disbelief [represents] the utmost consequence, so [only] the utmost crime will be apposite [to it], and with the possibility [of a favourable interpretation], the utmost [crime] does not [exist].” (This is mentioned in Sall al-Husam by Ibn ‘Abidin in Majmu‘at al-Rasa’il, 2:316)

Dispelling Doubts:

Some extremist ignorant people draw evidence for our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) knowing all the ghayb of what was and what will be, such that the measure of an atom is not hidden from him, from His (Exalted is He) statement: “He taught you what you did not know, and the grace of Allah on you has always been great” (4:113) based on their claim that the word “what” (ma) is general (‘amm) entailing the inclusiveness of all that was and will be. This is ignorance of the style of the Qur’an. Do they not see His (Exalted is He) statement: “He taught man what he did not know” (96:5) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “And he [i.e. the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)] teaches you what you did not know” (2:151) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “You [i.e. the Jews] were taught what you did not know, neither you nor your fathers,” (6:91) because if it was as these ignorant people believed it would be necessary for every person to have knowledge that is comprehensive of all that was and will be, and this is as you see, repugnant to every sound nature?

They also draw proof from His (Exalted is He) statement: “We have revealed to you the Book, an exposition of everything,” (16:89) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “We have not missed anything in the Book.” (6:38) and His (Exalted is He) statement: “A confirmation of what has been before it, and an elaboration of everything.” (12:111) This is also ignorance of the style of the Qur’an, rather even the common vernacular in every place.

Do they not see His (Exalted is He) statement about the queen of Sheba: “She has been given of all things” (27:23)? Did Bilqis therefore have all the animals of the sea and land, and all the insects of the earth, and all things that were invented after her like aeroplanes, steamships, radios, telephones and other such things? Similar to this is His (Exalted is He) statement: “We gave Musa the Book, perfect for the one who does good, and explaining everything in detail” (6:154) and “We wrote for him on the Tablets advice of every kind, and explanations of all things” (7:145) for it entails according to this belief that Musa (upon him peace) also knew all that was and will be despite the incident with him and Khidr (upon him peace) totally rejecting this. Thus it is apparent that the intent is all things that are apposite to it. In the same way, the Mighty Qur’an is revealed as an explanation for all things which must be known and which are apposite to its function, not that in such-and-such a day a certain fly will be born and from mosquitoes such-and-such and such-and-such will die. Even if we were to accept the generality of “all things,” its meaning would be that the Qur’an was revealed as an explanation of all things, and then this knowledge would not be exclusive to the Noble Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), rather it would extend to all who recite the Qur’an and will know it, whether a believer or not – and this is as you see [i.e. absurd]!

Some of them adhere to what al-Qastallani mentioned in al-Mawahib that “Allah (Exalted is He) raised the world to me so I was looking at it and what will happen therein to the Day of Resurrection.” He narrated it from Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him). And [they adhere] to what is narrated in al-Mishkat from Mu‘adh ibn Jabal (Allah be pleased with him) regarding the vision of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in which he said: “When suddenly I was with my Lord (Blessed and High is He) in the best form, so he said: ‘O Muhammad!’ I said: ‘I am here, my Lord!’ He said: ‘Regarding what, are the Highest Company arguing?’ I said: ‘I don’t know.’” He said this thrice. He said: “Then I saw Him place His palm between my shoulders until I felt the coolness of His fingertips between my breasts, and then everything became manifest to me and I knew. Then He said: ‘O Muhammad!’ I said: ‘I am here, my Lord!’ He said: ‘Regarding what, are the Highest Company arguing?’ I said: ‘About atonement.’” (Mishkat, Adab al-Masajid)

I say:

Firstly, these narrations are weak and such [reports] cannot be adduced as proof against the clear texts of the Qur’an and authentic hadiths, since it says in Kanz al-‘Ummal about the first hadith narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with them) that its chain is weak, and similarly, al-Bayhaqi weakened the second hadith – he said: “It was narrated from [different] routes, all of which are weak, and its authenticity is questionable.”

Secondly, after conceding the authenticity, they are from solitary reports which cannot override the Book.

Thirdly, the intent of “all things” are things apposite to that context, not all creation such that nothing is excluded from it, as is corroborated by the hadith about the vision, since the discussion was concerning what the Highest Company were arguing about and regarding this, he (upon him peace) said: “I don’t know.” Then after the placing of His (Exalted is He) palm, everything became manifest to him of this, until he knew that their dispute was over atonement.

Fourthly, after conceding [the literality of] “all,” the manifestation of all things to someone does not entail its encompassment in complete detail, and his knowledge of what is in the insides of things or their outsides, since the meaning of “manifestation” is “appearance,” so it may be that a large city in its entirety appears to someone when he ascends a lighthouse or a mountain and the entire city is in his field of view and it is acceptable for him to say, “I saw the entire city,” but this does not entail his encompassing knowledge of what is within it, especially of what is in the insides of houses and the different heights of the earth.

Fifthly, even if his encompassment of everything is accepted at the moment of the manifestation, this does not entail that it always remains. How [can it remain], when the texts and hadith-transmissions of things he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was unaware of [at the time of] his death, rather even at the resurrection also, are mass-transmitted? Consider His (Blessed and Exalted is He) statement: “The day when Allah will assemble the messengers and will say to them, ‘How were you responded to?’ They will say, ‘We have no knowledge.’” (5:109) How [can this be upheld] when all the messengers (Allah’s blessings be on them all) will come out to the plain of resurrection without knowing the details of the deeds of their nations? Al-Bukhari has narrated from Sahl ibn Sa‘d (Allah be pleased with him), Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri and Abu Hurayrah (Allah be pleased with them) through various chains, and the wording of Abu Hurayrah is that he would narrate that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “A group of my companions will come to me on the Day of Resurrection, and they will be driven away from the Pond, so I will say: ‘O my Lord! My companions!’ So He will say: ‘Verily you have no knowledge of what they invented after you.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Hawd, 2:974)

It was narrated from him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the Battle of Ahzab that “he wanted to know the conditions of the confederates on a cold rainy night, so he began to call again and again: ‘Who will go to the confederates and inform me of what they are doing?’ until Hudhayfah (Allah be pleased with him) was appointed, so he went and brought [news of] their conditions.” Similarly, al-Bukhari and others narrated that he (upon him blessing and peace) would send spies to know the conditions of the disbelievers. Likewise, in the Battle of Hudaybiyyah, “when the news of the murder of ‘Uthman (Allah be pleased with him) became widespread, this hurt him (upon him blessing and peace), so he took the pledge of death from the believers, and later, it became clear that he was alive.”

He (upon him blessing and peace) was in constant sorrow and grief during the incident of slander [of his wife, ‘A’ishah], and he did not know the reality of the situation except after revelation came and her innocence was sent down [from Allah]. And he (upon him blessing and peace) was in [a state of] worry when Quraysh asked him about the companions of the cave until revelation came down. Similarly, when Quraysh harassed him with questions about the description of Bayt al-Maqdis, he became worried until Allah (Exalted is He) unveiled it for him as a miracle. There are many examples of this from the events recorded in authentic narrations, and there is no need to cover all of them. Had he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) known all of what was and what will be, such that the measure of an atom was not hidden from him in the earth and in the sky, how did these events occur which clearly state he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was unaware of [certain] things?

[It is reported] in Sahih al-Bukhari (2:568) regarding the Battle of Badr in the incident of ten Sahabah: “Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) sent them as spies and he put ‘Asim ibn Thabit al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) as a commander over them, and it happened that they were surrounded, so when ‘Asim ibn Thabit sensed death, he said: ‘O Allah! Inform Your Prophet about us.’” You must contemplate on this. If it were that the Sahabah believed that he (upon him blessing and peace) knows the ghayb absolutely, ‘Asim would not have needed [to say] such a supplication.

Benefit: I say: In this is also proof that seeking help (istighathah) from absentees of the pious people and prophets was not from the practices and norms of the Sahabah even at the time of hardship and difficulty, since if it was from their norms, ‘Asim would have said: “O Messenger of Allah! O Prophet of Allah!” seeking his help. In this is a warning to the ignorant people of our time who make seeking help from the dead a custom and religion.

The upshot is that the narrations which these people adhere to [for proof of their position], they have no basis in them, firstly, because they do not prove encompassing knowledge of all that was and will be such that nothing is excluded from it, and that which was reported with the wording “all things,” it is according to the common vernacular in all languages, inclusive of all that is apposite to that context, not all things in complete detail; and secondly, because after accepting this meaning, they are all solitary reports with weakness in their chains, so how is it proper to adduce proof from them against the texts of the Qur’an and authentic and clear narrations of hadith, especially in what relates to beliefs where only [texts that are] decisive in meaning and establishment are used as proof? [Having said] this, Allah has charge of guidance, and He is worthy of it. An addendum will come at the end of Surah Luqman, on the discussion of the keys to the unseen, if Allah (Exalted is He) wills, so whoever is distributing this [treatise] independently should add that to it.

Ahkam al-Qur’an, Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, Karachi:Pakistan, Third Edition, 3:44-64

Addendum:

Dispelling Doubt about the Keys to the Unseen

“Verily with Allah is knowledge of the Hour. He sends down the rain, and He knows that which is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Verily, Allah is Knower, Aware.” (31:34)

Ibn al-Mundhir transmitted from ‘Ikrimah that a man called al-Warith ibn ‘Amr came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and he said: “O Muhammad! When will the Hour be established? Our lands have become infertile, so [tell me] when will they become fertile? I have left my wife pregnant, so [tell me] what will she give birth to? I know what I have earned today, so [tell me] what will I earn tomorrow? I know in what land I was born, so [tell me] in what land I will die?” Thereupon, this verse was revealed. Muhyi al-Sunnah al-Baghawi, al-Wahidi and al-Tha‘labi narrated the equivalent of it. This was mentioned in Ruh al-Ma‘ani. Ibn Kathir referenced the equivalent of it to Ibn Najih from Mujahid. And the equivalent of it was narrated from Ibn Jarir (Allah have mercy on him).

Hence, this verse proves the exclusiveness of the knowledge of these five things to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), that is:

1. The exact time of the Hour
2. The sending of rain qualitatively, quantitatively, temporally and spatially
3. Specification of what is in the wombs, whether male or female
4. What a man will earn in the future
5. The death of a person, when and where it will be

These are the five things which Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) called in Surah al-An‘am, “The keys of the ghayb” where He (Majestic and High is He) said: “And with Him are the keys of the ghayb; none knows them but He” (6:59) as transmitted by Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir from Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) that he said: “The keys to the ghayb are five, and he recited: ‘Verily with Allah is knowledge of the Hour’ to the end of the verse.” Its equivalent was narrated from Ibn Mas‘ud. Ahmad and al-Bukhari and others transmitted it from Ibn ‘Umar, raised to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Mafatih [translated as “keys” above] is either the plural of maftah which is a treasure chest as Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim transmitted from al-Suddi; or it is the plural of miftah which is the instrument of opening [i.e. a key]. The speech is therefore based on a metaphor where the ghayb is compared to items secured by locks and imaginative keys have been assigned to it.

Thereafter, there are important matters here which must be realised:

The Specification of these Five is not for Restriction

Firstly, the reason for specifying these five, for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) alone possesses knowledge of all ghayb, which we discussed in detail in Surah al-Naml, so what is the reason for specifying these five? Know that the majority of the exegetes and the verifiers from the people of knowledge hold that this is not a specification (takhsis), rather it is from the perspective of exemplification (tamthil), and its intent is knowledge of ghayb absolutely. It says in Ruh al-Ma‘ani in [the verse] of Surah al-An‘am:

Perhaps, interpreting it as total encompassment is preferred, and what is in the reports, i.e. of specifying the five, it is understood as explaining some important part, not as a declaration of restriction [to these five], since there is no doubt that what is besides these five, of the unknown, none besides Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) also knows them.

[He] also [said] in it in [the verse of Surah] Luqman:

That which ought to be known is that all ghayb is known only to Allah (Great and Glorious is He) and the unknown is not restricted to these five. They were specifically mentioned due to the question arising on them, or because frequently the souls desire to known them. Al-Qastallani said: “He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) mentioned five, although ghayb is unlimited, because a number does not negate addition to it, and because these five were what they [i.e. the soothsayers etc.] claim to have knowledge of.”

In al-Tafsir al-Ahmadi [it says]:

If you say: “What is the purpose of mentioning these five, because the entirety of the unknown is the same?” I say: Its purpose is that these five are the bulk of hidden things because they are their keys.

A similar [explanation] to this was taught by our teacher, the noblest of teachers, [Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi], in Bayan al-Qur’an, and our teacher, [Shabbir Ahmad] al-‘Uthmani, inclined to it in his marginalia to the Mighty Qur’an, and it is what the heart finds satisfaction in.

That which Ibn Kathir narrated from Qatadah that “they are things which Allah has taken exclusive possession of, so He does not reveal them to an angel brought near or a prophet sent,” to the end of the hadith; and that which Imam Ahmad narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with them) from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), he said: “I was given the keys to all things besides the five,” and similarly Ahmad narrated from Ibn Mas‘ud (Allah be pleased with him), ‘Abd Allah [ibn Mas‘ud] said: “Your prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was given the keys of all things besides five” to the end of the hadith (as mentioned in Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 3:454), all of this is interpreted to mean Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) does not give any of the angels and messengers complete, comprehensive and certain knowledge of these five just like other than them from the ghayb. The specific mention of these five in the hadith is like their specification in the verse, since if it were not interpreted in this [way], it would be contradicted by many narrations reported from the prophets and saints in which they reported of these five just as they reported of other than them from the unseen.

Note: It is thus known that the specific mention in this verse and its equivalent in the aforementioned hadiths is not for restriction and limitation to them. Rather, the ruling is general and inclusive of all hidden things.

The Purpose of Specifically Mentioning these Five

The purpose of specifically mentioning [these five] is either because the question occurred on these five, so the answer was given in accordance with the question, or because these five are the important matters which the hearts desire to know and there is great need to know them; or because they are what they [i.e. the soothsayers, astrologers etc.] would claim to have knowledge of by means of the stars or fortunetelling etc.; or because these five are the foundations of all hidden things and most of the unseen is included in them as mentioned in some detail by our teacher [‘Allamah Shabbir Ahmad] al-‘Uthmani in his marginalia [to the Qur’an]; and this is supported by their designation in the Qur’an as “the keys to the unseen” and the like of it [being found] on the tongue of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) as has preceded in the hadiths.

The Answer to what was Narrated from some Saints and what was Related from Doctors and Astrologers regarding the Reports on this Matter

Secondly, the matter is confusing to a non-verifier because of what is related from some of the saints regarding the reports of rain coming down or specifying what is in the wombs or about someone’s future earning or the death of someone in a particular time or a particular land, and then the reality appears according to what he said. Similar to this is what was related from some astrologers and doctors and what is seen today in all the lands from the scientists and philosophers of the age foretelling the coming down of rain in a certain city with a certain quantity, and sometimes the accuracy of their [prediction] becomes manifest exactly, or approximately, so the one who has no knowledge thinks that these contradict this text.

The detailed answer to this  has passed in the discussion on knowledge of the ghayb in Surah al-Naml, that most of these reports are not from the technical [definition of] ghayb since most of them are premised on natural or astronomical or similar signs, so they are deductive knowledge not knowledge of the ghayb, and some of them are premised on information given by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) via revelation with respect to the prophets (upon them peace) and via inspiration with respect to the saints (Allah be pleased with them), so it is a taught knowledge not knowledge of ghayb, and what is negated in the verse is knowledge of the ghayb of these things, not mere knowledge, although mere knowledge is also negated in the matter of the Hour by other evidences. This is mentioned in Bayan al-Qur’an.

Furthermore, all of this, with the exception of what has come down via revelation, is speculation and guesswork, and is not technically called “knowledge.” Moreover, all the reports that are narrated or the events that are related, they are particulars of these five, and that which is exclusive to His (Glorious and High is He) essence is total, lasting, encompassing and certain knowledge of these five and everything besides them of the unknown, so Allah’s (Glorified and Exalted is He) disclosure to some of His friends some of their particulars, or His (Exalted is He) disclosure to the experts of the arts of astronomy, medicine etc. through what He created for them from the signs and means to the particulars of these five and everything besides them, does not contradict the contents of this verse at all.

Thirdly, regarding the style of the speech, for the import of the speech according to what has preceded from its exegesis in the hadith is the exclusiveness of the knowledge of these five to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He) and its negation from other than Him, but there appears a variation in the style of the speech [i.e. in verse 31:34]: thus, in the matter of the Hour, He sufficed with affirming its knowledge for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) alone without explicitly stating [its] negation from those besides Him; and with respect to rain, He sufficed with attributing its performance to Him (Great and Glorious is He) without explicitly stating knowledge or exclusiveness or negation from those besides Him; and with respect to what is in the wombs, He mentioned His knowledge without explicitly stating [its exclusiveness to Him] using the article of restriction and limitation, or negation from those besides Him; and with respect to future earnings, He mentioned its negation from those besides Him and likewise with respect to the place where one will die – what is the wisdom in this change from one style to another style?

Our teacher, the noblest of teachers [Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi], excelled in explaining this in Bayan al-Qur’an so we will suffice with translating it from Urdu to Arabic, where he said after discussing what we just discussed in the first, second and third discussions:

Regarding His (Exalted is He) statement: “He sends down the rain,” it is an attribution of sending down rain to Him (Exalted is He), not its knowledge, and that is because it is known by the indication of the context that the objective of it is to attribute the knowledge [of it] to Him, and the wisdom behind this phrasing is that innumerable benefits for the servants are related to the sending down of rain, and if it were said: “He knows the sending of rain,” there would be no reference to this.

Fourthly, how is evidence drawn from knowledge of what is in the wombs or of rain of its exclusiveness to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He)? The answer is that it is by the indication of the context that the meaning of exclusiveness is achieved.

Fifthly, what is the wisdom for expressing the matter of the Hour using a nominal sentence, while “He sends down the rain” and “He knows that which is in the wombs” [are expressed] using verbal sentences? The answer is that the Hour is a particularised affair, while the sending of rain and the formation [of a baby] in the wombs are emergent affairs, and the verbal sentence points to this emergence.

Sixthly, in affirming knowledge for Him (Glorified is He), a cognate of “‘ilm” is used, whereas in negating it from those besides Him, a cognate of “dirayah” is used, thus He said: “No soul knows (tadri) what it will earn tomorrow” – what is the wisdom in this? The answer is that dirayah is used for knowledge acquired by a degree of effort and planning, so in this is an indication that knowledge of ghayb is not even possible through planning and thinking.

Seventhly, specification of one’s personal earning in His (Exalted is He) statement: “No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow,” is an indication to the negation of knowledge of another’s earning by greater priority.

Eighthly, in His (Exalted is He) statement: “No soul knows in what land it will die”  is mentioned a negation of one’s knowledge of the place of his death only, although the time of his death is also not known to him, and the answer is that the place may be from that which he resided in and looked at, and is not less than it being existent at the present time, while the future time is not so, as it is not seen and is not existent in the present time, so negation of its knowledge is more apparent.

Ninthly, the objective of this statement is to explain the exclusiveness of the five things to Him (Exalted is He), but this exclusiveness is mentioned in three sentences; the first by affirming His (Exalted is He) knowledge if it, and in the other two sentences by negating it from creation, so what is the wisdom in this? The answer is that earning and death are from the acts and states of servants, so their knowledge is closer to them, as opposed to the first three as they are the conditions of things outside of them, so their knowledge is farther from them; thus, He explicitly negated [knowledge] of that which is more likely to be known, so negation in what is more unlikely is far more apparent, and thus He sufficed with its affirmation for the Real (Glorious and High is He).

Tenthly, it is mentioned in the hadith: “The keys of the ghayb are five,” the purpose of which is to exemplify, and thus it does not contradict what we mentioned, that the meaning is inclusive [of all ghayb].

Benefit: Our teacher [‘Allamah Shabbir Ahmad] al-‘Uthmani taught in his marginalia to the Glorious Qur’an that:

Ghayb divides into two types: hidden injunctions (ahkam ghaybiyyah) and hidden existents (akwan ghaybiyyah). Moreover, from the existents of them, there are their universals and from them are their particulars. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) discloses the hidden injunctions to His prophets and messengers, and He referred to this in His statement: “He does not let anyone know His ghayb, except a messenger whom He chooses” (72:26). Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) discloses from the particulars of the hidden existents whatever of them He wishes to whoever He wishes of His creation, while the universals of them He does not disclose to any of His creation. Thus all ghayb is exclusive to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in the sense that it is not attainable by anyone except through His disclosure, and ghayb in the sense of total encompassing knowledge is exclusive to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), such that it is not possible for the creation to acquire it, whoever he may be and however and wherever he may be.

Furthermore, His (Exalted is He) statement, “And He knows that which is in the wombs” indicates, as al-Jassas mentioned, that the reality of the existence of conception is not known to us even if its existence dominates the mind, and this entails that the one who negates the conception of his wife from himself is not accusing her of adultery.

Ahkam al-Qur’an, 3:272-278

1. For example, “He knows that which is before them and that which is behind them, and they shall not encompass it with their knowledge.” (Qur’an 20:110)

Grave of Mufti Muhammad Shafi' - Allah have mercy on him - located in the Dar al-'Ulum Karachi graveyard.

Our master, the scholar of great learning, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), is counted amongst the leading ‘ulama of India and Pakistan who carried the banner of the pure religion in these lands and spent their lives and their strength in elevating its word, and lit in Deoband, India, the lamps of renewal with splendid flames and bright lights, so that the caravan of Islam continues to proceed, while eliminating the darknesses of disbelief and heresy and bringing life, by means of hope, to the souls caused to die by despair and hopelessness.

The Shaykh (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) was born on the 21^st of Sha‘ban in the year 1314 H (January 1897 CE). He grew up in the embrace of knowledge and gnosis, for he was devoted to acquiring knowledge from the great ‘ulama from a young age, and he maintained the companionship of the gnostics early on in his life.

After having read the Noble Qur’an, he was admitted in the year 1325 H into Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband which is the greatest religious seminary propagating the precious Islamic sciences in India and renewing therein their lights, which were almost extinguished due to Western imperialism. Allah accepted the efforts of its founder, for men of knowledge and piety emerged from it that combined between knowledge and practice, scrupulousness and sincerity, and devotion and sacrifice, and have consequently filled these lands with light and knowledge.

Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] was admitted into this Dar al-‘Ulum while he was still in the prime of his youth, and he remained for a period of ten years occupied in his studies, constant in acquiring the sciences from the learned ‘ulama whose reputations were carried by riders to all corners and sides of India.

[Some] of his most distinguished teachers were:

1. The imam, the hafiz, the hadith-scholar, the scholar of great learning, the researcher, Mawlana Shaykh Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri, who was a treasure-filled ocean in the sciences and arts, exceptionally gifted in every science and a sign from the signs of Allah in memory and exactness. Rarely would one find the like of him in wide knowledge and deep analysis in this age. His lectures on Sahih al-Bukhari have been published under the title Fayd al-Bari, and he has other valuable works on various topics (Allah Almighty show him expansive mercy). Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] read with him the two collections of al-Bukhari and al-Tirmidhi, and the latter’s al-Shama’il and al-‘Ilal, and the book al-Falsafat al-Jadidah and Sharh al-Nafisi in medicine. He was amongst his foremost students, and the respected imam adored him so much so that he selected him to be from amongst his close associates who assisted him in the task of refuting the Qadiyanis. It was upon his instruction, Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] (Allah have mercy on him) compiled the book Khatm al-Nubuwwah in Urdu, and al-Tasrih bi ma Tawatara fi Nuzul al-Masih and Hadiyyat al-Mahdiyyin fi Ayat Khatam al-Nabiyyin in Arabic.
2. The imam and jurist, Mawlana Shaykh Mufti ‘Aziz al-Rahman, who was (his secret be sanctified) from the outstanding scholars and jurists. He was a student of Shaykh [Rashid Ahmad] al-Gangohi (Allah sanctify his secret) and a group of the senior scholars. He was the head of the Fatwa Department in Dar al-‘Ulum, and was an exemplary spiritual master of the path of the Naqshbandis, from the successors (khulafa’) of the knower of Allah, Shaykh Rafi‘ al-Din. A collection of his fatwas have been printed under the title ‘Aziz al-Fatawa in the Urdu language (Allah Almighty show him expansive mercy). Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] read with him al-Muwatta’ of Imam Malik in the transmission of Yahya ibn Yahya and in the transmission of Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar by Imam Abu Ja‘far al-Tahawi (Allah Almighty have mercy on them), Tafsir al-Jalalayn by al-Suyuti and al-Mahalli, Mishkat al-Masabih by al-Tibrizi and Sharh Nukhbat al-Fikar by Hafiz Ibn Hajar (Allah Almighty have mercy on them).
3. The imam, the ascetic, the scholar of great learning, Mawlana Shaykh Sayyid Asghar Husayn al-Hashimi al-Hasani, who was (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) from the outstanding scholars of his time. He was an excellent model of the noble Islamic characteristics of humility, simplicity and fear of Allah. He has small beneficial works most of which have been published in the Urdu language (Allah Almighty show him expansive mercy). Our Shaykh (Allah have mercy on him) acquired from him al-Sunan of Abu Dawud al-Sijistani and al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Nasa’i, and a section from the end of Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi (Allah Almighty have mercy on them).
4. The imam, the great caller [to Allah], Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad, the author of the magnificent commentary on Sahih Muslim, who was (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) from the exceptional scholars of the recent age. He had complete mastery of every science. He was from the distinguished leaders of the movement to create Pakistan, and the Pakistani people will never forget his priceless sacrifices in this cause. He migrated to Pakistan after its independence and he persisted in trying to establish religion therein until he passed on to the mercy of Allah (Allah Almighty sanctify his secret and reward his effort). He has valuable and well-known works on different religious topics, from the most famous of them Fath al-Mulhim bi Sharh Sahih Muslim, a comprehensive and magnificent commentary [on Sahih Muslim], which the Islamic ummah in all lands have received with acceptance. Our Shaykh (Allah have mercy on him) acquired from him the Sahih of Imam Muslim and half of the book al-Hidayah. Then he accompanied him in the movement to create Pakistan, and he fought with him side by side, as we will mention shortly if Allah Almighty wills.
5. The learned imam, the great scholar, the master of literature and jurisprudence, Mawlana I‘zaz ‘Ali (his secret be sanctified), who was (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) adept at all sciences, and in particular the literary sciences. He has well-known valuable footnotes to many of the [traditional] books of study. Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] read with him all the books of literature, Sharh Hidayat al-Hikmah by al-Maybadhi, Sharh al-‘Aqa’id al-Nasafiyyah by al-Taftazani, Sharh al-Wiqayah by Sadr al-Shari‘ah, and some other treatises.
6. The imam, the philosopher, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim al-Balyawi (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) who was a teacher well-grounded in all the common sciences, especially in the rational sciences of philosophy, logic and dialectics. He is from the righteous remnants from the group of the Shaykh’s teachers (Allah Almighty extend their shadows)^[1]. Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] read al-Sadra and al-Shams al-Bazighah with him.

Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] had [many other] teachers besides them, whose biographies we left out for fear of prolixity. They truly are beautiful reminders of our righteous predecessors in their plentiful knowledge and their upright pious works.

From the first moment when the respected Shaykh (Allah have mercy on him) showed signs of brilliance and intelligence, his teachers began to give special attention in teaching him with all affection and devotion. Their pure intentions had an undeniable hand in creating his academic temperament and stimulating his brilliant talents.

He completed his studies in the year 1325 H, and because he was from the advanced students in the period of his studies, the teachers of the Dar al-‘Ulum selected him to become a teacher there. He began teaching in the year 1336 H, and very soon his teaching came to be highly regarded amongst the students in all the Indian lands. He remained teaching hadith, Qur’anic exegesis, jurisprudence and other well-known religious sciences for a period of 26 years, and a great multitude of students studied under him in this period, benefiting from his sciences and his gnosis, and drinking from his sweet and wholesome water, until there remained no city from the cities of India and Pakistan except he had students from there. Most of them are [now] occupied with teaching, lecturing and propagating the sciences, and are considered to be from the outstanding scholars of these lands.

His Search for Spiritual Guidance from the Masters of the Sufi Path

From an early age, the respected Shaykh had great interest in acquiring benefit from the company of his teachers and the noble spiritual guides, so he would frequently attend the gatherings of the imam, the caller, the great warrior, Shaykh al-Hind Mawlana Mahmud al-Hasan (Allah Almighty sanctify his secret), and acquire benefit from the ocean of his gnosis. Then when Shaykh al-Hind was imprisoned in the island of Malta, he consulted the grand spiritual master of the time, Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana [Ashraf ‘Ali] al-Thanawi (Allah sanctify his secret).

After Shaykh al-Hind returned to Deoband, he took the pledge of the spiritual journey at his hand in the year 1339 H, and he remained constantly in his company until Allah Almighty took his [soul]. Then after his departure (Allah have mercy on him), he consulted the aforementioned Hakim al-Ummah a second time, and he renewed the pledge at his hand in the year 1346 H. Then he remained in his company for a period of 26 years. Hakim al-Ummah had great love and adoration for him and counted him amongst his closest disciples. He would consult him in every important religious matter. The respected Shaykh assisted him in the composition of many books, like al-Hilat al-Najizah li al-Halilat al-‘Ajizah which is an outstanding book comprising of the laws of the wife of a madman, a violent man, a lost man and an impotent man, in which the madhhab of the Hanafis was restrictive, so they corresponded with the Maliki scholars and wrote to them and then issued verdicts according to their madhhab. Thereafter, the Hanafi ‘ulama agreed on this, and it is the preferred fatwa according to our Hanafi scholars today. At the instance of the aforementioned Hakim al-Ummah, Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] compiled many books, from the most important of them Ahkam al-Qur’an, the book which we are introducing today. In brief, Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] stayed in the company of Hakim al-Ummah (Allah have mercy on him) till the year 1362 H, and in the year 1349 H, Hakim al-Ummah gave him his successorship (khilafah) in this spiritual path.

His Issuance of Fatwa

Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] had a complete affinity with jurisprudence and fatwa from the moment when he began to teach at Dar al-‘Ulum, and as a consequence he would frequently assist his teacher Mufti ‘Aziz al-Rahman the head of the Fatwa Department (Allah Almighty have mercy on him). Then, when Allah Almighty took his [soul], the teachers appointed him as the head of the Fatwa Department at Dar al-‘Ulum to fill the void that was created with the departure of Shaykh ‘Aziz al-Rahman (Allah sanctify his secret). Our Shaykh (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) maintained this prominent post from the year 1350 H till 1362 H. His fatwas in this period spread to the eastern and western regions of the earth.

Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] wrote over 40,000 fatwas in this period. A small number of them have been published in eight large volumes under the title Imdad al-Muftin, which is a small droplet from that expansive ocean preserved in the accounts of Dar al-‘Ulum which have not yet been published. There is no doubt that it is a valuable treasure for Islam and Muslims. May Allah make its publication possible.

Then the respected Shaykh continued to write fatwas after he left Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband. It is very unfortunate that he did not record his fatwas for a period of 9 years. Then when he migrated to Pakistan and he founded at its capital a religious institute called Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi in the year 1371 H, his fatwas were again recorded in its accounts. Their number today reaches around 80,000 fatwas, and this is all that issued from the year 1381 H to the end of his life, besides the oral questions which he would respond to in private conversations and over the phone throughout the night and day.

Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi is considered, by the blessing of our Shaykh, the Mufti, to be from the greatest of the fatwa departments in the Indian and Pakistani lands. Seekers of fatwa from all lands and places consult it, from them the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, America, Britain, Africa and other [countries] besides them whose numbers cannot be counted.

His Struggle for the Creation of Pakistan

When Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] was teaching at the Dar al-‘Ulum, the Muslims were going through the phase of Western imperialism. The ‘ulama of Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband remained steadfast from its very beginning in the difficult struggle for freedom and independence. In this great project, the imam and warrior, Shaykh al-Hind Mawlana Mahmud al-Hasan (Allah have mercy on him), spent his entire life, and he endured the greatest suffering when he was imprisoned in the island of Malta. And then he continued to struggle for this cause until he passed on to the mercy of Allah.

After that the hopes of freedom began to play with the minds of Muslims, and their aspirations to reach this goal did not subside, as a consequence of which they joined cause with the Hindus, on the grounds that they will participate with them in the government of India after its freedom in a democratic system.

Hakim al-Ummah Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali] al-Thanawi had long held the view that the Muslims will have no success except by building an independent and free country in which they will execute the rules of their Shari‘ah, and in which they will live as true Muslims. Hence, according to him the Muslims didn’t only have one issue, the issue of freedom from Western colonialism, rather there were two issues: Firstly, freedom from Western colonisation and secondly, creating an independent Islamic country with no share in it for the Hindus or any other nation from the disbelieving peoples.

As for the political parties of that day, all of them aimed only towards freedom from foreign occupation, and they did not put in front of them the aim of dividing the lands between Muslims and disbelievers based on the corrupt notion of nationalism and due to their belief that Indians, the Muslims of them and the disbelievers of them, are one nation [and they proclaimed]: “We wish only for the removal of occupation from us and then the Muslims of us and the Hindus of us will be equal.”

However, Allah illuminate the resting place of Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali] al-Thanawi, as he was not satisfied with this, since he believed that the Muslims would soon suffer more problems under the Hindu government than what they suffered under the Western government. Furthermore, such intermingling with the Hindus will lead to the assimilation of disbelief with Islam and [will lead to] the corruption of the beliefs of the Muslims and the destruction of their symbols and immorality in their actions, and the religious impulse will continue to lessen amongst them until there will no longer remain for the coming generations from their precious time-honoured [legacy] besides the word of faith, bereft of its reality and deprived of its spirit. He had hoped that a Muslim party would undertake this call and would campaign for this vision of Islam and subdue the idols of nationalism which their Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) trampled over with his feet.^[2]

Allah made his hopes come true when the political party, Muslim League, campaigned for Pakistan. Hakim al-Ummah Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi instructed all the Muslims and ‘ulama to support this campaign. Many of the common Muslims and the ‘ulama supported it, and at the forefront of them were: The imam, the caller, Shaykh al-Islam Shabbir Ahmad (Allah have mercy on him), Mawlana Shaykh Zafar Ahmad and our respected Shaykh, Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah have mercy on him.) They founded a council of ‘ulama called Jam‘iyat ‘Ulama’ al-Islam in order to struggle in this cause and encourage Muslims to unite in preserving the religion and supporting the idea of Pakistan.

Our Shaykh spent his nights and days in working on this project. When most of his attention turned towards these political activities without which he could not envision the success of the Muslims, he did not find time for his teaching activities at the Dar al-‘Ulum, and he found no option but to part from it after having spent most of his life in its courtyard. He resigned from teaching and issuing fatwa there in the year 1363 H, and from that time all of his moments rested on the struggle to create Pakistan. Thus, for its sake he toured all corners and sides of India and he woke the common Muslims from their slumber with his tongue and his pen and he informed them of the plots of their disbelieving enemies.

Of that in which no one who was honoured to visit the Shaykh will doubt is that Allah (Exalted is He) put an effect in his speech and acceptance in his advice, so he received success in all places with the bounty and grace of Allah (Exalted is He). The truth is that his continuous efforts played an important role in the creation of Pakistan, and some of its leaders confessed that success would not have been possible in many matters were it not for these [efforts].

In the year 1367 H corresponding to 1947 CE, Allah (Exalted is He) showed favour to the Muslim population of India, and the time had come for their efforts which had been sustained for long periods of time to come to fruition, and for the sketch of a new Islamic country to appear on the map of the world. To Allah belongs all praise, firstly and lastly.

This country was given to the Muslims in order that they can establish therein their religion and execute their Shari‘ah and remove from themselves all the filth with which they had been contaminated due to closeness to the foreign disbelievers.

His Migration to Pakistan

It was a duty on the active ‘ulama to migrate to Pakistan and expend their efforts in constructing an Islamic constitution suitable for a government therein. Our Shaykh, the Mufti (Allah have mercy on him), therefore, followed the Sunnah of the trustworthy Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and in the year 1367 H (1948 CE), he left his familiar hometown wherein he had resided for his entire childhood and in which he had spent 25 years of his life.

After migrating to Pakistan, he had before him two important projects: First, what we described, of constructing an Islamic constitution and establishing religion in Pakistan in its purest form; and secondly, founding a religious institute to propagate the sciences of Islam as required by a modern state.

His Efforts to Establish Religion in Pakistan

The government of Pakistan in the year 1949 CE approved of a committee of its senior scholars to propose to the national assembly principles it should adopt as a foundation for the constitution of the country. Our Shaykh, the Mufti (Allah have mercy on him), opted to be a member of this committee, and he worked for it continuously with full energy for a period of four years.

During this period, the government proposed a constitution, most of which was in contradiction to the upright Islamic Shari‘ah, and when the ‘ulama of Pakistan expressed their disapproval of it, the government announced that it will accept what all the ‘ulama from all the Islamic groups agree upon, due to their belief that such a consensus will be impossible due to the intense disagreements between the different Islamic groups.

However, the sincere ‘ulama deserve great admiration, and from the foremost of them our Shaykh (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), as they rolled up their sleeves, to make this matter which the minds found improbable, a reality, and they strove night and day to unite the word of Islam, and they encouraged the different groups to unite on the preservation of the religion, until their scholars agreed to meet in one place. They held a well-attended conference in Karachi and they assembled therein from every corner. Indeed this conference was historical, falsifying the claim of Islam’s enemies that the ‘ulama only know disagreement and argumentation, since this conference proposed a basis for the constitution of the country according to religious principles such that all groups agreed upon it, and no two people differed on it and no two goats butted heads on it.

Then the government announced new principles and propagated them to the common Muslims so its opinions could be gauged. The ‘ulama felt there was a need for a second time to hold a conference like the earlier conference, in order that the ‘ulama assemble and deliberate therein and put forward their unanimous and unified views. The ‘ulama strove, and from them our Shaykh (Allah have mercy on him), to hold this conference, and Allah gave them success in this project until the conference completed its work and corrected the evil which the new constitution contained.

Then the matter of the constitution continued to be revised and solved till this day of ours, so at times the open space would shine with shimmers of hope and at other times it would be encompassed by the glooms of despair and hopelessness. However, Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] spared nothing in his efforts [in this cause] as much as was possible, despite what he faced of the suffering of white hair, the great number of his commitments, and his decreased health, until Allah (Exalted is He) took his [soul].

The Founding of Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi

Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] migrated to Pakistan when in its large cities, and in particular in its capital Karachi, there was no religious institute catering for the teaching of the Islamic sciences and propagating them as was required, and there was an intense need for this after the creation of Pakistan, in order to nurture the new generation with the instilment of religious values in all areas of life, and open their minds to a beautiful Islamic ideal, as they are those from whom it is hoped they will carry the burdens of this ummah in the future.

Consequently, Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] founded in the year 1370 H, by the grace of Allah Almighty and His help, a public religious university in a side road from the roads of Pakistan. It is now known as Dar al-‘Ulum, and is considered to be one of the greatest institutions for religious sciences in Pakistan. Allah (Exalted is He) honoured his sincere intentions with acceptance. This institution became a sweet pool to which students from all corners and sides of the lands flocked, and were given drink from its cold gushing water. However, the location could not accommodate them all and there was a need for a more spacious location, so in the year 1377 H, Allah granted by His grace a large plot of land in a suburb from the suburbs of the city, on which was built a spacious and wonderful building away from the hustle and bustle [of the city]. Now, hundreds of students from different parts of the world reside in it.

His Works

The respected Shaykh (his secret be sanctified) has many beneficial works whose number surpasses one hundred, most of them in the Urdu language, on the sciences of Qur’anic exegesis, hadith, jurisprudence, spirituality, literature, theology, social etiquettes and other [topics]. At this juncture, we will list only a few of which we found no alternative but to mention them:

1. Ma‘arif al-Qur’an. This is a valuable exegesis of the Noble Qur’an which Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] compiled in the Urdu language in 8 large volumes. In it, he commented on the meanings of the Noble Qur’an in an easy and pleasant format. He addressed under every verse those issues of current life which can be extracted from it, in such a way that it elucidates to the reader that the Noble Qur’an carries an eternal message for every man and every time, and it guides him in complex affairs of life to that in which is goodness and righteousness and uprightness. Indeed this exegesis, in this respect, comprises of rare academic investigations created by the modern age. More than forty thousand copies of it have been printed. There is no mosque and no school in the Indian subcontinent in which the meanings of the Noble Qur’an are taught except this exegesis is one of the most important sources from which the teacher draws inspiration from in preparing for his lectures. In the Urdu language, such [an exegesis] does not exist, in its simple phrasing, subtle meaning and immense benefit. This exegesis was translated into a number of languages like Bengali and Persian. A group have begun to translate it into the English language and another into the Arabic language.
   

   Book cover of the English translation of Ma'arif al-Qur'an (Image courtesy of Kitaabun)

2. Jawahir al-Fiqh: This is a valuable collection of juristic treatises which the Shaykh (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) wrote on topics on which discussions were common, and it is either not found in the common books of jurisprudence or they have only a brief mention in them with the possibility of multiple interpretations, and thus there is no clarity and verification in the books of jurisprudence. Thus, in this book there are priceless academic discussions on the subjects of moon-sighting, the boundaries of Hajj, copyright, permanent hiring, mechanical slaughter, assisting in sin, and over forty subjects like this.
3. Khatm al-Nubuwwah: This is a comprehensive book in refutation of the Dajjalic Qadiyanis in which Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] established the belief of the finality of prophethood upon our Prophet, the Beloved (Allah bless him and grant him peace), with all its proofs from the Noble Qur’an and the upright Sunnah and the consensus of the ummah, and then he refuted all the doubts produced by the false claimants to prophethood in a manner that will satisfy the ignorant and will take him out of the mires of doubt into the liberation of certainty. This book has been printed in the Urdu language a number of times. It comprises of around 500 pages. The ummah has received it with acceptance, and some critics have said that it is the best that has been written on this topic in the Urdu language.
4. Sirat Khatam al-Anbiya: This is a brief book comprising of the biography of our Messenger, the Beloved (Allah bless him and grant him peace), with all its important events, which Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] compiled in a concise and pleasant way which instils love for the Noble Prophet (upon him the best of blessings and peace) and his righteous and pure companions (Allah be pleased with them). This book was printed in the Urdu language more than fifty times, and some schools have chosen it as part of its religious curriculum in India and Pakistan. Some people translated it into other local languages like Sindhi, Gujarati and Bengali.
5. Alat Jadidah: This is a valuable book in which Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] compiled the rulings pertaining to modern inventions which did not exist in the time of the Prophet (upon him peace), nor in the time of the mujtahid jurists, on which no explicit text relates to their juristic rulings, like prayer on a microphone, reciting the Noble Qur’an on radio, cassette and video, vaccination when fasting, blood transfusions, theatres, and giving testimony via the phone etc. The truth is that this great task would not have been expected but from our respected Shaykh, the Mufti, who Allah has given a powerful ability in jurisprudence and a firm understanding in deriving laws from its sources and a sound temperament in comprehending their secrets. This book was printed in the Urdu language twice. May Allah reward him on behalf of all Muslims the best of rewards.
6. Ahkam al-Aradi: This is a book in which Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] compiled the rulings of government land, endowed land and private land in all its types, and what is obligatory on them from the ‘ushr and kharaj taxes. In it, he explained the system of our upright religion, and he clarified the laws specific to the lands of India and Pakistan. He included within it a short summary of the history of the conquests of India at the hands of the Muslims, so that the position of these Indian lands as they relate to the rulings of religion become clear. Truthfully, the Islamic ummah is indebted to him for this great favour for which the Shaykh spent many wakeful nights, and he cleaved boulders and produced thereby cool waters making it possible for every seeker of benefit to drink from it. The book comprises of approximately 500 pages.
7. Imdad al-Muftin: This is a collection of some of his fatwas which he issued in the period of his residence at Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband. It consists of eight large volumes, and it is, as we mentioned, a small number of his fatwas whose number today reaches around 100,000. Most of these fatwas are in simple Urdu from which every ‘alim and commoner can benefit. Some of them comprise of important detailed academic discussions, which if we were to isolate they would become separate books. This collection was printed in India once and then its copies were depleted. It will be printed again soon if Allah Almighty wills. We hope from Allah the Great to make our hopes of printing the remainder of the fatwas shortly a reality.
8. Al-Tasrih bima Tawatara fi Nuzul al-Masih: This is a short treatise in the Arabic language which Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] compiled upon the instruction of the imam, the hafiz, Shaykh Anwar [Shah] al-Kashmiri (Allah have mercy on him), in which he collected all the hadiths and narrations wherein the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) foretold the signs of the Messiah (upon him peace) and his attributes so that the mendacity of the false Qadiyani prophet’s claim that he is the awaited Messiah becomes patently obvious. May Allah save all the Muslims from his evil. This book was printed in Deoband and then its [copies] ran out. Thereafter, the respected scholar of great learning, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, published it in Syria in an immaculate dress of print and type along with detailed academic footnotes.
9. Hadiyyat al-Mahdiyyin fi Ayat Khatam al-Nabiyyin: This is another treatise in refutation of the liar al-Qadiyani which Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] compiled upon the instruction of his brightest teacher [‘Allamah Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri] just like the previous book.
10. Thamarat al-Awraq: This is a small collection of select [articles] on literature, history, spirituality, social etiquettes and other sciences in the Urdu language. Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] collected them from many different books while he was studying them. Every man will find in it what suits his temperament and nourishes his sight. It has been printed twice. It comprises of 500 pages.

The respected Shaykh has many other books, whose number surpasses a hundred, and most of them have been printed in the Urdu language, which relate to all the religious sciences, and the ummah have received them with acceptance and Allah has brought benefit to a large multitude of people by means of them. We only mentioned some of the most important of them and left out the rest as listing them would require a separate treatise.^[3]
In brief, Allah (Exalted is He) enabled him to serve Islam and the Muslims with every limb of his body, until his life became dependent on religion and its people. We would probably not be exaggerating if we said that he did not take one step after completing his studies except it can be traced back to a praiseworthy religious incentive. Thus, at times he was occupied in teaching hadith at Dar al-‘Ulum and inspecting its conditions, and sometimes you see him compiling valuable religious books by which he combated the tribulations surrounding Islam from all sides, and sometimes you see him encouraging the Muslims to turn to the guidance of their religion, and at other times you visit him and he is struggling to apply the Islamic Shari‘ah in Pakistan and is concerned with the condition of the Muslims in all corners of the earth and is grieved by their hurtful circumstances.

This is what Shaykh [Muhammad Shafi‘] spent his nights and his days in and what he struggled for – even in his old age – morning and evening, such that the aspirations of young men are diminished in comparison to him, until Allah Almighty took his [soul] in the night of the 11^th of Shawwal of the year 1396 H corresponding to October of the year 1976 CE. He was buried in the graveyard of Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi, and it was a well-attended day, his funeral having been attended by around 50,000 men. May Allah Almighty show expansive mercy on him and accept his appreciated efforts and his priceless sacrifices in the cause of uplifting the word of Allah and spreading the message of Islam.

His Pleasant Taste in Poetry and Literature

The respected Shaykh had a subtle taste in poetry and literature from a very young age. Then he continued to ascend and blossom as a result of what he acquired in Dar al-‘Ulum from the atmosphere perfumed by the flowers of radiant literary excellence. Most of his teachers were of those Allah (Exalted is He) granted an ability in this field like other sciences. His brightest teacher [‘Allamah Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri] (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) founded a literary board to train the minds of the novices, which he called Nadiyat al-Adab. This club would hold weekly or monthly gatherings for literary purposes in which the students and teachers would assemble and deliver their speeches and read out their poems. Our respected Shaykh, the Mufti, due to what Allah (Exalted is He) bestowed on him of a natural disposition [in poetry and literature], was from the champions of these competitions and was distinguished in this field.

Thus, his subtle taste [in poetry] matured until he began to produce pleasant poetry in Urdu, Persian and Arabic. Although he did not opt for poetry as his field and art, he had in his possession a small collection of his poems in the three languages. Some of his Urdu and Persian poems were printed in his book Thamarat al-Awraq and you see in them what the ears find pleasurable and what excites sound taste.

Most of his poems consist of accepted wisdom and effective advice, and you don’t see in them silly and lavish infatuation, and you only see a true love for Allah and His Messenger and incitement towards good deeds and contemplation of the afterlife.

His Arabic poems have been published in a small booklet called Nafhat and here is a diverse bouquet from the flowers which we picked for you from the gardens of his various poems:

[Poems not translated]

This is the end of what we wished to write in this small section, and we ask Allah to guide us to the straight path in all matters of this world and the next. To Him belongs all praise, firstly and lastly.

16 Dhu al-Qa‘dah 1383 H (March 1964)^[4]

Muhammad Taqi Usmani

Dar al-‘Ulum al-Karachi

Ahkam al-Qur’an, Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, Karachi: Pakistan, Third Edition, 1429 H, 3:1-19

1. This was true during the writing of the original version of this biography in 1383 H (1964 CE). See last footnote.
2. Under the guidance of Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi, his student and nephew, ‘Allamah Zafar Ahmad al-’Uthmani, compiled a powerful refutation of the concept of nationalism in the context of the debates in India at that time, which he included in his renowned legal commentary of hadiths, I’la al-Sunan. A translation of this refutation can be viewed here. Within this short work, the author relates a dream he saw of the Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) giving glad-tidings of a near victory for the Muslims, which was probably realised in the creation of Pakistan which occurred within a decade of this dream and the writing of this piece.
3. Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ co-authored with Mawlana Zafar Ahmad and Mawlana Idris al-Kandhlawi the work Ahkam al-Qur’an in Arabic on the issues of jurisprudence and creed derived from the Noble Qur’an in five volumes upon the instruction of Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi. Mufti Shafi’s contribution to this work was the third and fourth volumes spanning the rulings contained in the Qur’an from Surah 26 to Surah 49 which he completed over the years between 1362 H (1943 CE) and 1388 H (1968 CE) as there were many pauses to this project due to the large number of his other commitments. Spread throughout his commentary are a number of articles he composed as part of the original book in commentary of particular verses to which he gave separate titles so that they can be distributed as independent treatises. These valuable treatises which are a great testimony to his expansive knowledge and deep understanding are listed below:
   1. Kashf al-Rayb ‘an ‘Ilm al-Ghayb (3:44-64)
   2. Its addendum (takmilah): Kashf al-Rayb ‘an Mafatih al-Ghayb (3:272-278), both on the topic of the knowledge of the unseen
   3. Al-Istibanah li Ma‘na al-Tasabbub wa al-I‘anah (3:74-84), on the topic of what amounts to being a means to or helping in wrongdoing
   4. Takmil al-Hubur bi Sama‘ Ahl al-Qubur (3:163-182), on the topic of the dead hearing in the graves
   5. Al-Sa‘y al-Hathith fi Tafsir Lahw al-Hadith a commentary on Qur’an verse 31:6 which includes: Al-Nahi ‘an al-Malahi (3:186-202), on the topic of amusement, sports and games; and
   6. Kashf al-‘Ana’ ‘an Wasf al-Ghina’ (3:203-260), on the topic of singing and music
   7. Tafsil al-Khitab fi Ayat al-Hijab (3:393-483), on the topic of hijab
   8. Tanqih al-Kalam fi Ahkam al-Salat wa al-Salam (3:484-502), on the topic of sending peace and salutations on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
   9. Thubut ‘Adhab al-Qabr bi al-Kitab wa al-Sunnah (4:77-117), on the topic of the punishment of the grave
   10. ‘Ayn al-Isabah fi Maqam al-Sahabah (4:225-246), on the topic of the lofty rank of the Sahabah

4. Although this was the original date when this biography was authored as part of the introduction to an Arabic book written by Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘, the publishers of Ahkam al-Qur’an made some changes and additions to this version to acknowledge later developments and to reflect the context of this introduction.

All praise to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our leader and our master, Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and on his progeny and all his companions, and all who follow them in excellence to the Day of Recompense.

To proceed:

The Noble Qur’an is a scripture from Allah (Exalted is He) which is distinguished from other heavenly books in that it is the Seal of the Scriptures, just as the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the Seal of the Prophets, and in that it is the only scripture which Allah (Glorified is He) assured would remain protected to the Final Hour (Qur’an 15:9), no word from it changing and no letter from it being disturbed. Indeed it is the only book which will remain till the establishment of the Hour fresh and unsullied in its text and its meaning, its guidance and its import, its wonders never ending and its marvels never finishing; its expressions never being disliked despite the development of different [literary] styles and its meanings never wearing out despite the passage of time. Every time you look carefully at it with the eye of reflection and guidance, you find in it a new message and an instructive directive – “A book the verses of which have been made firm, and then elaborated by the All Wise, All Aware.” (Qur’an 11:1)

Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) had willed that the ummah of Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would be the one addressed by this Mighty Revelation. Thus He chose from this ummah luminaries and geniuses who would assume responsibility of the service of the Noble Qur’an from every angle and perspective. [They rendered such] a service that none of those who undertook the service of any book can be compared to them. They spent their lives on it, in recitation and reading, elocution and chanting, explanation and commentary, derivation and extraction, invitation and propagation, such that it is not possible for anyone today, whatever level of knowledge and experience he may have reached, to encompass these services in number, let alone encompass them in reading and understanding.

The Islamic library is rich with exegeses which the ‘ulama of this ummah compiled in service of this Glorious Book. Thus from them were those who gathered in their exegeses all the sciences of exegesis onto one platform. And from them were those who sufficed with an angle from its angles, so some of them paid attention to explaining the sentences and explaining the uncommon words and explaining the forms of the diacritical marks; and some of them attempted to gather all the narrations and reports transmitted on exegesis; and some of them turned their aspirations towards dialectical investigations arising from the Noble Qur’an; and some of them devoted themselves to elucidating the forms of rhetoric and inimitability; and [others paid attention to] other [aspects] besides these of known exegetical subjects.

One of the most prominent of these subjects in rank, and the highest of them in estimation, and the greatest of them in benefit, is derivation of the laws of the Shari‘ah from the Noble Qur’an, since the laws of the Shari‘ah are the practical message of the Qur’an which illuminates the path for humanity in its everyday life, and takes his hand to the best [outcome] in all situations which he faces in his day and his night.

Thus a group of the ‘ulama attempted to gather these rules, and consequently many books were compiled on this [subject]. From the earliest of the known compilations on this subject is the book Ahkam al-Qur’an by Imam al-Shafi‘i (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), rather the author of Kashf al-Zunun mentioned that it is the first book to be compiled on the rulings of the Qur’an, although it has not reached us and the widely-circulating book printed with the title Ahkam al-Qur’an li al-Shafi‘i is only one of the compilations of Imam al-Bayhaqi, in which he collected the discussions on the rulings of the Qur’an from various books of Imam al-Shafi‘i (Allah have mercy on him).

Then the jurists of every school succeeded [him] in writing Ahkam al-Qur’an and from the most reputable of what was compiled on this subject are:

1. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Shaykh Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Hujr al-Sa‘di (d. 244 H)
2. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Qadi Abu Ishaq Isma‘il ibn Ishaq al-Azdi al-Basri (d. 282) which is in accordance with the Maliki school. Al-Jassas refutes him frequently. Bakr ibn al-‘Ala’ al-Qushayri summarised it under the title Mukhtasar Ahkam al-Qur’an
3. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Musa ibn Yazdad al-Qummi al-Hanafi (d. 305 H)
4. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Abu Ja‘far Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tahawi al-Hanafi (d. 321 H)
5. Al-Jami‘ li Ahkam al-Qur’an by Abu Muhammad al-Qasim ibn Asbagh al-Qurtubi the grammarian (d. 340 H)
6. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Shaykh Mundhir ibn Sa‘d al-Baluti al-Qurtubi (d. 355 H)
7. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn ‘Ali popularly known as al-Jassas al-Razi al-Hanafi (d. 370 H)
8. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Shaykh Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad popularly known as Ilkiya al-Harrasi al-Shafi‘i al-Baghdadi (d. 504 H). He was from the associates of Imam al-Ghazali.
9. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Qadi Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah popularly known as Ibn al-‘Arabi al-Maliki (d. 543 H)
10. Ahkam al-Qur’an by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Mun‘im ibn Muhammad ibn Faras al-Gharnati (d. 597 H)
11. Mukhtasar Ahkam al-Qur’an by Shaykh Abu Muhammad Makki ibn Abi Talib al-Qaysi (d. 437 H)
12. Talkhis Ahkam al-Qur’an by Shaykh Jamal al-Din Mahmud ibn Ahmad popularly known as Ibn al-Siraj al-Qunawi al-Hanafi (d. 770 H)
13. Al-Iklil fi Istinbat al-Tanzil by ‘Allamah Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti al-Shafi‘i (Allah have mercy on him) (d. 911 H)
14. Al-Tafsirat al-Ahmadiyyah by Shaykh Ahmad al-Jonpuri al-Hindi al-Hanafi popularly known as Mulla Jiwan (Allah have mercy on him) (d. 1130 H)
15. Nayl al-Maram fi Tafsir Ayat al-Ahkam by Sayyid Muhammad Siddiq Hasan al-Qinnawji al-Bukhari (Allah have mercy on him) (d. 1307 H)
16. And from the last of what was authored on this subject is the book Rawa’i‘ al-Bayan fi Tafsir Ayat al-Ahkam by Shaykh Muhammad ‘Ali al-Sabuni al-Hanafi (Allah Almighty preserve him).

These books have not been printed till now as far as we know besides the books of al-Bayhaqi, al-Jassas, Ibn al-‘Arabi, Ilkiya al-Harrasi and the last four books.

The imam, the great caller, Mawlana Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), was from the most avid of people in [authoring] a new book on this subject. Initially, his plan was that this book will be inclusive of the proofs of the Hanafis from the Noble Qur’an with elaboration and exhaustion, just as the book I‘la al-Sunan which Mawlana Shaykh Zafar Ahmad al-‘Uthmani (Allah have mercy on him) compiled upon the instruction of his teacher, [Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali] al-Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him), was inclusive of the evidences of the Hanafis from the Sunnah. For this [reason], initially he proposed that the name of the book be Dala’il al-Qur’an ‘ala Madhhab al-Nu‘man (The Proofs of the Qur’an for the School of Nu‘man). Later, it occurred to him to not suffice with only listing proofs, rather to mention all that is extracted from the verses of the Noble Qur’an, of jurisprudence and principles, etiquettes and behaviour, guidance and counsel, with a special attention to the issues which have occurred in the latter times on which comprehensive analyses with respect to them are not found in the books of the early scholars. Thereupon, he changed the name of the book to Ahkam al-Qur’an.

Ahkam al-Qur'an book cover (image courtesy of al-Balagh bookstore)

Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi] (Allah have mercy on him) wanted to compile this book himself, but it was during the end of his life [when he] had many commitments, a decreased health and severe illnesses. He had delegated the composition of I‘la al-Sunan to his nephew, the erudite scholar, the eminent researcher, Shaykh Zafar Ahmad al-‘Uthmani (Allah have mercy on him). Thus he accomplished this magnificent work brilliantly and perfectly, but at this time he had travelled to another country, and Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali] al-Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) wanted to complete the compilation of Ahkam al-Qur’an in the quickest time possible, so he (Allah have mercy on him) chose to delegate this task to four of his disciples:

1. The great scholar, the eminent researcher, Shaykh Zafar Ahmad al-‘Uthmani (Allah Almighty have mercy on him)
2. My respected father, the great scholar, the jurist, Mawlana Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah Almighty have mercy on him)
3. The great scholar, the learned hadith master, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Idris al-Kandhlawi (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), the author of al-Ta‘liq al-Sabih
4. The great and firm scholar, Mawlana Shaykh Mufti Jamil Ahmad al-Thanawi (Allah Almighty preserve him).

He distributed the sections of the Noble Qur’an to these four, so each one of them began to compile what was delegated to him of this book, and sometimes Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi] (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) would call them to his residence in the village of Thana Bhawan in order that he would be able to examine that [section] the writing of which had been completed, and they would be able to consult him if needed.

Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi] (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) paid the utmost attention to this blessed project which his disciples were working on. Thus he would examine whatever they wrote and guide them in its complexities and instruct them to make amendments and changes, and above all this, he made this composition the night companion of his two eyes and the close companion of his thoughts. He would constantly contemplate on what will make the book more beneficial and more useful, and every time a subtle derivation occurred in his heart from any verse of the Noble Qur’an – and that was during his recitation or contemplation of the Qur’an – he would report it to whoever’s section from those four that verse was in, and they would include this lesson in what they wrote under the exegesis of the verse, and they would expand on it and bring evidences and examples of it.

My spiritual teacher, the imam, the great caller, Shaykh Dr. Muhammad ‘Abd al-Hayy (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), who was from the most distinguished of the spiritual successors of Hakim al-Ummah Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali] al-Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him), told me that he saw him many times during his final illness, when sickness had reached its peak in him, that he would be lying on his bed with his eyes closed shut, and when he opened them and moved his gaze across his room, he would say: “Where is Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘?” and Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah have mercy on him) was occupied with writing his section of Ahkam al-Qur’an in another room, so his disciples would summon him, whereupon Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi] (Allah have mercy on him) would say to him: “It just occurred to me that from such-and-such a verse such-and-such a ruling can be derived,” so Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah have mercy on him) would record what Shaykh [Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi] said in his diary and then return to his place.

By this you can gauge the degree of his attention to this book, that he made it the companion of his heart and he put it at the forefront of his mind even on his deathbed (Allah Almighty have mercy on him and make pleasant his resting place).

Thus, Mawlana Shaykh Zafar Ahmad al-‘Uthmani (Allah have mercy on him) compiled the exegesis of the first section from the beginning of Surah al-Baqarah to the end of Surah al-Nisa’; Mawlana Mufti Jamil Ahmad al-Thanawi (Allah preserve him) compiled [the exegesis of the second section] from the beginning of Surah Yunus to the end of Surah Nahl; Mawlana Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah Almighty have mercy on him) compiled [the exegesis of the third section] from the start of Surah al-Shu‘ara’ to the end of Surah al-Hujurat; and Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Idris al-Kandhlawi (Allah have mercy on him) compiled [the exegesis of the fourth section] from the start of Surah Qaf to the end of the Noble Qur’an.

Subsequently, the latter two from these four completed what was delegated to them, and the first two were not able to complete their part, so they compiled half of them, and the other half remained outstanding, due to their many commitments and the length of their sections, and due to what had occurred during the creation of Pakistan of events forcing many of the Muslims to migrate to Pakistan, and these two scholars were from amongst them. Thus with great sadness two sections remain incomplete of this book:

1. From the start of Surah Ma’idah to the end of Surah Tawbah
2. From Surah Bani Isra’il to the end of Surah Furqan

The written part of this book remained in the form of rough manuscripts for some years, and that was because of waiting for someone to finish the final remaining part. When it remained like this for many years, and no one was able to fill this gap, Mawlana Shaykh Shabbir ‘Ali al-Thanawi, who was Hakim al-Ummah Shaykh al-Thanawi’s (Allah have mercy on him) publisher, feared the written manuscripts would be lost. Therefore, he published the first, third and fourth parts. His objective was only to bring these manuscripts into the confinement of print, so they are not lost by [the passage of] time, and it remains preserved for the people of [sound] taste from the ‘ulama. For this [reason], despite the lack of sufficient means, he printed it in lithographic print with bad quality writing on simple paper. As for the second part, which is the compilation of Mawlana Shaykh Mufti Jamil Ahmad al-Thanawi (Allah preserve him), it was a very worn-out manuscript, which needed to be reconstructed, but Shaykh [Shabbir ‘Ali al-Thanawi] could not find anyone who would reconstruct it, so he was unable to publish it.

These published sections which Shaykh Shabbir ‘Ali al-Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) printed, despite the bad quality of their printing and the many errors, were an important phase in the preservation of this priceless treasure, and were it not that Shaykh [Shabbir ‘Ali al-Thanawi] (Allah have mercy on him) printed it at this time, we would be deprived today of this valuable treasure, which is from the dearest aspirations of Hakim al-Ummah Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him).

By the grace of this edition, the book has reached the hands of those ‘ulama who give knowledge its value and favour the message over the messenger and give more attention to the worth of the seed than they do the beauty of the skin and the pleasantness of the cover. Thus they began to take benefit from it, and were eager to acquire it, until its printed copies ran out, and the demand continued to increase. There were many times various ‘ulama in different Islamic cities asked me to make it possible for them to acquire a copy of this book and [they said that] they will spend whatever price the seller wanted! But I was not able to respond to their request due to its copies having run out, even with its publisher.

Thus the need arose to reprint it. The people of knowledge suggested that this time it be printed with type printing according to what suits the modern taste in publishing books. However, Arabic printing in Pakistan is very difficult, due to the absence of Arabic letters and its formatting, and the paucity of proofreaders, and the expensiveness of the various stages of printing, and above all of that, because of not finding one who will spend nights in order to accomplish this task such that he directs his full attention to it and his utmost effort.

Thus, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) raised our deceased teacher, Shaykh Nur Ahmad (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), founder of Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, who is known amongst his contemporaries for his lofty aspirations and his vigorous energy, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) inspired him in the end part of his life to take the responsibility of publicising our priceless academic legacy by producing rare books in meticulous dresses of print. As such, he is the one who completed the publication of I‘la al-Sunan – that spectacular and immense book – in 20 volumes, the publication of which the publishers of Pakistan feared to administer due to the aforementioned obstacles. Thus he attended to the production of this book in his night and his day, and he persisted in subduing its obstacles morning and evening, and he struggled in this cause for around two years not knowing boredom or tiredness, until he was able, by the guidance of Allah (Glorified is He), to produce this immense book as a wonderful gift to the admirers of knowledge and its seekers.

Then he (Allah have mercy on him) turned his attention to the publication of other rare books like the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, Kitab al-Asl by Imam Muhammad, Sharh al-Hamawi ‘ala al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir, Kitab al-Athar and al-Jami‘ al-Saghir by Imam Muhammad (Allah Almighty have mercy on him).

Towards the end of his life, he began, with Allah’s (Glorified is He) guidance, to print this beneficial book Ahkam al-Qur’an which is before your hands now. Something that saddens us all is that he was not destined to see this book printed in this form, and it was not destined for this book to see the light (nur) [i.e. Shaykh Nur Ahmad] before his death, for he passed on into the safety of the mercy of Allah when there only remained a few sections before the completion of its publication. May Allah (Exalted is He) show him expansive mercy and reward him greatly on behalf of all the Muslims.

It pleases me that his gifted children – who are scholars in their own right – followed in his footsteps, and continued his journey in the path of publishing valuable academic books, and the favour goes to them for producing this book today in this form by which the eye of every seeker of knowledge is cooled. May Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) reward them with goodness and enable them to increase in the likes of such appreciated works, and assist them in this path with guidance and ease. Verily, He (Exalted is He) is Able over all things.

As for a description of the book, I do not wish to delve into this, as once it has reached your hands, it is free of the description of the describers and the praise of the eulogisers, for it is better to know a fragrance by its smell rather than know it by its commendations. I pray to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to benefit the Muslims by means of it and make it a great weight in the good deeds of the one whose idea this was and its writers, its publishers and its printers, and all who helped in producing it and presenting it to the hands of the people seeking [this book]. Verily, He (Exalted is He) is All-Hearing, Near, Ever-Responding to the callers.

Muhammad Taqi Usmani wrote it

Servant of the students at Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi

Member of the Shari‘ah Appellate Bench, Supreme Court of Pakistan

25 Jumad al-Thaniyah 1407 H (February, 1987)

Ahkam al-Qur’an, Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, Karachi: Pakistan, Third Edition, 1429 H, 1:5-14

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Those who are travellers in the path of Allah and in particular those friends of Sayyid Ahmad, whether they are present or not, should know that those who through bay‘ah (pledge) become murids at the hands of blessed souls, their aim is to acquire the pleasure of Allah. This is dependent upon obeying the commands of His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). He who believes that the path towards Divine Pleasure can be obtained without obeying the Shari‘ah of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) is on falsehood and is deceived. His claim is false and unworthy of any attention.

The Prophetic Shari‘ah is established upon two principles:

(1) Not attributing the attributes (sifat) of the Creator to any of the creation.

(2) Abstaining and refraining from customs and rituals which were not established at the time of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) and his caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them all).

The first condition entails (a) not believing in the fact that angels, souls of spiritual guides (pir-o-murshid), teachers, seekers of knowledge, messengers or saints can remove any hardship, (b) abstaining from seeking aid from any of these [aforementioned] personalities in order to fulfil a desire or a goal, (c) denying the fact that any of them have the ability to help or defend anyone from harm and (d) considering them just as powerless (or dependent) and unaware upon the domain and sovereignty of Allah as oneself – in fact, to consider them as merely the beloved of Allah and mere guides who show the way towards the pleasure of Allah.

The second condition is to ensure that innovations (i.e. newly invented matters) do not enter the religion. This includes (a) strictly abiding in our social etiquette by all the acts of worship, customs and habits that were the practice during the era of Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), (b) refraining from innovations such as the customs of marriage, the glorification of graves, the building of large structures on graves, the spending of money on death anniversaries, ta‘ziyyah^[1] and (c) putting an end to these customs as much as possible.

It is appropriate for all those who desire Allah Most High to keep these principles at their forefront and to cooperate with each other in acting upon these matters. You should specifically act upon them with the cooperation of Shah Muhammad Husayn, who, by pledging to me, has agreed about these [issues]. I have explained these matters to him in complete detail and have also given him the authority to take this agreement from you and to teach you these pure habits and rituals in my place. Therefore, it is appropriate for Shah Muhammad Husayn to adopt the injunctions which have been given to him and to turn to Allah Most High with his body and soul and brush off any dust of shirk (polytheism) and bid‘ah which may be on him by acting upon these orders externally and internally. He should make people desirous … to give bay‘ah to him.

May Allah make me and all my companions from the group which [wholeheartedly] submits to tawhid (monotheism) and is adherent to the Shari‘ah.

[Sayyid] Ahmad [Shahid], 1235 AH

Hindustan Mai Wahhabi Tahrik, (Karachi; Nafis Academy, 1980) p.75-76.

1. Ta‘ziyyah is a model of the tomb of either of the martyred grandsons of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), made of large, decorated paper and bamboo. It is paraded with during the month of Muharram.

‘Allamah Muhammad Sarfaraz Khan Safdar (d. 1430 AH) writes that the word mu‘jizah is linguistically derived from ‘ajz (inability), which is an antonym of qudrah (power). He adds that the [round] ‘ta’ at the end is either for intensiveness (exaggeration) or that the word mu‘jizah is an adjective of words like ayah (sign), etc. It is Allah Most High alone who creates ‘ajz (inability) in mu‘jizat and in reality He incapacitates the rejecters. A mu‘jizah is from Allah alone, but appears at the hands of a prophet. The prophet has no power over it.

Reality of Mu‘jizah

Imam Rabbani Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (d. 1323 AH) has elaborately discussed the issue of mu‘jizat (miracles of the prophets), karamat (miracles of the saints), and extraordinary events (khawariq al-‘adat) in Fatawa Rashidiyyah. He quotes from the Persian book Radd-i-Bawariq^[1] of Shaykh Husayn Shah al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him), who is also known as But Shikan, “To provide the power and choice and to entrust the capability of something are different and distinct from manifesting a trait through something unique to it [in the sense that such a trait is not naturally found in the object].

“For example, one can say Zayd writes with a pen and that Zayd has manifested his trait of writing through [the medium] of a pen. However, it cannot be said that Zayd has provided [or entrusted] the capabilities of motion and writing to the pen itself, since the pen cannot become human [or an intelligent sentient being] and therefore can never gain the capability of [self] motion or acquire the ability of writing. So, if an individual says that Zayd has bestowed the power and capability of writing to a pen, it would mean that Zayd has turned a pen into a human [or a sentient being]. On the contrary, if a person says that Zayd wrote with a pen, it would mean that the action of writing is a unique trait of Zayd which he manifested through the medium of a pen, and the pen has no power or freewill in this action of writing whatsoever; therefore there is a huge difference between the two concepts.

“If you have understood the concepts clarified above, try to understand our actual point of view and hopefully it will be understood. Power, authority and discretion are the characteristics of the One who has no partners (i.e., Allah Most High), and might and sovereignty are [also] attributes belonging solely to the One who is Eternal (i.e. Allah). Therefore, to provide a person or an object the power or capability actually means that the matter has been elevated from [the realms of] possibility (mumkin) to the stages of obligation (wajib) because, after all, origin of power, control of affairs, and axis of might and sovereignty are traits of Wajib al-Wujud, i.e. Allah (not of mumkin, i.e., possible).” (Fatawa Rashidiyyah, 3:230)

‘Allamah Sarfaraz writes that this passage sufficiently highlights the fact that extraordinary feats (khawariq al-‘adat) are actually beyond the power and capability of humans, and this passage also destroys the self-made and farfetched concepts of personal (dhati) and granted (ata‘i) of the Ahl al-Bid‘ah.

Moreover, Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad ‘Uthmani (d. 1369 AH) writes in his brief but comprehensive treatise Khawariq al-‘Adat, “(a) Remember that a miracle is in fact an act of Allah, an action which may be contrary to the usual or normal events but not against the special traits of Allah; since to break the routine and to manifest something extraordinary to achieve specific aims is from the special traits of Allah. (b) Furthermore, a miracle is from Allah, [and therefore] to declare a miracle a prophet’s personal action is a huge mistake. (c) And as we pick up a pen and write, apparently it seems as if the pen is writing, but in reality it has no choice in writing; similar is the case with miracles. It is not that prophets can start streams of water from their fingertips anytime they wish; rather, they can do so only when Allah wills so.”

Mawlana Amin Safdar Okarwi (d. 1421 AH) explains that there are four principles that should be kept in mind regarding mu‘jizat and karamat: (1) There is no ikhtiyar (choice) involved on the part of humans. (2) There is no continuity (dawam). (3) There is no generality (kulliyat), i.e., if an extraordinary event happens at the hands of a certain saint (wali), it is not necessary that it can also happen at the hands of other saints. (4) They are not absolute (qat‘i). However, if a mu‘jizah is qat‘i al-thubut (proven through conclusive evidence), then its qat‘iyyah (decisiveness and certainty) will be established. (See Khutbat-i-Amin, p.155-157)

Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Tayyib al-Baqillani al-Maliki (d. 403 AH) writes, “The meaning of our statement that the Qur’an is inimitable (mu’jiz), as per our principles, is that people are not able to produce anything like it. It has been established that it is not correct to include the miracle proving the truthfulness of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) under the ability of people. Rather, Allah Almighty alone has power over it … and so is the case with the miracles of all the Prophets (i.e., they are beyond human ability).” (I‘jaz al-Qu’ran, from Al-Itqan, 2:186)

Imam al-Ghazali (d. 505H) writes, “The reason a miracle attests to the truthfulness of prophets is that everything which human beings cannot produce [its similitude] must be the work of Allah. Whenever this is linked to a Prophet’s challenge, it is as if Allah Most High has said: ‘You are true.’^[2].” (Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din, 1:97)

‘Allamah ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Aqbaras al-Shafi‘i al-Misri (d. 862 AH) writes, “The theologians (mutakallimun) say that miracles are exclusively from the action of Allah Amighty and they are not included under the power (qudrah) of humans.” (Fath al-Safa’ sharh al-Shifa’, from Hidayat al-Murtab, p.20; Fatawa Rashidiyyah, p.144)

‘Allamah Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Rumi (d. 1041H) writes in his brilliant book Majalis al-Abrar wa Masalik al-Akhyar, “A mu‘jizah is actually from amongst the actions of Allah, out of the norm, which he manifests at the hands of His messenger.” (Majalis al-Abrar, p.43)

He writes in another place, “Whatever appears at their hands as extraordinary is created by Allah Most High and they have no power to invent it; since if they had power to invent it, they would have been able to repel from themselves the lighter matters as well such as disease, hunger, thirst, pain of heat and cold, the harms of the people and so on.” (Majalis al-Abrar, p.103)

Imam Fakhr al-Din Razi (d. 606 AH) writes, “From the many verses that support the veracity of our previous statement is that when He (Exalted is He) related of the disbelievers that they requested overwhelming miracles (al-mu’jizat al-qahirah) from him in His (Exalted is He) statement: ‘They said [to the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace)]: We shall never believe in you unless you cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth…’ He (Exalted is He) then said: ‘Say [O Muhammad]: I proclaim the Purity of my Lord. I am nothing but human (bashr), a messenger.’ (Qur’an, 17:90-93). In other words, a person being a human with the quality of messengership implies he is perfect in his theoretical and practical faculties, and is able to treat [other human beings] who are deficient in these two faculties; but it is not necessary in acquiring this quality [of messengership] that he has the ability to [bring about] the conditions [i.e. mu‘jizat] which you request from him.” (Matalib ‘Aliyyah, from Al-Kalam, 2:225, Mawlana Shibli Nu‘mani)

‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun (d. 808 AH) states, “One of the signs [of the prophets] is that they work wonders which attest to their truthfulness. ‘Wonders’ are actions, the likes of which are impossible for human beings to achieve. They are, therefore, called ‘miracles’ (mu’jizat). They are not within the ability of men, but beyond their powers. There is a difference of opinion as to how they occur and as to how they prove the truthfulness of the prophets. Speculative theologians (mutakallimun) base themselves on the doctrine of the ‘voluntary agent’ and say that miracles occur through the power of Allah, and not through the action of the prophet. The Mu‘tazilah maintain that human actions proceed from man himself, but still miracles do not belong to the type of actions that human beings perform. According to all schools, the prophet’s place in the performance of miracles is confined to the ‘advance challenge’ (tahaddi) that he offers by divine permission. That is, the prophet uses the miracles before they occur as proof of the truth of his claims. They therefore take the place of an explicit statement from Allah to the effect that a particular prophet is truthful.” (Muqaddimah Ibn Khaldun, p.93)^[3]

‘Allamah Sarfaraz explains that it is clear from the statement of ‘Allamah Ibn Khaldun that miracles are not from those acts which humans have been given power over. The Mu‘talizah are of the view that humans are khaliq (creators) of their actions but when it come to miracles, even they believe that miracles are acts of Allah.

Furthermore Shaykh Shah ‘Abd al-Haq Muhaddith Dahlawi (d. 1052 AH) writes, “A mu‘jizah is not an act of a prophet, rather an act of Allah Most High which He manifests at the hands of a prophet. Contrary to other actions, which are created by Allah and the acquisition (kasb) is by the servant; in miracles the acquisition (kasb) too is not from the servant.” (Madarij al-Nubuwwah, 2:116)

And he writes in another place, “Miracles (mu‘jizat) are the actions of Allah Most High that appear at the hands of the slave for verification of his truthfulness and honor. Miracles are not the actions of the slave such that they appear with his intention and choice like his other chosen actions (af‘al ikhtiyariyyah).” (Tarjamah Futuh al-Ghayb, p.27)

‘Allamah Shah Muhammad Isma‘il Shahid (d. 1246 AH) writes on the discussion of khawariq al-‘adat, “It means that Allah Most High, with His absolute power, acts in the universe in an unusual manner in order to endorse any of His beloved servants, not that He creates in him the power of miracle and appoints him to demonstrate it. No, never; freewill in controlling the affairs of the world is from the exclusive attributes of Allah, not from the characteristics of human power.” (Mansab-i-Imamat, p.31)

Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (d. 1396 AH) writes, “Miracles and wonders are the direct acts of Allah, but they are manifested through prophets and saints so that people may recognize their spiritual station — prophets and saints themselves have no power to make such things happen… Another verse of the Holy Qur’an reports what a group of prophets said to their people in reply to a similar demand: ‘We cannot give you proof, except by Allah’s will,’ (Qur’an, 14:11). This again was an admission that it was not in their power to produce a miracle, for all power rests in the hands of Allah. In short, it is not at all possible for a prophet or a saint to show a miracle whenever he likes and whatsoever he likes. The disbelievers used to demand specific miracles from the Holy Prophet and from the earlier prophets but Allah manifested only those that He Himself pleased, and not others. The Holy Qur’an presents many such instances.” (Ma‘arif al-Qur’an, 1:102)

And ‘Allamah Dr. Khalid Mahmud writes, “A few divine feats are exposed at the hands of the prophets. These feats are technically referred to as mu’jizat. These feats bear testimony to the genuineness of their prophethood because the entire world is incapable of performing such feats. The mu’jizat are divine accomplishments of Allah Most High. They are not subject to the will of the prophets. The prophets are not able to expose these miracles as and when they desire.” (The Concept of Nabuwwah and Rislah, p.7)

The truth that miracles are acts of Allah and that humans have not been given any power over them has also been mentioned by various other luminaries of the Ahl al-Sunnah. Such personalities include:

• Imam Fadlullah Turipisthi al-Hanafi (d. 661 AH) in Mu‘tamad fi ‘l-Mu‘taqad (ch.2:1);
• Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari (d. 1014H) in Al-Mirqat (2:530);
• Shaykh ‘Abd al-Wahhab Sha‘rani (d. 772 AH) from Shaykh Abu Muhammad Tahir ibn Ahmad al-Qazwini (d. 756 AH) and Shaykh Muhyi al-Din ibn al-‘Arabi (d. 638 AH) in Al-Yawaqit wa ‘l-Jawahir (1:158);
• Muhaqqiq Kamal al-Din ibn al-Humam al-Hanafi (d. 861 AH) in Al-Musayarah (2:89);
• Shaykh Kamal al-Din ibn Abi Sharif al-Shafi‘i (d. 905 AH) in Al-Musamarah (2:89);
• Qadi ‘Adud al-Din al-Iyji al-Hanafi (d. 757 AH) in Mawaqif (p.665);
• ‘Allamah Jalal al-Din Dawani (d. 907 AH) in Sharh al-‘Adudiyyah (p.95);
• ‘Allamah Sa‘d al-Din Mas‘ud al-Taftazani (d. 792 AH) in Sharh al-‘Aqa’id al-Nasafiyyah, (p.18);
• Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d. 744 AH) in Tafsir Ibn Kathir (3:144);
• Qadi Nasir al-Din Baydawi (d. 686 AH) in Anwar al-Tanzil (17:93);
• ‘Allamah Sun’ Allah ibn Sun’ Allah al-Halabi (d. 1120 AH) in Sayf Allah ‘ala man Kadhiba ‘ala Awliya’ Allah (p.45);
• Imam Shah ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Dahlawi (d. 1239 AH) in Fatawa ‘Azizi (p.408);
• ‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Hayy Lakhnawi (d. 1304 AH) in Majmu‘ al-Fatawa (3:18);
• Mawlana Sayyid Awlad Hasan al-Kannauji (d. 1252 AH) from Fatawa Rashidiyyah (3:27);
• Mawlana Shah Sikhawat ‘Ali Jonpuri (d. 1274 AH) from Fatawa Rashidiyyah (3:26);
• Mawlana Haydar ‘Ali Tonki (d. 1273 AH) from Fatawa Rashidiyyah (3:25);
• ‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Haq Haqqani Dahlawi (d. 1336 AH) in ‘Aqa’id al-Islam (p. 154);

This view regarding mu‘jizat and karamat, which has just been presented, is that of Islamic theologians (mutakallimin), jurists (fuqaha) and mystics (sufis). Now, it will be unfair not to present the view of the other factions who regard mu‘jizat and karamat as acts of the prophets and saints.

‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun states, “The philosophers hold that wonders are acts of the prophet, even though they occur in areas where the prophets have no power. This is based upon their doctrine that [there exists] an essential and Necessary [causality] and that events develop out of each other according to conditions and reasons that [always] come up anew and, in the last instance, go back to the Necessary per se that acts per se and not by choice. In their opinion, the prophetical soul has special essential qualities, which produce wonders, with the help of the power of [the Necessary per se] and the obedience of the elements to Him in the universe. The prophet, in their opinion, through those qualities that Allah put into him, is by nature fitted to do discretion (tasarruf) among all created things, whenever he addresses himself to them and concentrates on them. They hold that wonders are brought by the prophet himself, whether it is for ‘challenge’ (tahaddi) or not. They are evidence of the prophet’s truthfulness, in as much as they prove that he performs discretion (tasarruf) among the created things; such activity constituting a special quality of the prophetic soul, not because they take the place of a clear assertion of certainty (tasdiq).” (Muqaddimah Ibn Khaldun, p.94-95)^[4]

From the above statement of ‘Allamah Ibn Khaldun, it is clear that according to the philosophers, miracles are acts of prophets, and prophets have been given the ability of discretion (tasarruf) in the cosmos by Allah. This belief is contrary to that of jurists, theologians and mystics.

Tasarruf and Takwin

‘Allamah Sarfaraz explains that tasarruf and takwin are terms used for miracles by the sufis. Sufis do not intend the meaning of discretion in the cosmos. This is where the people of innovation (ahl al-bid‘ah) misapprehend the statements of sufis and believe that tasarruf and takwin are at the disposal of the prophets and saints like the self-determined actions (af‘al ikhtiyariyyah).

For example, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haq Dahlawi writes in his commentary of Futuh al-Ghayb of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani (d. 561 AH), “Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani himself mentions that kharq al-‘adat and tasarruf are acts of Allah that happen at the hands of the servant.” (Sharh Futuh al-Ghayb, p.27)

There is a detailed discussion in Fatawa Rashidiyyah regarding tasarruf and takwin. It would be beneficial to produce some excerpts hereunder:

“We should know that there is a vast difference between the exclusive actions of Allah (af‘al khassah) and the self-determined actions of the servants (af‘al ikhtiyariyyah), since the actions produced by the servants through tools and resources are bound with some conditions. For instance, one needs some things before writing a matter — a pen, paper, a knife to smoothen the pen, eyesight, light, mind, thought, intention, and fingers and their movement. However, the creating of Allah — the Lord of the servants — is neither connected to these matters nor with these conditions; rather, He produces whatever He likes with just an intention, without being dependent upon the resources. This creation of His which is based only on intention is called ‘kun fayakun’: ‘His command, when He intends to do something, is no more than He says, “Be”, and it becomes,’ (Qur’an, 36:82). So supporting the first view for the servants that these actions are from Allah is all right, but affirming the second view (i.e., the power of kun fayakun) is open unbelief (kufr) and heinous polytheism. In brief, asking them to fulfill the matters under self-determined actions (af‘al ikhtiyariyyah) is correct, but demanding to carry out the divine actions [under the power of kun fayakun] is out of place; because the former is within their power and the latter is exclusively related to Allah Most High …” (Fatawa Rashidiyyah, p.143)

And it states, “First, some actions of exclusive attributes of Allah sometimes manifest in the holy existence of the angels and the prophets. These holy existences do not have any power to carry out these acts. So, these acts should not be considered like the actions of eating and wearing, which are within the realm of their choice (ikhtiyar) and power. Demanding them to carry out or bring about these acts is just like addressing the pen overlooking the writer to write such and such, rather believing that the pen in any case has to produce such an act and its power and choice is barred and invalid… Second, [regarding] submission, choice and managing (tadbir) which are attributed to some angels, the same resemblance is found with the pen and writer and the same thing is meant when we say that the writer writes. We have already elaborated on it in detail. It does not mean that He has entrusted the power of creating and the creative process (takwin) with the intention of ‘kun fayakun’ (Be! and it becomes); since it can be available to only the one who is Eternal, as we have already mentioned…” (Fatawa Rashidiyyah, p.141)

It further states in Fatawa Rashidiyyah, “So, the changes and revolutions in any part of the world which appear for the human beings all emanate from the divine power of Allah and are not the result of any possible power. It is not that Allah Most High allows them to act freely (tasarruf) in the world and entrusts the affairs of the human beings to them that they with Allah’s permission use their power and bring about various types of changes and interventions in the universe. So, this belief is pure polytheism (shirk) and absolute unbelief (kufr). One who holds such beliefs about these pious people is a polytheist and is rejected. In short, it is one matter that destiny changes its course for someone’s honor, or fate changes due to the du‘a of some pious man, while it is a different matter that changes take place in the universe through discretion (tasarruf) of a pious man, though with Allah’s permission; the first one is exactly Islam while the second is pure unbelief (kufr)…” (Fatawa Rashidiyyah, p.139-140)

Translator: I would like to thank Mawlana Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi for help with the translation of Persian texts.

Bibliography:

Fatawa Rashidiyyah – Imam Rabbani Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi

Hidayat al-Murtab Ila Tariq al-Sawab fi Tahqiq al-Mu’jizat (Rah-i-Hidayat) – ‘Allamah Sarfaraz Khan Safdar

1. A refutation of Al-Bawariq by Fadl Rasul Badayuni.
2. Allah Most High’s displaying a miracle at the hands of a Prophet who had announced he will display it as proof of his truthfulness, is equivalent to Divine confirmation of his Prophethood
3. Translation compared with Franz Rosenthal’s translation of Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah.
4. Ibid

Hadiths

(1) Qays ibn Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I came to al-Hirah and I saw them prostrating to their governor, so I said [to myself]: “Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is more deserving of being prostrated to.” Then, I came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and I said to him: “Verily I went to al-Hirah and I saw them prostrating to their governor, while you, O Messenger of Allah, are more deserving of being prostrated to.” He said: “What is your opinion, if you were to pass by my grave, would you prostrate to it?” I said: “No.” He said: “Then don’t do [this]. Were I to instruct anybody to prostrate to another, I would have instructed women to prostrate to their husbands, due to the right that they have over them.” Abu Dawud narrated it as mentioned in Nayl al-Awtar, and he weakened it because of Sharik al-Qadi, but this is incorrect as Sharik’s hadiths are hasan.

(2) ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa narrated: When Mu‘adh (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived from Sham, he prostrated to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Thereupon, he said: “What is this, O Mu‘adh?!” He said: “I went to Sham, and I found them prostrating to their high priests and their patriarchs, so I wished in my soul to do this for you.” Thereupon, Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Don’t do [this], for were I to instruct [anyone] to prostrate to another besides Allah, I would instruct the woman to prostrate to her husband.” Ahmad and Ibn Majah narrated it.

[Al-Shawkani] said in Nayl al-Awtar: “Ibn Majah narrated it with an acceptable chain (isnad salih), for Azhar ibn Marwan and al-Qasim al-Shaybani are reliable (saduq).” He also said: “Al-Bazzar transmitted the aforementioned story of Mu‘adh from the chapter with a chain whose narrators are the narrators of the Sahih. Al-Bazzar and al-Tabrani also transmitted it with another chain which contains al-Nahhas ibn Fahm who is weak.” He also said: “The matter of prostration is established in the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) according to al-Bazzar, from the hadith of Suraqah according to al-Tabrani, from the hadith of ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) according to Ahmad and Ibn Majah, from the hadith of ‘Ismah according to al-Tabrani and from others.” He said thereafter: “Thus, these hadiths, [saying] that ‘if it was appropriate to prostrate to a mortal, I would instruct the wife to [do] this for her husband,’ each of them supports the other, and each of them strengthens the other.”

Commentary

I say: The hadiths of the chapter explicitly prove the impermissibility of prostrating to other than Allah, and they prove that it has been specified for the Everlasting God and it is not suitable for a mortal, whether a prophet or a saint, whether living or dead. The distinction between [the prostrations of] worship (ta‘abbud), reverence (ta‘zim) and greeting (tahiyyah) is a baseless distinction invented by extremists, because Mu‘adh did not prostrate to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) due to his belief regarding him that he is divine, rather because he is a Prophet and Messenger, and despite this the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not make a concession for him in this, rather he told him that prostration is an act of reverence (ta‘zim) that is exclusive to Allah, and is not suitable for a mortal. Likewise, if the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) were to instruct a woman to prostrate to her husband, he would not give this instruction because he is a god, but because he is deserving of reverence, and despite this, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not make a concession therein, and he explained that this act of reverence has been specified for Allah Almighty. Hence, since prostration is an act of reverence specified for Allah Almighty, whoever establishes it for other than Him, he has made him a partner with Allah in this act of reverence specified for Him, so he becomes a polytheist (mushrik).

Therefore, Shams al-A’immah al-Sarakhsi said: “Prostration to other than Allah by way of reverence is disbelief (kufr).” Al-‘Ayni said in al-Binayah: “In this age, they do not prostrate to the sultan but out of reverence and awe, so there is no doubt concerning their disbelief.” Al-Mahbubi said in Sharh al-Jami‘ al-Saghir: “As for prostration to other than Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), it is disbelief in the absence of coercion. That which the ignorant Sufis do before their shaykh, it is absolutely forbidden and the worst of innovations, so they must be prohibited from [doing] this.”

As for the prostration of greeting (tahiyyah), it appears from the verdicts [of the later Hanafi jurists] that it is not disbelief, but only unlawful (haram). However, this distinction between the prostration of reverence and [the prostration of] greeting, in that the first of them is disbelief and not the second, is not clear to me because just as reverence of other than Allah with that which is an act of reverence specified for Allah Almighty is polytheism, based on this same [principle], greeting with that which is an act of reverence specified for Allah Almighty is practical polytheism, just as there would be no difference if one prayed to another by way of greeting [him].

If it is said: The prostration of greeting was permissible for previous nations, we say: We do not concede that this prostration was in this form [i.e. with the forehead on the ground], because it is possible that it was by way of bowing as [mentioned] in His statement: “Enter the door, bowing (sujjada)” (2:58). [Even] if it is conceded that it was in this form, it was not at that time an act of reverence specified for Allah Almighty, and polytheism only arose from the angle of [its] specification [for Allah], so when there was no specification, there was no polytheism. Thus, this doubt is removed.

Moreover, that which the ignorant do at the graves of the saints and mashayikh, it is not from the category of greeting (tahiyyah), rather it is from the category of reverence (ta‘zim), since if it was from the category of greeting it would be like salutation and shaking hands so there would be no reason to specify it to the graves of saints and mashayikh. Hence, since they specify it to their graves and their souls, it shows their intention is excessive reverence, not an act of greeting [that is] common to them and others. Thus, the distinction between reverence and greeting does not avail them if it was established [that there is a difference between them], so what if it is not established? There is no doubt, therefore, that this act of theirs is disbelief and practical polytheism. Allah knows best.

I‘la al-Sunan 17:429