Beloved Prophet's صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم
Knowledge of Five Secrets
Uloom al-Khamsah]
Courtesy: Noori al-Qadiri
Undoubtedly, with Allah is the knowledge of the Hour, and He sends down rain and knows what is in the wombs of the mothers and no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow and no soul knows in what land it will die. Undoubtedly, Allah is the Knower, All Aware. [31:34]
Commentaries on the Above Verse of Holy Qur'an
Tafseer-e-Saavi Hashiya Ala Tafseer al Jalalain comments under this verse:
In Tafseer Araais al-Bayan, it is said with reference to what is in the wombs (of the mothers):
We heard some Auliya saying that they had given the advanced information whether the child in the womb was a boy or a girl and we saw with our own eyes that the information given by the Auliya (saints) was correct. [Araa'is al-Bayan, Dar al Kutb Ilmiyah (Berut - Lebenon), Vol 3, Page 126]
It is said in Rooh al-Bayan, about this verse:
And whatever the information about the Unseen (Ghayb) are reported from the apostles and the mystic saints, these are the blessings from Almighty Allah either by way instruction from Him or Revelation (Wahi) or Inspiration (Ilhaam). Likewise some saints (Auliya) predicted rainfall, some about the child in the womb, these all proved correct. [Tafsir Rooh al-Bayan, Vol 10, Page 446 / 447]
It is stated in Tafseer-e-Ahmadiyyah under this verse:
And you can also say that though Allah is the absolute knower of all these things, it is not unjustifiable that he may inform some such chosen servants (Prophets, Saints, Scholars) whom He pleases in any or all these subjects for Allah besides knowing (Aleem) himself, he can also inform others (Khabeer) of that knowledge.
Prophet's Knowledge of Five Secrets in Ahadith
It is recorded in Sahih al Bukhari and Tafsir al Khazin:
The Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) stood on the Pulpit (Mimbar) and spoke about the things relating to the Day of Judgment and said that the occurrence of the fateful day many events of grave significance would have taken place. He said to the people present on the occasion to ask any thing they are keen to know about. He said: By Allah the Almighty! till such time I am on the pulpit (Mimbar) any thing you ask I shall give the answer thereto. One stood up and asked, "Where is my place? The Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) O replied:' In the hell! Then Abdullah bin Huzafa asked: 'Who is my farther? He replied, 'Huzafa'. After that he repeatedly said: Ask, Ask, Ask. (But there was no more question to be asked). [Sahih Bukhari, Vol 2, Page 424, Hadith 540 - Tafseer al Khazin (5:101), Vol 2, Page 341]
Sayyeduna Anas narrated about the incident took place in Battle of Badr:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هذا مصرع فلان قال ويضع يده علي الارض هاهنا هاهنا قال فما مات احدهم عن موضع يد رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم
The Messenger of Allah (may Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) said: This is the place where so and so would be killed. He placed his hand on the earth (saying) here and here; (and) none of them fell away from the place which the Messenger of Allah (may Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) had indicated by placing his hand on the earth.
Sahih Muslim, Book 19 (The Book of Jihad and Expedition), Hadith 4394
Sahih Muslim, Kitab Al-Jihad wa'l-Siyar, Vol 9, Page 247, Hadith 3330
.
Narrated Sahl: On the day (of the battle) of Khaybar the Prophet said, "Tomorrow I will give the flag to somebody who will be given victory (by Allah) and who loves Allah and His Apostle and is loved by Allah and His Apostle." So, the people wondered all that night as to who would receive the flag and in the morning everyone hoped that he would be that person. Allah's Apostle asked, "Where is 'Ali?" He was told that 'Ali was suffering from eye-trouble, so he applied saliva to his eyes and invoked Allah to cure him. He at once got cured as if he had no ailment. The Prophet gave him the flag. 'Ali said, "Should I fight them till they become like us (i.e. Muslim)?" The Prophet said, "Go to them patiently and calmly till you enter the land. Then, invite them to Islam, and inform them what is enjoined upon them, for, by Allah, if Allah gives guidance to somebody through you, it is better for you than possessing red camels."
Bukhari, Book 4 (Fighting for the Cause of Allah), Volume 52, Hadith 253
Bukhari, Kitabul Jihad Wal Sayyar, Volume 10, Page 198, Hadith 2787
Bukhari, Kitabul Magazi, Volume 13, Page 110, Hadith 3888
Sahih Muslim, Fazail As-Sahaba, Vol 12, Page 129, Hadith 4420
Sunan Al Tirmidi, Kitabul Manaqib An Rasoolillah, Vol 12, Page 187, Hadith 3658
Sunan Ibne Maja, Kitabal Muqaddima, Vol 1, Page 130, Hadith 114Hassan ibn Thabit said:
A Prophet who sees around him what others do not
And recites the Book of Allah in every assembly!
If he says something of a day which he has not yet seen
What he says is confirmed on the morrow or the next day.
Maujam al-Kabir At-Tibraani, Vol 4, Page 48-50
AlAhad Wal Mathani Vol 9, Page 463
Ma'arafatis Sahaba Li Abi Naeem Isbahani, Vol 6, Page 398
Al-Isti'aab Fi Ma'arfatil Ashaab, Vol 2, Page 137
Simtun Nujoom, Vol 1, Page 150
Al-Waafi Bil Wafyaat, Vol 5, Page 313
Taraakh-e-Damishq, Vol 3, Page 322
Al-Hakim Vol 3, Page 9-10
Al-Isti'ab Vol 4, Page 1958-1962
Dala'il al-Nubuwwa Lil Baheeqi, Vol 1, Page 266
Dala'il al-Nubuwwa Li Abi Naeem Isbahani, Vol 1, Page 276
Sharh Usuli I'tiqadi Ahlas Sunnah, Vol 4, Page 780
Tafseer At-Tibri, Book 102, Vol 2, Page 411
Ibn Habban in al-Thiqat Vol 1, Page 128
Al-Iktifa Vol 1, Page 343
It is stated in Dalail an-Nabuwwah li Abi Nu'aym:
Abdullah Ibne Abbas narrates from Ummul Fadl, She said, "Once I passed nearby Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim. He said, 'You are pregnant and you have a son in your womb. Bring him to me when he will take birth' Ummul Fadl said that, 'After some time my son took birth and I brought him to Prophet Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim. He gave Adhan in his right ear and said Aqamat in the left and put his lu'aab in his mouth and name him Abdullah and said to me, 'take this father of Khaleefa' Ummul Fadl told it to her Husband Abdullah Ibne Abbas. Ibne Abbas went to Prophet Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim and said that Ummul Fadl had told him such and such. Prophet Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim replied, 'Its true! This child would become the father of caliphates. One would be named as Saffah and other would be named as Mehdi'". [Dalail an-Nabuwwah li Abi Nu'aym, Vol 2, Page 81, Hadith 467]
Sayings of Prominent Scholars and Mystics
"Anybody who claims to have knowledge of any of these Five without Allah's Prophet's (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) informing him on it is a liar in his claim."
Umdat al-Qari Sharha Al-Bukhari, Kitab-al-Eman, Idarat-ut-Taba'at-al-Muniriyya , Vol 1, Page 290
Irshad as-Saari, Sharha Al-Bukhari, Kitab-al-Eman, Dar-ul-Kitab Al-Arabi , Vol 1, Page 141
Fath al-Baari Sharha Al-Bukhari, Kitab-al-Eman, Vol 1, Page 80, Hadith 48
The Researcher Shaikh Abdul Haq Dehlwi (Quddisa Sirruhu), in his "Lama'at" - The exposition of Mishkat writes on this Hadeeth:
المراد لا تعلم بدون تعلیم اللہ تعالی منه
In the same 'Ash'atul Lam'aat, Shaikh Abdul Haq elaborates this very hadith as under:
The idea is that no one can know those five aspects of the Ghayb with the help of his own wisdom unless Allah Almighty informs (inspires) him because no one knows (nor can any one know) about these things except Almighty Allah Who may inform the person concerned either through inspiration (Ilhaam) or Revelation (Wahi). [Ash'at al Lama'at, Maktabtul Ma'ariful Ilmiyah, Vol 1, Page 74]
Imam Qastalani in his book, Sharha Bukhari in the Tafseer of Sura Ra'ad:
"No one except ALLAH Ta'ala knows, when the Judgment Day will come, but His chosen Messengers. He discloses His unseen to any of His Messengers; but as far as Awliya are concerned, they receive these Unseen from the Prophets (Salat Was Salam). [Irshad as-Saari, Kitab-ut-Tafseer, Surah Ra'ad, Darul Kitab al-Arabi, Vol 7, Page 186]
Here the possibility to have that particular knowledge by the Auliya has been made in the manner that this knowledge is originally imparted to the Prophets and the Auliya receive it from them. And the very fact is that the Ayah denies those other than the Prophets the knowledge of the Unknown originally or directly, not absolutely or indirectly.
Mentioning the false doubts of the false sect Mu'tazala about the miracles of Auliya and refuting them in "Sharh al-Maqasid", Allama Sa'ad al-Deen Taftazani says:
"Their fifth argument pertains to their denial that the Auliya have the knowledge of the Unknown. They predicate their argument on the Ayah. 'Allah is the Knower of the Unknown, so He does not reveal His Unknown to anyone but the Prophet whom He chooses' they argue that the Unknown is accordingly particular to the Prophets, consequently Allah Ta'ala does not inform anybody except the Prophets on the Unknown, not even the Auliya. The answer to this argument is that here "The Unknown" is not for the general but is absolute or definite and that is, in accordance with the previous Ayah, the time of the occurrence of the Day of Judgement. And it is not distant of the Messengers out of men and angels to be granted its knowledge. On this ground the exception made by Allah ta'ala is correct. [Sharh-ul-Maqasid, Darul Mu'arif An-Nau'maniyah (Lahore), Vol 2, Page 204/205]
The above exquisite passage amply demonstrates that the Wahhabia are worse than even the Mu'tazala: for the Mu'tazala denied the Honourable Auliya the knowledge of the Unknown but not the Prophets; while the vicious Wahhabia have denied the Prophets themselves.
It is recorded about the Five Knowledges in Anhah al-Hajjah Hashiaya Ibne Maaja:
Siddiq-e-Akbar Abu Bakar Siddiq informed his wife Bint-e-Kharijah that she was pregnant with a daughter. A daughter was born to his wife but by that time Hadrat Abu Bakr had left the world on his wafat. This is an example of foresight and prudence of a Momin which Almighty Allah proves true (in due course of time).
Hafiz-ul-Hadith Sayyidi Ahmad Maliki reports the Ghawth of the time Sayyid Shareef Abdul Azeez Mas'ood Hasani (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu) as saying:
"Al-Ibreez" further goes on:
"I asked the Shaikh that the exteriorist Ulema out of the Muhadditheen differed from one another in the issue of the Five whether the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam) had the knowledge of them or not. The Shaikh said: "How can the Five be concealed from Him. (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) when none of "The Ahl-u-Tasarruf" (The Divine power-wielding) of His Umma cannot wield power and authority unless he knows the Five." [Al-Ibriz, Chapter 2, Mustafa AlBaabi (Egypt), Page 167/168]
Allama Shanwani, in "Jami'un Nihaya", has reported it as Hadeeth that:
"Allah Ta'ala did not take the Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) out of this world but when He Ta'ala had informed Him (upon Him Salat and Salam) on every thing. [Jami'un Nihaya]
Allama Shanwa'ee says in the same book:
The Great Imam Suyuti, in his book Raudh an-Nadheer, the exposition of Jami as-Sagheer writes on this Hadeeth:
"So far as His (upon him salat and salam) statement that none but Allah knows these Five Unknown, it means that Allah knows these Five Unknown by his own self, none other. Yet others can know them only by His imparting. So there are those who know them, and we have met a group of persons who knew when they would die and what was in the Womb of a woman before delivery." [Raudh-un-Nadheer Sharah Al-Jami'us Sagheer]
Again the same Allama Jalaluddin Sayooti says in his 'Khasais al-Kubra':
All the things which were to happen to his Ummah till the advent of the Day of Judgement by way of the Knowledge of the Unseen were presented to the Holy Prophet Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam. [Khasa'is al-Kubra, Vol 2, Page 292]
The Holy Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) did not leave the world (Wisaal) until ALLAH granted all the five things in full to his knowledge. [Hashiya ala Tafsir Jalalain, Vol 3, Page 215 - Hashiya Al-Bajouri Alal Burda, Page 92]
In Futoohaat-e-Wah'biya Sharha Arba'een al-Nawawi, The religious scholar Ibne Atiyyah says:
Imam Ibn Hajar Makki says in his exposition of The Hamziyya:
"The Unknown is peculiar to Allah Ta'ala but in the sense of its comprehensiveness. Consequently it does not negate Allah Ta'ala's intimating some of His choice with many of the Unknown Secrets even some of the Five of which the Prophet (Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim) has said that none but Allah knows them." [Afdalul Qura li Qura'ee Ummul Qura, Majma'us Saqafi (Abu Dhabi), Page 143-144]
In his commendable book "Ajab-ul-Ajaib", the exposition of Salat-ul-Hadrati Sayyidi Ahmad Badawi Kabeer (radiyallahu ta'ala anhu), Allama Uthmawi says:
Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlawi in Bustaan-e-Muhaddiseen has said:
Conclusion: