The Angel Gabriel ( Jibreel) visits Muhammad

[AbuMubarak]

"A Man Approached Us" (part 1)

`Umar b. al-Khattâb, relates: While we were sitting with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) a man approached us. He had exceedingly white clothes and exceedingly black hair. No sign of travel could be seen upon him, yet none of us knew him. He sat before the Prophet (peace be upon him) placing his knees before his knees and his hands on his thighs and said: "O Muhammad! Tell me about Islam."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied: "Islam is to bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to pay charity, to fast the month of Ramadân, and to perform pilgrimage to the House if you are able to make the journey."

He said: "You have spoken the truth." We were startled that he would ask and then confirm it like that. Then he said: "Tell me about faith."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied: "It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree, both the good and bad of it."

He said: "You have spoken the truth. Tell me about excellence in faith."

He replied: "It is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and though you do not see Him, you know that He sees you."

He said: "You have spoken the truth. Tell me about the hour."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied: "The one being asked knows no more than the one who is asking."

He said: "Then tell me about its signs."

He replied: "Its signs are that a slave will give birth to her master and that the barefoot, destitute herdsmen shall compete with one another in erecting lofty buildings."

Then that man departed and the Prophet (peace be upon him) waited for a while. Then he asked me: "O `Umar, do you know who that questioner was?

I replied: "Allah and His Messenger know best."

He said: "That was Gabriel who came to you to teach you your religion." [Sahîh Muslim]

The importance of this hadîth:
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This extremely famous hadîth is commonly referred to as the "hadîth of Gabriel". It is rich with meaning. It discusses the relationship between Islam and faith. It enumerates the five pillars of Islam and the six articles of faith, which together make up the fundamentals of our religious belief. Then it goes on to present to us some of the signs of the Hour.

The relationship between Islam and faith:

In this hadîth, the Prophet (peace be upon him) defines Islam with outward statements and actions and defines faith with inner beliefs. This indicates that all of the outward actions that we as Muslims are obliged to perform come under the name of Islam. This would include our ablutions, our lesser pilgrimages to Mecca, and all other acts of devotion. The five pillars of faith are mentioned by way of example, since they are the foundation of a Muslim's obligations.

There are many other hadîth that emphasize the point that all of our outward devotions are part of Islam. For example, once a man asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): "What aspect of Islam is the best?" To this the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "To feed those in need and to greet with peace people you know as well as people you do not know." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

As for faith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) describes it here with inner beliefs. However, we know that our outward statements and actions are also part of our belief. Allah says: "The believers are only those who when Allah's name is mentioned their hearts are filled with awe, and when His signs are rehearsed to them, their faith increases and upon their Lord they rely. Who establish prayer and spend of what We provide for them. These are the believers truly. They have levels of honor with their Lord and forgiveness and a goodly provision." [Sûrah al-Anfâl: 2-4]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the delegation of `Abd al-Qays: "I command you with four things. The first is faith in Allah alone. Do you know what faith in Allah is? It is to testify that there is no God but Allah, to establish prayer, to pay charity, to fast the month of Ramadân, and to pay a fifth of war spoils." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Faith has over seventy branches. The best of these is to say 'There is no God but Allah' and the least of these is to remove an obstacle from the road. And shyness is a branch of faith." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

These are but a few of the hadîth that clearly demonstrate that outward statements and actions are part of faith. This is why we define faith as: "Acceptance in the heart, profession with the tongue, and action with the limbs". However, in the hadîth of Gabriel, the Prophet (peace be up him) distinguishes between Islam and faith by describing Islam with outward actions and faith with inner beliefs. The reason for this is that some words encompass a wider spectrum of meanings when mentioned on their own than they do when they are mentioned in conjunction with certain other words. If we were to mention either the word "Islam" or the word "faith" on its own, it would encompass both our inward beliefs and our outward actions. However, when we mention them together, each word takes on a narrower, more distinctive meaning.

This is why we have some hadîth wherein the Prophet defines Islam with inner beliefs. Once a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked: "What is Islam?"

The Prophet (peace be upon him) answered him: "To submit your heart to Allah and for the people to be safe from your tongue and your hand."

The man then asked: "And which Islam is best?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "Faith."

The man then asked: "So what is faith?"

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "To believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, and resurrection after death."

Then the man asked: "Which deeds are best?"

The Prophet replied: "Emigration."

The man asked: "What is emigration."

The Prophet replied: "To part with evil."

The man asked: "So which emigration is best?"

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "Striving in Allah's cause."[Musnad Ahmad]

Since each word taken on its own encompasses the other, and since outward deeds are part of both Islam and faith, it follows that everyone who is truly a Muslim must also have belief in his heart and everyone who truly believes is most definitely a Muslim.

In the next installment, we will discuss the five pillars of Islam, Allah willing.

[AbuMubarak]

"A Man Approached Us" (part 2)

Umar b. al-Khattâb, relates: While we were sitting with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) a man approached us. He had exceedingly white clothes and exceedingly black hair. No sign of travel could be seen upon him, yet none of us knew him. He sat before the Prophet (peace be upon him) placing his knees before his knees and his hands on his thighs and said: "O Muhammad! Tell me about Islam."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied: "Islam is to bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to pay Zakâh, to fast the month of Ramadân, and to perform pilgrimage to the House if you are able to make the journey."

He said: "You have spoken the truth." [Sahîh Muslim]

The five pillars of Islam:

In this hadîth, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is asked to define Islam. He does so by mentioning five outward actions. The first of these is a verbal action. It is to utter the testimony of faith. Prayer and fasting are physical activities performed with the body. Charity is a financial activity. Pilgrimage is a combination of all these things.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions only these five acts of worship when defining Islam, though there are many others that he could have mentioned as well. The reason that he mentions only these is that they are the primary duties upon which Islam is built. These acts of devotion are known as the "pillars of Islam".

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Islam is built upon five things: the testimony that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the establishment of prayer, the payment of Zakâh, the pilgrimage to the House, and the fast during the month of Ramadan." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

In this hadîth, Islam is likened to a building or an edifice having five pillars. These pillars are the supports needed for the building to be able to stand. If these supports are missing, the building will come crashing down. As for other aspects of Islam, their absence will be a deficiency in the overall edifice, but the edifice will still stand.

This hadîth implies that acceptance of these pillars is necessary for a person's Islam to be intact. If a person denies the validity or obligatory nature of any one of them, he ceases to be a Muslim. This is quite easy to understand with respect to the first pillar, which is the verbal profession of faith. Indeed, some narrations of this hadîth have other wordings indicative of faith itself. One version starts off: "Islam is built upon five things: belief in Allah and His Messenger…" [Sahîh al-Bukhârî] Another reads: "Islam is built upon five things: to assert monotheism…" [Sahîh Muslim]

A person becomes a Muslim when he truly believes in his heart that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Once he accepts this belief, the first duty that he must fulfill is to testify to what he believes before other Muslims. This is the first act of worship that he has to carry out. Once he declares his faith, he is recognized as a Muslim by the Muslim community and is entitled to all the rights that one Muslim has over another and is likewise bound by all the duties that one Muslim must fulfill towards another. It is as simple as that. There is no initiation into the fold of Islam.

The meaning of the testimony of faith can be explained by analyzing the statements it contains. It begins with our declaration: "There is no God…" This is a negation of polytheism. It is a denial of anything in existence being worthy of our worship. Then we continue with "…except Allah." This is an affirmation of monotheism: that Allah alone is the one who is worthy of worship.

Then we say: "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah". This is the second part of the testimony of faith. It is an affirmation of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the final Prophet and Messenger of Allah. This requires by implication our acceptance of the Qur'ân and the Sunnah.

By believing and then professing the testimony of faith, a Muslim rejects all false objects of worship and asserts that Allah is the only one to be worshipped.

As for the importance of prayer, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Prayer is what separates a man from unbelief and polytheism." [Sahîh Muslim]

It is required for every Muslim to perform five obligatory prayers a day. A Muslim turns toward Mecca when performing these prayers, facing the first house ever built for the worship of Allah, the Ka`bah, erected by Abraham and his son Ishmael (peace be upon them both). Allah says: "And remember Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House and said: "Our Lord, accept this from us, verily You are the All-Hearing, All-Knowing." [Sûrah al-Baqarah: ]

We must remember that in Islam we do not have any sacred relics or symbols. We are simply worshipping Allah while facing the Ka`bah; we are not worshipping the Ka`bah. Facing the Ka`bah in prayer unites us in our worship of Allah. By facing the Ka`bah, it is as though we are all worshiping together in the same place.

We perform these prayers throughout the day and night, and they a constant reminder of a Muslim's duty to Allah. Prayer keeps us away from sin. Allah says: "Establish prayer, for verily prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds." [Sûrah al-`Ankabût: 45] Prayer is also a chance to turn to God in worship, to give thanks, to ask for forgiveness, and to ask for His Guidance and Mercy.

Allah mentions prayer and charity together in the Qur'ân: "Establish prayer and pay Zakâh" [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 43] He says: "And they were but commanded to worship Allah sincerely and exclusively with purity of faith; to establish prayer and pay Zakâh. This is the correct religion." [Sûrah al-Bayyinah: 5]

After the Prophet (peace be upon him) died and Abû Bakr had assumed leadership, some of the Arabs rejected Islam. `Umar asked `Abû Bakr: "How are you going to go to war against these people when Allah's Messenger said: 'I am commanded to fight them until they say 'There is no God but Allah', and if they do so, they have safeguarded their wealth and their lives except in the dispensation of justice, and their affair is with Allah.'?"

Abû Bakr replied: "I will fight those who differentiate between prayer and Zakâh, for Zakâh is a right against wealth. By Allah, if they refuse to give me a camel hobble that they used to give to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) I will fight them for it." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî]

As for fasting during the month of Ramadan, it is prescribed in the following verse: "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it is prescribed for those who came before you, that perchance you might fear Allah." [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 183]

Allah informs us as to why the fast takes place during the month of Ramadân when He says: "Ramadân is the month in which the Qur'ân was sent down as a guide to humanity and as clear signs for guidance and judgment. So whoever among you witnesses this month should spend it in fasting." [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 185]

The following story emphasizes just how important these pillars are. Once, a man from central Arabia with disheveled hair approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked him about Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: "There are five prayers to be offered in the day and the night."

The man asked: "Do I have to offer any others?"

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "No, unless you do so voluntarily." Then he continued: "You must fast the month of Ramadân."

The man asked: "Do I have to offer any other fasts?"

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "No, unless you do so voluntarily."

Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) informed him about Zakâh, and he asked: "Do I have to pay anything else?"

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "No, unless you do so voluntarily."

The man then turned away saying: "By Allah, I will do nothing extra for these things nor do any less than I have to."

At this, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) remarked: "He will attain success if he proves truthful." [Sâhîh al-Bukhârî and Sâhîh Muslim]

Pilgrimage becomes an obligation on those who have the ability to undertake it. Allah says: "And pilgrimage to the House is a duty that the people owe to Allah, whoever among them is able to make the journey. And whoever disbelieves, then truly Allah stands not in need of Creation." [Sûrah Al `Imrân: 97]

In the next installment, we will turn our attentions to the six articles of faith.

[AbuMubarak]

“A Man Approached Us” (part 3)

Then he said: “Tell me about faith.”

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) replied: “It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree, both the good and bad of it.”

He said: “You have spoken the truth.”

The six articles of faith:

In this hadîth, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is asked to define faith. He does so by mentioning six things that a Muslim must believe. It is required that a Muslim believes in these six matters with conviction and resolve. If a person rejects any one of these tenets, he will be outside the pale of Islam.

The first five of these articles are mentioned together in the Qur’ân.

Allah says: “Righteousness is of one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 177]

Allah says: “The Messenger believes in what is revealed to him from his Lord as do the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His angels, His books, and His Messengers. They say: ‘We make no distinction between any of the Messengers.’ They say: ‘We hear and we obey. Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the final destination’.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 285]

The first article – belief in Allah:

Islam is the religion of total submission to Allah. It emphasizes that Allah is One, the Creator of all that exists, and that He alone has the right to be worshipped. In our testimony of faith we say: “There is no god but Allah” and affirm our monotheism. Our monotheistic belief can be broken down into three categories:

1. The Oneness of Allah in His Lordship: We must believe that Allah alone is the Creator of all things and He alone causes everything to happen. No one shares in His power. Nothing can go against Him and nothing can resist His decree.

2. The devotion of all worship to Allah alone: This is the core belief of Islam. This was the Message proclaimed by all the Prophets and Messengers of Islam sent by Allah throughout the ages. They came with the purpose of calling people away from the worship of creation and to direct them toward the worship of the Creator only.

Allah says: “We had not sent a Messenger before you (O Muhammad) except that we revealed to him that there is no God but Me so worship Me.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 25]

Allah informs us that the sole purpose of the creation of humanity is to worship Him alone. Allah says: “I did not create humanity and the Jinn except to worship Me.” [Sûrah al-Dhâriyât : 56]

3. The uniqueness of Allah in His names and attributes: It is incumbent upon us as Muslims to believe in all the names and attributes of Allah that Allah ascribes to Himself in the Qur’ân and that His Messenger (peace be upon him) ascribes to Him in the Sunnah. Likewise, it is forbidden for us as Muslims to ascribe to Allah any attributes that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) do not inform us about. We do not ascribe to Allah the attributes of created things nor do we liken His attributes to those of created things. We accept with full belief and conviction what Allah tells us about Himself.

The second article – belief in the angels of Allah

A Muslim must believe in the existence of angels. They are creations of Allah who are powerful and always do precisely as Allah commands them. Allah has revealed to us the names and the duties of some of the angels. Gabriel and Michael are among the angels mentioned in the Qur’ân. For instance, it is among Gabriel’s duties to take Allah’s Revelation to the Prophets and Messengers (peace be upon them).

The third article – belief in the books of Allah

Muslims believe in all of the original scriptures that Allah revealed to His select Messengers (peace be upon them). A Muslim must believe in every scripture mentioned by Allah in the Qur’ân. The scriptures that Allah mentions in the Qur’ân are as follows:

1. The Scrolls that were revealed to Abraham (peace be upon him)

2. The Torah that was revealed to Moses (peace be upon him)

3. The Psalms that were revealed to David (peace be upon him)

4. The Gospel that was revealed to Jesus (peace be upon him)

5. The Qur’ân that was revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him) and which has been preserved to this day in its original form.

Muslims do not consider the Bible that is presently in circulation in various editions and versions to be an accurate representation of the older scriptures that were revealed before the Qur’ân. Allah did not attend to preserving the previously revealed books from corruption and substitution. Instead, He left their preservation to those upon whom He sent the books. Allah says: “Verily we sent down the Torah containing guidance and light, by which the Prophets who submitted themselves to Allah’s will would judge the Jews. Likewise judged the priests and the rabbis, for they were entrusted with preserving the Book of Allah.” [Sûrah al-Mâ`idah; 44]

For this reason, these books were not spared from corruption and substitution, as is clearly stated in the Qur’ân. Moreover, many of the followers and scholars of the other religions admit that their books have been tampered with. As for the Qur’ân, Allah has taken its preservation upon Himself. Allah says: “Verily we have sent down the remembrance, and verily we are its preservers.”

What remains of the previous scriptures is a mixture of truth and falsehood. The contents of those scriptures can be broken down into three categories. The first category is that of matters the Qur’ân and Sunnah have confirmed. We consequently believe in them and affirm their authenticity. The second category includes all those matters that contradict the teachings of the Qur’ân and Sunnah. In these instances, we are certain of the inauthenticity of these matters and reject them. The third category comprises those matters that the Qur’ân and Sunnah neither affirm nor deny. Our position with respect to these matters is a non-committal one; we neither believe in them nor disbelieve. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “If the People of the Scripture relate something to you, neither believe them nor reject what they say.”

The fourth article – belief in the Messengers of Allah

A Muslim must believe in all of the Prophets and Messengers Sent by Allah to humanity. The Prophets, from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them), were all brothers in faith. They all called people to the same truth. Different Messengers came with different sets of laws that God Sent through them to guide and govern the people, but the essence of their teachings was the same. They all called people away from the worship of created things to the worship of the Creator.

Allah says: “We had sent to every nation a messenger telling them to worship Allah and to avoid false gods.” [Sûrah al-Nahl: 36]

Muslims are required to love and respect all of the Prophets and Messengers (peace be upon them). If a person rejects or dislikes any one of them, that person is not a believer.

The fifth article – belief in the Last Day

All Muslims must believe, without doubt, that this present world will come to an end and then we will be resurrected to stand in judgment before our Lord and receive our recompense. It has been called the “Last Day” because there is no day after it, for the people of Paradise will go to their abode and the people of the Hellfire will go to theirs. From that day forth, our existence will be eternal.

Allah says: “Then verily after that you will die. Then on the Day of Judgment you will be resurrected.” [Sûrah al-Mu’minûn: 15-16]

He says: “We will set down the scales of justice for the Day of Judgment so no soul will be wronged. Even if it has the weight of a mustard seed, we shall bring it to account, and Allah is sufficient to take account.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 47]

The sixth article – belief in divine decree

As discussed by Ibn Rajab, there are two levels to our belief in divine decree. The first is to believe that Allah’s knowledge encompasses all that has ever happened and all that ever will happen. Allah knows who will obey Him and who will disobey and who is destined for Paradise and who is destined for Hell.

The second level is belief that Allah created the very actions of His servants. He created every act of obedience and their disobedience that we perform. Allah says: “Allah created you and what you do.” [Sûrah al-Sâffât: 96]

At the same time, we are obliged to believe in the free will of the human being. This does not in any way contradict the fact that Allah knows everything that will ever occur in creation. Someone might allege: “If Allah knows that I am going to commit a sin tomorrow, then it is unavoidable that I do so because Allah’s knowledge is infallible and what Allah knows to come to pass must in fact come to pass. Therefore, I have no free will. My free will is but an illusion.”

The answer to this contention is that Allah created within each of us the ability to formulate an intention. Allah wants us to be able to make our own choices. When a person makes a choice, Allah creates the actions and circumstances that allow the person’s intention to be carried out. Allah creates our actions, but He does not dictate those actions to us. It is Allah’s Will that human beings have free will. Allah is not always pleased with the decisions we make, but He wants us to be able to make these decisions of our own free choice. We will be rewarded or punished on account of the choices that we make. Allah knows what decisions we will make throughout our lives of our own free will. This does not mean that Allah is forcing our hands. We must understand that we cannot compare Allah’s knowledge to our own. His knowledge is unlimited. It is unconstrained by the limits of time the way our knowledge is constrained. Allah has knowledge of what we are going to decide tomorrow because His knowledge is unlimited and unconstrained, not because we are compelled in our actions and have no choice.

In the next and final installment, we will, in shâ’Allah, discuss excellence in faith and the signs of the Hour.

[AbuMubarak]

He said: “Tell me about excellence in faith.”

He replied: “It is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and though you do not see Him, you know that He sees you.”

He said: “You have spoken the truth. Tell me about the Hour.”

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) replied: “The one being asked knows no more than the one who is asking.”

He said: “Then tell me about its signs.”

He replied: “Its signs are that a slave will give birth to her master and that the barefoot, destitute herdsmen shall compete with one another in erecting lofty buildings.”

Then that man departed and the Prophet (peace be upon him) waited for a while. Then he asked me: “O `Umar, do you know who that questioner was?

I replied: “Allah and His Messenger know best.”

He said: “That was Gabriel who came to you to teach you your religion.” [Sahîh Muslim]
Excellence in faith (ihsân):

The Prophet (peace be upon him) describes excellence in faith by saying: “It is to worship Allah as though you see Him”, meaning that the worshipper engages in his worship with such acute awareness of the fact that he is presenting himself before his Lord that it is as though he sees Him. He will be absolutely sincere in his worship and his heart will be full of humility, awe, and fear. This implies that the worshipper will expend every effort in perfecting his worship.

He further describes ihsân by saying: “…and though you do not see Him, you know that He sees you.” Some scholars, like Ibn Rajab in his work entitled Jâmi` al-`Ulûm wa al-Hikam, are of the opinion that there are two degrees of ihsân being indicated here, one stronger than the other. The strongest is to worship Allah as if you see him. If you cannot attain that level of sincerity and devotion, then at least when you worship Allah, be cognizant of the fact that He sees you.

Other scholars see only one idea being conveyed. They regard the second statement (know that He sees you) to be the cause of the first (worship Allah as though you see Him). Ibn Rajab mentions this view as well. The idea here is that the way to attain the level of worshipping Allah as though you see him is to cultivate the awareness that Allah sees you.

It is important to note that under no circumstances should this hadîth be understood to mean that Allah can be seen in this world. The Prophet (peace be upon him) merely said: “…as though you see Him”.

How does this excellence relate to Islam and faith?

We have already discussed that the word Islam, when used on its own, encompasses all inward beliefs and outward actions. Faith, too, when mentioned by itself encompasses all of these meanings. However, when Islam and faith are mentioned together, then Islam refers to outward actions and faith refers to inward beliefs.

The concept of excellence in faith is quite similar in this regard. When mentioned alone, it embraces the meaning of Islam and the meaning of faith. However, when it is mentioned along with those two, it takes on a more distinct meaning. This hadîth, therefore describes the three levels that a Muslim can attain. The lowest is the level of Islam, the second is the level of faith, and the highest is the level of ihsân.

Allah says: “There is no sin upon those who believe and work righteousness for what they have eaten in the past if they now fear Allah, believe, and work righteousness, and then fear Allah and believe, and then fear Allah and work excellence (ihsân), and Allah loves those who work excellence.” [Sûrah al-Mâ’idah: 93]

Dealing with the Unseen:

When the angel Gabriel asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the Hour, the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “The one being asked knows no more than the one who is asking.” This answer shows us how we must deal with the Unseen. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was not trying to say that his knowledge was equal to that of the questioner. He was, instead, making it clear that no one knows about this matter except for Allah.

The Hour is part of the knowledge of the Unseen. We only know about the Unseen what Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) tell us. This means we only know what we read about these matters in the Qur’ân and Sunnah.

These revealed texts tell us of many matters that we have no way of knowing anything about except by way of revelation. Some of these relate to Allah, His attributes, and His actions. Others relate to the existence of certain things, like the seven heavens and what they contain, the angels, the Prophets, Paradise, Hell, the jinn.

The Unseen, more broadly, can be defined as everything that cannot be perceived by man’s senses. The Unseen includes those things that remain secret from man and are only known by Allah the All-Aware, as well as those things that man has knowledge of due to his being informed of them by Allah and His Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

It is unlawful for Muslims to speculate about matters of the Unseen. To do so is to speak about matters of which Allah has kept knowledge thereof to Himself. We only know of these matters what Allah has revealed to us about them in the Qur’ân and what the Prophet (peace be upon him) has informed us about

Moreover, Allah will call us to account for speaking without knowledge. Allah says: “And do not Pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, every act of hearing, of seeing, or of feeling in the heart will be enquired into.” [Sûrah al-Isrâ’: 36] We can classify matters of the Unseen in the following way:
1. Matters that are absolutely and categorically unseen: These are matters that man has no way of perceiving by way of his intellect or his senses. These can be further broken down into two subcategories.

The first subcategory comprises those matters that Allah has informed man about by way of His Messengers who convey to mankind what Allah has revealed to them. An example of this is what we know about the jinn. Allah says: “Say (O Muhammad): It has been revealed to me that a group of Jinn listened to the Qur’ân and said: ‘Verily we have heard a wonderful recitation. It guides to the right path. We believe in it, and we shall never worship anything besides our Lord’.” [Sûrah al-Jinn: 1-2]

The second subcategory comprises those matters that Allah has not informed any of His creation about, not even His Prophets and angels. This is what Allah means when he says: “He possesses the keys to the Unseen. None has knowledge of them except for Him.” [Sûrah al-An`âm: 59]

This includes the Knowledge of the when the world will come to an end, the knowledge of when, where, and how a person is to die, and some of the names that Allah has given to Himself. Allah says: “Verily Allah has knowledge of the Hour. He sends down the rains. He knows what is in the wombs, and no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in which land it will die.” [Sûrah Luqmân: 34]

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) has said: “Oh Allah, I beseech you with every name that you have; those that you have given yourself, those that you have taught to some of your Creation, and those that you have kept to yourself the knowledge thereof.”

2. Events of the past: These matters are part of the Unseen for some people but not for others. They are Unseen with respect to those who did not witness them or obtain empirical evidence for their occurrence in the past. For this reason, Allah said to the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) after relating to him the story of the family of `Imrân: “This is from the news of the Unseen that We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast lots as to which of them will be the guardian of Maryam, nor were you with them when they disputed.” [Sûrah آl `Imrân: 44]

However, these events were clearly not part of the Unseen for the people who actually lived through them. We must also understand that the knowledge that we have of past events that we get from historical documents and archeological evidence is not part of the knowledge of the Unseen, since this knowledge is acquired by way of our senses. The same can be said for our knowledge of the ancient past that falls under the disciplines of natural history, geology and astronomy.

3. Events of the future: These are matters that will remain part of the Unseen until they actually occur. Knowledge of the time of the Hour falls under this category. Not even the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) nor the angels know when the Hour will be. However, when the Hour arrives, it will be known by all. Knowledge of the signs of the Hour is likewise part of the Unseen. Some of this knowledge has been revealed to us.

Besides, these categories, there area matters that appear to be matters of the Unseen, but that people can uncover through observation, scientific analysis, and investigation. This may be by certain means – like telescopes and other instruments – that expand the capabilities of our senses. In actuality, these matters can only be defined as part of the Unseen if taken relative to a person’s circumstances at a given time or place. The Qur’ân does use the word “unseen” with this intended meaning. Allah says, when relating the story of the death of Prophet Sulaymân (peace be upon him): “When we decreed death for him, nothing informed them (the jinn) of his death except an earthworm that was gnawing at his stick. So when he fell down, the jinn saw clearly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in their humiliating torment.” [Sûrah Saba’: 14]

Two signs of the Hour:

After the Prophet (peace be upon him) made it clear that Allah alone has knowledge of the Hour, he was asked to mention some of its signs. Since the events mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him) are part of the Unseen, we can know nothing about them except what we are told. Probably the only people who will fully understand what the Prophet (peace be upon him) meant when he foretold these events will be those who actually witness them.

The first of these is that a slave will give birth to her master. This could mean many things and we cannot be certain exactly which of the possible meanings is intended. Many interpretations have been offered. All that we can be sure of is that near the end of time, affairs will not be as they are supposed to be. At least some mothers will be in a compromised position with respect to their children. Though mothers are deserving of respect, reverence, and good treatment, their children will – either literally or figuratively – be treating them like slaves.

The second sign mentioned is that barefoot, destitute herdsmen shall compete with one another in erecting lofty buildings. This also opens itself to numerous interpretations. All we can know for sure is that again affairs will be the opposite of what they are supposed to be. Those who are ignorant, unqualified, and undeserving shall enjoy positions of wealth and power that they shall misuse in pursuit of vanity.