Knowledge of the Unseen: The Correct Creed Between the Two Extremes

Question

(1) A person holds the belief that Allah the Exalted granted the Prophet ﷺ all-encompassing knowledge (‘ilm kulli) — so much so that, according to his belief, the Prophet ﷺ knows all matters that exist in the world, all that has happened and all that is to happen, even which people of Hell will enter Hell and which people of Paradise will enter Paradise; he also says that the Prophet ﷺ knows the leaves of the trees and the grains of sand — all of them — just as he sees his blessed palm.

Answer

(1) The claim of universal affirmation (ijab kulli) — namely that the Prophet ﷺ possessed knowledge of all unseen things, that the knowledge of God the Exalted and his knowledge were equal in quantity, the only difference being between the essential (dhati) and the bestowed (‘ata’i) — is false and contrary to the texts [of the Qur’an and Sunna].

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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