'Sin in al-Ruhba... Forgiveness in
The following account of firasa is related about
Imam al-Junayd al-Baghdadi:
Abu `Amr ibn `Alwan relates:
I went out one day to the market of al-Ruhba for something I needed.
I saw a funeral procession and I followed it in order to pray with
the others. I stood among the people until they buried the dead man.
My eyes unwittingly fell on a woman who was unveiled. I lingered
looking at her, then I held back and began
to beg forgiveness of Allah the Exalted.
On my way home
an old woman told me: "My lord, why do I see your face
all darkened?"
I took a mirror and behold, my
face had turned dark.
I examined my conscience and
searched: In what did calamity befall me? I
remembered the look I cast. Then I sat alone somewhere and I
began to ask Allah's forgiveness assiduously, and I asked
to do with little for forty days. (During
that time,) the thought came to my heart: " Visit
your shaykh al-Junayd."
I travelled
to Baghdad. When I reached the room where he lived, I
knocked at his door and heard him say: "Enter,
O Aba `Amr, you sin in
al-Ruhba and we ask forgiveness for
you here in Baghdad."
[Narrated by
Ibn al-Jawzi, Sifat al-safwa (Beirut: Dar al-kutub
al-`ilmiyya, 1409/1989) 1(2):271, in the chapter on al-Junayd
(#296).]
---
The Holy Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wasallam, is reported to have said, "Beware of the firasah of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah,” then he recited the verse:
"Surely,
... mutawassimeen." (Tirmidhi)
It is reported from
the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) that he
stated,
“Be aware of the insight of
the Mu’min (believer)! For he sees with
the light of Allāh!”
[Tabāranī’s Kabīr and Musnad Ash-Shāmiyyīn. Al Haythamī stated its chain is hasan. It is also reported by many others with weaker chains.]
In
the two Sahīhs Abū Hurayrah narrates that
the Prophet(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said,
“In
the nations long before you there were people who were communicated
to although they were not prophets. If there is anyone of them in my
community, it is ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattāb!”
In the narration of Sahīh Muslim, the student of Mālik ibn Anas and erudite scholar, Ibn Wahb states,
“Communicated to means mulham (inspired).”
In Fat-hul-Bārī Al-Hāfith Ibn Hajr states,
“Communicated to means by the Angels.”
In the Sharh (explanation) of Sahīh Muslim by Imām An-Nawawī we find the Imām commenting, “The scholars differed concerning the words ‘communicated to’.
Ibn Wahb said it meant mulham (inspired). It was also said, “It is those who are correct, and when they convey an opinion it is though they are communicated to, and then they give their opinion.” It was also said, “The angels speak to them”.
Al Bukhārī said, “Truth comes from their tongues.” This hadīth contains a confirmation of the miracles of the saints (karamātul-Awliyā’).”
This hadīth should not be understood as restricting amongst this Ummah (nation) only one who has this ability. Rather, as stated above by Imām An-Nawawī it is confirmation for the ability of all saints. Ibn Hajr states in his Fat-h-ul Bārī that it is wrong to think that other communities would have men like this yet the Ummah only has one!
---
Abū Bakr As-Siddīq (RA) was one whose insight and inspiration manifested itself.
In
the Muwatta’ of Imām Mālik it is reported that he saw
via a dream, before his death, that his wife Habībah bint
Khārijah ibn Zayd Al-Khazrajiyyah bore
in her womb a girl. He told Ā’ishah she
would have to share her inheritance with ‘two brothers and two
sisters’. She said to him, “Is it not just Asmā? Who is the
other?” He said, “The one in
the womb of Khārijah’s daughter. I was shown it is a girl.” That
daughter was Umm Kulthūm!
[This is also narrated by
Ibn Sa’ad in his Tabaqāt, Bayhaqi in his Sunan, Abdur-Razzāq in
his Musannaf and many other scholars.]
Ibn Hajr in his Fat-hul-Bārī.
Amīr Al-Mu’minīn, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattāb
(RA), while delivering the Khutbah (speech ) of Jumu’ah (Friday
prayer in Madinah), began
yelling out loud “Sāriya!
The Mountain! Sāriya! The Mountain!”
At
this very moment Sāriya ibn Zunaym were
battling the Persians
at Nahawand (Iran).
The Muslim army was about to fall into ambush when they heard a voice screaming to them “the mountain!”. They realized it was the voice of Amīr Al-Mu’minīn ‘Umar, and took to the mountain. Thus their flank was protected and they defeated the Persians of Nihawand.
---
Imām Al-Qurtubī mentions in his Tafsīr that a group of people came to ‘Uthmān and one of them had been staring at a woman. ‘Uthmān said to them upon arrival, “One of you enters with fornicating eyes!” They retorted, “Is there revelation after the Nabi (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam)?” He replied, “Not revelation but firāsatun sādiqah (truthful inspired insight)!”
---
Authentic narrative of Al-Hāritha Al-Ansārī
The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa Sallam) asked him, “How are you
this morning Hāritha?” He replied, “This morning I am a real
believer!” The Nabi (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said, “Take
care of what you say, what is the reality of your belief?”
Hāritha said, “I have turned myself away from this world until its
rocks are equal to its gold, by keeping up at night and by keeping
myself thirsty throughout the day (i.e. fasting). And I can
almost see the throne of My Lord in full sight, and I can almost see
the people of Jannah visiting each other, and I can almost see the
people of the hell wailing to each other while being in it.
The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said
to him, “Oh Hāritha! You know! So cleave to it! (‘arifta
fa-ilzam).” In other narrations the Nabi (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa
Sallam) said, “This is a Mu’min whose heart Allāh has
illuminated!”
[Tabarānī’s Kabīr, ibn Humayd’s Musnad,
Bazzār’s Musnad, Ibn al Mubarak in his Zuhd and many others.]
The
Station of Firasa
From ‘The
Steps of the Followers’ by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
Firasah is
a sense of visual acumen, perception and insight. Allah says,
"Surely! In this are the signs for the mutawassimeen."
[15:75]
And with the regard to the meaning of
mutawassimeen, here is what some of the great interpreters of the
Qur'an said about it: Mujahid said
itis "those who have visual acuity". Ibn
Abbas said that it means "those who watch closely". Qatadah said
that it means "those who learn the lessons". And Muqatel said
that it means "those who reflect".
There
is no contradiction or apparent incompatibility amongst these
interpretations. For example, one who sees the ruins and houses of
those who belied Allah's Messengers would receive insight, admonition
and reflection.
Alllah, subhanahu wa ta`ala, says the
following with the regards to the hypocrites, "Had He willed, We
could have shown them to you and you would have known them by their
marks, but surely you will know them by the lahn of the speech!"
[47:30] The first thing mentioned is the firasah of the eye and
watching and the second thing noted is the firasah of the ear and
hearing. The lahn of their speech is namely two varieties. One is
proper and the other is wrong.
The proper lahn may mean
eloquence as stated in the hadeeth: "And perhaps some of you are
more eloquent in their claim than others."(Bukhari and Muslim)
Or it may mean an indirect reference or indication. The wrong lahn is
the speech that has grammatical mistakes. By using it, people tend to
change the meaning to something incorrect or to a hidden meaning
which may not have been intended.
The meaning of the
verse is that Allah has confirmed to His Prophet,sallallahu
`alayhe wa sallam, that he would know them from the lahn oftheir
speech. It is more likely that one may know more about thespeaker and
what is within his mind from his speech and the tone of hisvoice than
from his physical appearance. The words and the tone ofvoice can tell
much more, than the appearance, about the intention ofthe speaker.
Firasah can be either visual or auditory. The Prophet,sallallahu
`alayhe wa sallam, is reported to have said, "Beware of
thefirasah of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah,"
then herecited the verse, "Surely,?.mutawassimeen."
(Tirmidhi) Thefirasah of the believer is always truthful.
The
firasah is a light which Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala,
deposits inthe heart of His servant. By this light, His servant
distinguishes between truth and falsehood and between right and
wrong.
The reality of firasah is a sharp
thought that enters the heart and dominates its opinion. It
overwhelms the heart just as the lion does toits pray, fareesah. Note
the similarity between firasah and fareesah inArabic. However, in
their linguistic forms, fareesah is an objectwhereas firasah is
similar in form to wilayah (authority and power),imarah (authority
and command) and siyasah (administration andleadership).
The
strength of firasah is dependent on the strength of faith. A
personwith stronger faith has sharper firasah. Amr bin Nujaid said
that Shahal-Kermani had sharp firasah and was never wrong. He also
used to saythat whoever lowers his gaze away from prohibitions,
restrains himselffrom vain desires, constructs his interior according
to muraqabah(knowledge that Allah is watching over us), his exterior
according tothe Sunnah, and accustoms himself to eat only halal, his
firasah willnever be wrong.
Ibn Masoud said,
"There are three people with the sharpest firasah. TheEgyptian
who bought Yusuf and then said to his wife, 'Make his
staycomfortable, maybe he will profit for us or we shall adopt him as
ason.' [12:21]. The other was the daughter of Shuaib, who said to
herfather with regards to Musa, 'Hire him!' [28:26] And Abu Bakr, for
heappointed Omar as his successor." Another narration includes
the wifeof Pharaoh who said about Musa, "A comfort of the eye
for me and foryou. Kill him not, perhaps he may be of benefit to us,
or we may adopthim as a son.' [28:9]
Abu Bakr
As-Siddeeq is considered to be the one with the greatest
firasah in the ummah and Umar was the second. The
incidents that prove Umar's firasah are numerous, familiar and
well-known. He never said with regards to anything, "I think
this is so," but it was what he thought. The fact that the Quran
approved of his opinion sin manyincidents is sufficient evidence of
his sharp firasah. One of which washis opinion regarding the
redemption of the captives from the Battle ofBadr.
Once
a man named Sawad Bin Qarib passed by and Umar dind't know him.Umar
said, "This is either a soothsayer or he was so in the days of
jahiliyyah." Upon sitting before Umar, Sawad said, "O
commander of the faithful! You never received any of your guests the
way you did me."Umar said, "What we used to do in the days
of jahiliyyah is worse thanthis. But tell me about what I have asked
you." Sawad said, "You weretrue, O commander of the
faithful! I was a soothsayer in the days of jahiliyyah, then he told
him the story."
The sahabah, in general, had the
most accurate and sharpest firasah.
The
true firasah is obtained from life and from the light Allah
grants to whom He wishes from amongst His true servants. The heart
receives life and light and then its firasah will almost never be
wrong. Allah says, "Is he who was dead and We gave him life and
set for him a light whereby he can walk amongst men, like him who is
in the darkness fromwhich he can never come out?" [6:122]
The
verse describes the person as "dead" because of the
disbelief inhis heart and the life of jahiliyyah or ignorance he was
leading, butthen Allah gave him life through emaan or faith of
knowledge. Upon his acceptance of these gifts, the Qur'an and faith
become the light bywhich he sees his way out of the darkness (of
disbelief and ignorance)and onto the straight path.
Firasah
is linked to three human organs: the eye, ear and heart. His
eye examines the look and the signs, his ear examines the speech, the
over expressions, oblique inferences and hints, content, logic and
tone of voice. And his heart analyzes both what is seen and hear to
perceive hidden thoughts of others. His analysis and examination of
the interior compared to the exterior is like one who examines
currency to see if itis counterfeit after examining the outside. It
is also similar to Ahlul-Hadeeth (scholars who specialize in the
knowledge of the hadeeth), who will read a hadeeth that has a sound
isnad (chain ofnarrators) but upon examination of the matn (text of
the hadeeth), itis found that it is a fabricated hadeeth.
There
are two factors in firasah. One is the quality of one's mind, the
sharpness of the heart and the intelligence. The second is the
appearance of the signs and indications on others. When both
factorsare present than one's firasah may not be wrong. Iyaas
bin Mu`awiyah had great firasah and he was well-known because of it ,
as was Imam Shafiee who was also reported to have written about it.
Quote:
" In his magesterial Madarij al-Salikin, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah discusses the reality of firasah, its cause, the sayings of the early masters concerning it, and its types. He also relates some wondrous accounts about the firasah of his shaykh and mentor, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.
He (Ibn Qayyim) writes:
He (IT) once remarked: ‘My companions and others come to me, and I see on their faces, and in their eyes, things I do not mention to them.’ So I, or someone else, said to him: What if you just tell them? He replied: ‘Do you wish that I become a fortune-teller like those [in the courts] of the rulers?’
I once said to him (IT): If you treat us according to what you see, it will help make us more steadfast and upright. He replied: ‘You would not be able to put up with me for even a Friday, or a month!’
He (IT) informed me (Ibn Qayyim) on several occasions about certain private matters I intended to do, but which I had not spoken of to anyone. He told me of major events that would take place in the future, without specifying dates. I have seen some of them happen; I await the others. What his senior companions have witnessed of this is far more than what I have seen. And God knows best.” [Madarij al-Salikin (Riyadh: Dat Taybah, 2008), 3:368-70.]
---
Ibn Taymiyya and his predicting of future events!
Ibn Qayyim
al-Jawziyya mentioned the following with regard to his teacher, Ibn
Taymiyya in his Madarij al-Salikin:
--
ثُمَّ
أَخْبَرَ النَّاسَ وَالْأُمَرَاءَ سَنَةَ
اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِمِائَةٍ لَمَّا
تَحَرَّكَ التَّتَارُ وَقَصَدُوا
الشَّامَ:
أَنَّ
الدَّائِرَةَ وَالْهَزِيمَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ.
وَأَنَّ
الظَّفَرَ وَالنَّصْرَ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ.
وَأَقْسَمَ
عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ
يَمِينًا.
فَيُقَالُ
لَهُ:
قُلْ
إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ.
فَيَقُولُ:
إِنْ
شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَحْقِيقًا لَا تَعْلِيقًا.
وَسَمِعْتُهُ
يَقُولُ ذَلِكَ.
قَالَ:
فَلَمَّا
أَكْثَرُوا عَلَيَّ.
قُلْتُ:
لَا
تُكْثِرُوا.
كَتَبَ
اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي اللَّوْحِ
الْمَحْفُوظِ.
أَنَّهُمْ
مَهْزُومُونَ فِي هَذِهِ الْكَرَّةِ.
وَأَنَّ
النَّصْرَ لِجُيُوشِ الْإِسْلَامِ.
قَالَ:
وَأَطْمَعَتْ
بَعْضَ الْأُمَرَاءِ وَالْعَسْكَرِ
حَلَاوَةُ النَّصْرِ قَبْلَ خُرُوجِهِمْ
إِلَى لِقَاءِ الْعَدُوِّ.وَكَانَتْ
فِرَاسَتُهُ الْجُزْئِيَّةُ فِي خِلَالِ
هَاتَيْنِ الْوَاقِعَتَيْنِ مِثْلَ
الْمَطَرِ.
--
Translation:
“Then
he informed the people and the rulers, in the year 702 [AH], when the
Tatars had mobilised and were heading for the Levant : ‘Indeed,
they will be surrounded and defeated, and triumph and victory will be
for the Muslims.’ He swore more than seventy times that this would
happen. It was then said to him, ‘Say, “If Allah so wills.”’
He thus replied, ‘If Allah so wills, but by way of confirmation,
not as a condition.’ I heard him saying that. He said, ‘When they
insisted that I say it, I said, ‘Allah the Exalted has written in
the Preserved Tablet that they will be defeated in this attack and
that victory will be for the armies of Islam.’ He said, ‘The
sweetness of victory nourished some of the rulers and the army before
they went out to meet the enemy, and his partial discernment in the
course of these two events was like the rain.’”
This
is what many Sufis would consider as an act of Firasa
(discernment/foresight) or kashf (spiritual unveiling), but one
wonders if the detractors accept this type of Firasa from other
notable Sufis after the time of the Sahaba, and other Ulama of the
past, or do they consider it kufr, shirk or bid’a?!
They
may wish to explain how ibn Taymiyya’s above statements fit into
their current understanding of Tawhid and Ilm al-Ghayb (knowledge of
the unseen).
------------
Wahhabi/Salafi/Ahlehadith
& Deobandi/Tablighi Jamaat say:
Quote:
*
“It is clear that the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa-Sallaam) did
not have knowledge of the unseen.
*The first was when
Aishah (RadiyAllahu Anha) was falsely accused of immodesty.
This accusation caused the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa-Sallaam) a lot of discomfort and worried him excessively due to which he made mashwarah with the Sahabah (RadiAllahu Anhum).
Eventually, Allah (Subhanahu
WaTa’ala) informed him through wahy of the purity and innocence of
Aishah (RadiAllahu Anha). This revelation of the wahy comforted the
Prophet (SallAllah Alayhi Wa-Sallaam) immensely, and shows that he
was not aware of the reality of the situation until Allah (Subhanahu
WaTa’ala) decided to inform him of it.
If the
Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa-Sallaam) has complete knowledge of the
unseen he would have known that the accusation was false and would
not have needed to do mashwarah with the Sahabah (RadiyAllahu
Anhum).
*The second incident was when Aishah
(RadiyAllahu Anha) lost her necklace while traveling with the Prophet
(SalAllahu Alahi Wasslaam). Due to this, the Prophet (SalAllahu Alahi
Wassalaam) ordered the Sahabah (RadiAllahu Anhum) to look for it,
thus delaying them in their travel. This delay was when no water was
available and they were required to make Tayammum in order to offer
their prayer. Eventually, when one of the camels was made to stand,
the necklace was found under the camel.
* Again,
this shows us that the Prophet (SalAllahu Alahi Wassalaam) did not
have knowledge of the unseen. If he did, in fact have the knowledge
of the unseen, then he surely would not have allowed the delay,
especially when they did not have any water to offer their
Salah.
*Another incident was when the Prophet
(SalAllahu Alahi Wassalaam) ate poisoned meat offered to him by a
Jewish lady. The effects of the meat bothered the Prophet (SalAllahu
Alahi Wassalaam) until his demise.
*This incident,
again, makes it evident that our beloved Prophet (SalAllahu Alahi
Wassalaam) did not have complete knowledge of the unseen.
*
If he did have knowledge of the unseen, then how could he have eaten
something so harmful to his mubarak body?!
*These
three incidents and many more clearly show that our beloved Prophet
(SalAllahu Alahi Wassalaam) did not have complete knowledge of the
unseen.
Rather, Allah (Subhana WaTa’ala) is the
only one that has complete knowledge of the unseen, and that the
immense knowledge of the Prophet (SalAllahu Alahi Wassalaam) was
limited in comparison to it.
Therefore, it would
only be correct to believe that Allah (Subhanau WaTa’ala) has the
complete knowledge of the unseen of which he allowed the Prophet
(SalAllahu Alahi Wassalaam) a limited portion." [end
of quote]
------------------------------
*But according to your aqidah and silly/absurd logic Ibn Taymiyyah had access to the Divine Preserved Tablet (unseen knowledge) and the "three incidents" you mentioned above and "many more" were NOT written in "The Preserved Tablet"(al-Lawhu 'l-Mahfuz) because according to your Logic/Aqida: "The Holy Prophet(s) Best of Creation did NOT have access to it? or "God forgot to write them in the " Tablet " ?
Think!
Also note that Umar (RA) knew from Madinah regarding the army towards the Mountain in Persia (Iran) but according to your belief "The Holy Prophet(s) had no knowledge Regarding "The Lost Neckless"? (Sub Han Allah) Here
Oh Wahhabiyyah tell
us about the ONE who has (Mi'raaj) seen his Creator, is there anything left (Hidden) for
him to see or know?
Note: (The date/time when the al-Isra Wal Mi'raaj took place!)
---
Ahlus-Sunna
wa'l Jam'ah believe that Allah has given the knowledge of Ghayb
(unseen) to His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace),
and that it is also permissible to say that our Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) knows the knowledge of the
Ghayb.
However, it is not possible nor permissible
rather it is Kufr to say that the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) knowledge of the Ghayb is equal to that of Allah -
or even like the knowledge of Allah, since Allah's knowledge is His
own and the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
knowledge has been given/granted to him by Allah.
The
Ahlus Sunnah Wa'l Jama'ah also believes that our Holy Prophet (sallal
laahu alaihi wasallam), after being informed by Allah Ta'ala, is
aware of everything that happened and will happen (Being a Makhlooq
i.e. Plus he keeps on learning more and more about Dhaat and Sifaat
of Allah hence knowledge is increasing every single moment for
Prophet, whereas this cannot be applicable to Allah's knowledge which
is from Azl and till Abad)
Categories in knowledge
of Unseen
A) Dhaati & Atai'i [Personal &
Bestowed]
B) Kulli & Baadh' [Total &
Partial]
1: Dhaati Ilm ul Ghayb - [Personal
Knowledge Of Ghayb] is of ALLAH Ta'ala alone, It is He who has the
knowledge of Ghayb by His "OWN SELF" and no one has taught
Him, revealed to Him, shown Him, nor has He learnt it with passage of
time rather He has it from Awal to Akhir. This is the knowledge of
Unseen which has been made Khaas (specific) with Allah in Quran at
many places.
2: Atai'i Ilm ul Ghayb - [Bestowed
Knowledge Of Ghayb] is of RasoolAllah (صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم),
he was given this knowledge by Allah, he himself did not know it, but
Allah Ta'ala bestowed the knowledge of Ghayb on him, this knowledge
of Unseen is also mentioned at many places in Qur'an so rejection any
of these two or having confusion by mixing these two together is a
fallacy.
3: Kulli Ilm ul Ghayb - [Total Knowledge Of
Ghayb] is of Allah Ta'ala alone, it is He who knows everything in his
creation and what was before the creation, no creation of Allah knows
as much as Allah tallah knows, Allah knows absolutely EVERY GHAYB,
nothing what so ever is hidden from Him, however when it is referred
to Prophet (Peace be upon him) then it only means in "REFERENCE
TO MAKHLOOQ NOT KHALIQ"
4: Ba'adh Ilm ul
Ghayb - [Partial Knowledge Of Ghayb] is of RasoolAllah (صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم),
Allah Ta'ala gave limited, partial, some, knowledge of Ghayb to
RasoolAllah (صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم).
What ever Ghayb RasoolAllah (صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم)
knows, revealed, prophecised, is in the category of 'Partial'. For no
creation of Allah can know as much as Allah, not even RasoolAllah
(صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم)
not even Al Lawh Al Mahfooz ---
●
Prophets (صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم)
Knowledge Was/Is Not Same At All The Times, It Increases/Increased
Gradually
● In some Verses Of The Qur'an Prophet {Peace be
upon him} Is commanded To Be humble
● In other Verses his deep
qualities are mentioned strongly.
The Prophet (صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم)'s
knowledge of unseen is greater than all creations of Allah, but in no
way equal to Allah, however Allah has granted him (صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم)
knowledge of every thing in the universe. Remember Allah has no
limits (unlike Wahabi/Salafi and their imam ibn taymiyyah believed
that Allah has a limit, Naudhobillah. It is they the wahhabis who
limit Allah's knowledge not us Ahlus Sunnah wa'l Jammah and His
knowledge cannot be comprehended even if all oceans were ink and all
trees were Pens. Hence in no way is Prophet (صلی
اللہ علیھ وآلھ وسلم)
being compared to Allah as some ignorant claim.
