Author: Muhajer Azizi
Sikhism; Its Origins and Fundamental Beliefs (Part 21)
Sikh Beliefs and their Criticism
4. The Unseen and Knowledge of Hidden and Future Events
A: Definition and Importance of the Unseen
“The unseen” means hidden and invisible matters that are hidden from the physical senses of man, including future events. In religious terminology, anything that is beyond the reach of human knowledge and known only to Allah Almighty is called “the unseen.” Allah, if He wills, makes His prophets aware of some of this knowledge.
Belief in the unseen and predestination, and the belief that only Allah knows them, are considered fundamental pillars of faith in Islam. Anyone who claims knowledge of the unseen is considered an infidel and is excluded from the circle of faith due to exceeding the limits of servitude and claiming lordship.
B: Sikh Beliefs about the Unseen
Sikhs believe that their gurus and religious leaders are aware of future events and hidden matters. In other words, they consider their gurus to be the knowers of the unseen and believe that these leaders can know future events.
C: Criticism of this belief from the perspective of Islam
Islam explicitly rejects any claim of knowledge of the unseen by anyone other than Allah. Those who claim knowledge of the unseen are considered infidels or polytheists from the perspective of Islam; even the divine prophets do not independently possess knowledge of the unseen; rather, their knowledge of the unseen is possible only if Allah wills and informs them of it.
Therefore, knowledge of the unseen is specific to the essence of Allah and no one except Him has access to it; unless Allah, out of His wisdom and will, informs someone of a part of it.
Allah Almighty has said in this regard: «عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا * إِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضَىٰ مِن رَّسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْلُكُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ رَصَدًا» Translation: “[Allah] is the Knower of the unseen, and He does not make anyone aware of His unseen except to whom He has chosen him as a Messenger, then He appoints for him guards before him and behind him.” [1]
This verse is evidence of the invalidity of the claims of sorcery, astrology, and magic. Because those who claim these things, without any proof or evidence, claim knowledge of the unseen. This verse also indicates that a chosen person who has been chosen for the position of prophet hood may, by Allah’s permission, become aware of part of the unseen; but the knowledge of priests and astrologers is nothing but conjecture, guesswork, and estimation, and does not fall within the scope of knowledge of the unseen. The knowledge that some saints enjoy and the miracles that appear in their hands are of the type of inspiration that angels instill in their hearts, but this inspiration is at a lower level than the knowledge of the prophets. [2]
Allamah Qurtubi (may Allah bless him) says in his interpretation of this verse: “The meaning of the verse is that Allah does not make anyone aware of His unseen except the one He has chosen for prophet hood. Allah makes such a person aware of what He wants from the unseen, so that this knowledge is a proof and sign of his prophet hood. Islamic scholars (may Allah bless them) have said: Since Allah has praised Himself with the knowledge of the unseen and considered it exclusive to Himself, this is a clear proof that no one except Him has the knowledge of the unseen; then He made an exception and separated those whom He chose to be prophets from this rule, and He entrusted to them what He wanted from His unseen through revelation, and He made this a miracle and a sign of the truth of their prophet hood; but the astrologer and the one who follows his method – such as the one who looks at stones, searches in books, or predicts by the flight of birds – are not exempt from this rule and are not counted among the messengers with whom Allah is pleased to know the unseen of Allah; rather, he is a liar, a fabricator, and a disbeliever in Allah. [3]
Allamah Qurtubi (may Allah bless him) quotes some scholars who challenged the soothsaying and false beliefs of soothsayers and astrologers, saying: “I wish I knew what an astrologer would say about a ship with a thousand people of different circumstances on board – kings and subjects, scholars and fools, rich and poor, old and young, with different horoscopes and times of birth and different degrees of stars – and suddenly they all sink in an instant. If the astrologer – may Allah disgrace him – says: The horoscope of that ship caused the sinking, then this horoscope has nullified and rendered ineffective all the other horoscopes that were formed based on the time of birth of individual individuals; therefore, there is no benefit in the knowledge of births (mawlids), and it is not possible to determine from them whether individuals are wretched or fortunate. In this case, nothing remains but to oppose the Quran. “In such a situation, the astrologer’s blood will also be permissible due to his false claim.” [4]
And what a good poem the poet has written: حَكَمَ المُنَجِّمُ أَنَّ طَالِعَ مَولِدِي يَقْضِي عَلَيَّ بِمِيتَة الغَرَق” قُلْ لِلمُنَجِّمِ صُبْحَةَ الطُّوفَانِ هَلْ وُلِدَ الجَمِيعُ بِكَوْكَبِ الغَرَقِ؟” Translation: “The astrologer ruled that my birth horoscope predicted my death in the water and drowning!” Tell the astrologer: On the day of Noah’s flood, were all people born under the sunken star? [5]
Almighty Allah has limited the knowledge of the unseen to Himself and in this verse, he lists five unseen matters of which only He is aware: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ» Translation: “Undoubtedly, the knowledge of the Day of Resurrection is with Allah, and He is the One who sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no one knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no one knows in which land he will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware.” [6]
The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) although he is the best and most virtuous of the prophets and was sent with a complete Sharia for all the worlds, never claimed to have knowledge of the unseen. Allah Almighty did not grant him this attribute absolutely, except in cases where He revealed a part of the unseen to him by His will.
Now, by this clear truth, how is it possible for ordinary and false people such as priests, astrologers and Sikh gurus to claim knowledge of the unseen?! Allah the Almighty says about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): «قُلْ لَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ…» Translation: “Say: I do not tell you that with me are the treasuries of Allah, nor do I know the unseen…” [7]
He also says: «وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ، إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ» Translation: “And he (the Prophet) does not speak of his own desire, for his speech is nothing but a revelation revealed to him.” [8]
Allamah Tahawi (may Allah bless him) has explicitly rejected the claim of lost knowledge – that is, knowledge of destiny and the unseen – and has considered those who make such claims to be among the disbelievers. As they say in Al-Tahawiyyah belief: «لِأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ عِلْمَانِ: عِلْمٌ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَوْجُودٌ وَعِلْمٌ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَفْقُودٌ، فَإِنْكَارُ الْعِلْمِ الْمَوْجُودِ كُفْرٌ، وَادِّعَاءُ الْعِلْمِ الْمَفْقُودِ كُفْرٌ، وَلَا يَثْبُتُ الْإِيمَانُ إِلَّا بِقَبُولِ الْعِلْمِ الْمَوْجُودِ وَتَرْكِ طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ الْمَفْقُودِ.» Translation: “For knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge that exists among the created and knowledge that is absent from them (i.e., it is only with Allah). Denying existing knowledge is disbelief, and claiming knowledge that is absent is also disbelief. And faith is not proven except by accepting existing knowledge and abandoning the pursuit of knowledge that is absent.” [9]
Continues…
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References:
1. Surah Jinn: 26-27.
2. Wahaba Al-Zuhaili, Tafsir Al-Munir, Vol. 29, p. 182.
3. Muhammad Al-Qurtubi, Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, Vol. 19, p. 28.
4. Ibid., Vol. 19, p. 28.
5. Ibid., Vol. 19, p. 28.
6. Surah Luqman: 34.
7. Surah Al-An’am, verse 50.
8. Surah Al-Najm: 3-4.
9. Al-Aqeedah Al-Tahawiyyah, p. 52.
