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Is it true what is stated in the book "Ikhtiyar al-Awla fi Sharh Hadith Ikhtisam al-Mala' al-A'la" by Ibn Rajab, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was given knowledge of everything except the five keys to the Unseen mentioned in His, the Almighty's, saying: "Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted," based on his, peace and blessings be upon him, saying: "So I knew what was in the heavens and the earth" or "And everything became clear to me and I knew"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have stated that the term "عموم" (generality) in the Hadith refers to what Allah has permitted to be known from His knowledge regarding the disputes of the Exalted Assembly, and not an absolute comprehensiveness of all unseen matters. This is because the word "كل" (all/every) does not always signify absolute comprehensiveness in the Quran and Sunnah, and it is not correct to interpret it as absolute, total generality. Scholars have agreed on the permissibility of specifying general terms. Furthermore, other verses and Ahadith indicate that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not know all unseen matters. The context of the Hadith indicates that the manifestation was related to the disputes of the Exalted Assembly.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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