What is "ʻIlm al-Jafr," and is its attribution to Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) sound? What is the ruling on acting upon it or relying on it, and how do we respond to someone who tries to convince us of it?

The science of Al-Jafr, or the book of Al-Jafr, is falsely attributed by some misguided sects to Ali or Ja'far Al-Sadiq, may Allah be pleased with them. They claim that it contains secrets and knowledge specifically bestowed upon them by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, explicitly denied this, stating: "No, by Him who splits the grain and creates the soul, there is nothing except an understanding that Allah grants a servant in His book, and what is in this parchment," which contained legal rulings such as blood money and the freeing of captives.

Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah considers all claims of Ali and the Ahl al-Bayt being exclusively endowed with special knowledge, such as Al-Jafr, Al-Bitaqah, and Al-Jadwal, to be a lie against them. As for the science of numerology or the secrets of letters, known as Al-Simiya, Ibn Khaldun described it as having emerged after the early period of Islam with the appearance of extremist Sufis. He stated that it is "a branch of the science of Al-Simiya, whose subject matter is not clearly defined, and whose issues cannot be encompassed by enumeration."

There is no good in this type of knowledge, and a Muslim is not permitted to engage in it or waste time on it, because it is not a disciplined science. Only those who have little interest in the Book of Allah, the Sunnah (definition) of His Prophet, and what the righteous predecessors were upon, concern themselves with it. Allah has enriched the followers of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, with what he brought of beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds, so they only concern themselves with what benefits them in their religion or their worldly life.