Does Allah Alone have Knowledge of the Unseen or do Others have this Knowledge as well?
Brief description of the dubiety
According to many verses of the Holy Quran such as: Surah al-Naml, verse 65; Surah al-Anaam, verse 59; Surah Yunus, verse 20; and Surah al-Jinn, verse 26, only Allah has Knowledge of the Unseen. However, on another aspect, other verses from this divine book show that the Holy Prophet and some of the believers also had Knowledge of the Unseen. Limiting the Knowledge of the Unseen to Allah only, but then mentioning that others also have this knowledge appears to not correspond.
Detailed description of the dubiety
Contradictory Verses
The group of verses that indicate the limitation of Knowledge of the Unseen to Allah only
In verse 65 of Surah al-Naml it has been revealed: “Say, ‘No one in the heavens or the earth knows the Unseen except Allah, and they are not aware when they will be resurrected.’” In this verse, it clearly states that no one, except for Allah, has Knowledge of the Unseen.
Other verses also point to this fact. In Surah al-Anaam, verse 59 we read that: “With Him are the treasures of the Unseen; no one knows them except Him. He knows whatever there is in the land and the sea. No leaf falls without His knowing it, nor is there a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fresh or withered but it is in a manifest Book.”
In Surah Yunus, verse 20 it mentions: “They say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say: ‘[The Knowledge of] the Unseen belongs only to Allah. So wait. I too am waiting along with you.’”
“Knower of the Unseen, He does not disclose His [Knowledge of the] Unseen to anyone,” has been mentioned in Surah al-Jinn, verse 26.
In Surah Hud, verse 123 we read: “To Allah belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth, and to Him all matters are returned. So worship Him and trust in Him. Your Lord is not oblivious to what you do.”
Surah al-Nahl, verse 77 says the following: “To Allah belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. The matter of the Hour is just like the twinkling of an eye, or [even] swifter. Indeed Allah has power over all things.”
Finally in Surah al-Kahf, verse 26 Allah states: “Say, ‘Allah knows best how long they remained. To Him belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. How well does He see! How well does He hear! They have no guardian besides Him, and none shares with Him in His judgement.’”
Group of verses that indicate that others also have Knowledge of the Unseen
In verse 44 of Surah Ale Imran, it has been revealed: “These accounts are from the Unseen, which We reveal to you, and you were not with them when they were casting lots [to see] which of them would take charge of Mariam’s care, nor were you with them when they were contending.” This verse clearly states that the Knowledge of the Unseen was conveyed to the Holy Prophet through inspiration and even though he was not present during those events, he was made to be aware of them.
Following the theme of this verse, a story about Prophet Nuh and Prophet Yusuf has also been revealed.
In Surah Hud, verse 49 it says: “These are accounts of the Unseen, which We reveal to you. Neither you, nor your people used to know about them before this. So be patient. Indeed the outcome will be in favour of the God conscious.”
Surah Yusuf, verse 102 mentions that: “These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you, and you were not with them when they conspired together and schemed.”
In Surah al-Tawbah, verse 94 Allah says: “They will offer you excuses when you return to them. Say, ‘Do not make excuses; we will never believe you. Allah has informed us about your state of affairs. Allah and His Apostle will observe your conduct, then you will be returned to the Knower of the Sensible and the Unseen, and He will inform you concerning what you used to do.’”
Finally, also in Surah al-Tawbah, it is mentioned that: “And say, ‘Go on working: Allah will see your conduct, and His Apostle and the faithful [as well], and you will be returned to the Knower of the Sensible and the Unseen, and He will inform you concerning what you used to do.”
Summary
As outlined above, in several verses of the Holy Quran, Knowledge of the Unseen has been limited to Allah only. However, in other verses of the Holy Quran, it explains that the Unseen can be conveyed to a Prophet through inspiration, and in verse 105 of Surah al-Tawbah, it even points to the believers who are with Allah and His Prophet, as being given Knowledge of the Unseen.
A summarized response
The first group of verses indicate that it is Allah alone who has independent Knowledge of the Unseen; while the second group of verses attributes the Knowledge of the Unseen to some holy people, but in a dependent and limited manner. In reality, Allah, who is the sole Knower of the Unseen, can bestow awareness of this knowledge to His creations as He deems fit, but the creation does not have Knowledge of the Unseen independently. Further to this, if Allah does not provide this knowledge, then no one would have any access to it. Therefore, there is no contradiction between these sets of verses, because in one case there is talk of independent Knowledge of the Unseen, while in the other, it mentions about the dependent awareness of the Unseen.
A detailed response
Premises: (independent and dependent knowledge and awareness)
Knowledge and awareness is conceivable in two instances: sometimes a person who knows something is aware of it without being informed by anyone else; and sometimes he gains his knowledge from someone else. In the first instance, the cause of being aware is the person himself; but in the second instance, the cause of being aware is not the person himself - in fact if the person who taught him did not exist, then he would not have been informed about the situation. In the first instance, the knowledge of the person is independent; but in the second instance, it is completely dependent on another factor. For example, someone who invents something for the first time, his awareness of the performance and function of that invention is independent of other people. Subsequently, through learning the performance and function of that initial invention, others will be dependent upon the invented item and their knowledge becomes reliant on someone else. Now, with due attention to this premise, the contradiction between the above mentioned verses will be analyzed.
Only Allah has independent Knowledge of the Unseen
The only existence that has independent knowledge of every single thing is Allah, because only an entity whose existence is not limited by anything at all can possess knowledge of everything. A limited existence cannot exceed his limit, nor can a person gain awareness of that which lies beyond one’s limit. For example, man is both limited by time and space; therefore, he can only gain that knowledge of events which lie in his limit of time and space, but he cannot gain information regarding realities that are outside of his time and space. Due to the fact that no existence is unlimited and not surrounded except Allah, it can only be Allah who is aware of the unseen in its totality. [1]
In verse 54 of Surah Fussilat, it mentions that all things are surrounded by Allah: “Indeed, they are in doubt about the encounter with their Lord! Indeed, He embraces all things!” Therefore, the verses that introduced Allah as the sole Knower of the Unseen, introduced Him as the sole independent Knower of the Unseen, because it is only Allah who embraces all things and is unlimited. In other words, Allah has knowledge of everything that is hidden and is covered for others - because He is independent of all things in existence.
Awareness of the Unseen for other than Allah is dependent
Until now, it has become clear that only Allah has total and independent Knowledge of the Unseen; however, there is no obstacle for Allah to give a part of that knowledge to anyone whom He pleases, and whose benefit He knows and which is necessary in order to complete the guidance of the Prophets or Imams. Of course, the awareness of the Unseen of the Prophets is not independent, because if its cause, i.e. Allah is not present, then this knowledge would also cease to be. Therefore, Knowledge of the Unseen of beings other than Allah is dependent and contingent, and their learning and education is all from the Knower of the Unseen. [2]
Later on, the verses of the Holy Quran will be used in context, and it will be proven that the verses in which the Knowledge of the Unseen has been attributed to those other than Allah are only aware of this Unseen through Allah and by His command.
First context from the verses of the Holy Quran
Throughout all of the verses which talk about beings other than Allah having Knowledge of the Unseen, it is clearly stated that this knowledge was received from Allah, and He made them aware of the Unseen. As an example, in verse 44 of Surah Ale Imran, it has been revealed: “These accounts are from the Unseen, which We reveal to you, and you were not with them when they were casting lots [to see] which of them would take charge of Mariam’s care, nor were you with them when they were contending.” This verse clearly states that the Knowledge of the Unseen of the Holy Prophet was revealed to him by inspiration. Therefore, the verses which talk about the awareness of anyone other than Allah having any Knowledge of the Unseen, only does so in a dependent fashion.
Second context from the verses of the Holy Quran
In verse 26 of Surah al-Jinn, Allah is introduced as being the only Knower of the Unseen; but with attention to verse 27 of this same Surah, it becomes determined that these verses introduce Allah as the sole independent Knower of the Unseen, and alongside this it explains that for a few of His chosen ones, Allah makes this Unseen clear to them. In verses 26 and 27 of Surah al-Jinn, it has been revealed: “Knower of the Unseen, He does not disclose His [Knowledge of the] Unseen to anyone, except to an Apostle whom He approves of. Then He dispatches a sentinel before and behind him.” This verse explains that the one who knows the Unseen independently is solely Allah, and He does not make the it clear for anyone except those whom He has chosen. Therefore, this verse clearly indicates awareness of the Unseen in a dependent, independent and contingent fashion. Independent Knowledge of the Unseen is specific to Allah, but it has been explained that Allah can make this clear for His chosen ones, and as a result they gain this awareness of the Unseen through an intermediary.
With due attention to these verses, it becomes clear that those verses which explain the awareness of the Unseen of those other than Allah are not in contradiction with the verses that introduce Allah as the only Knower of the Unseen, because some of them explain dependent Knowledge of the Unseen, while others consider independent Knowledge of the Unseen to be solely for Allah.
Another two verses also indicate the same point. In Surah Ale Imran, verse 179 we read: “Allah will not leave the faithful in your present state, until He has separated the bad ones from the good. Allah will not acquaint you with the Unseen, but Allah chooses whomever He wishes from His Apostles. So have faith in Allah and His apostles; and if you are faithful and God conscious, there shall be a great reward for you.”
At the beginning of this verse, it is explained that Allah does not give Knowledge of the Unseen to anyone, but then He makes the Prophets an exception to this rule. Allah gives His infinite Knowledge of the Unseen, and the internal secrets of men, whose recognition is necessary for the guidance of His Prophets, to them. [3]
In Surah al-Anaam, it mentions: “Say, ‘I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of Allah, nor do I know the Unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I follow only what is revealed to me.’ Say, ‘Are the blind one and the one who can see equal? So do you not reflect?’” At the beginning of this verse, the Holy Prophet denies having Knowledge of the Unseen for himself, but then he says that he only follows what is revealed to him through inspiration. In reality, it indicates that I do not have independent Knowledge of the Unseen, but it is possible that through inspiration, I become aware of the Unseen.
So the only point that must be paid attention to amongst these two groups of verses, is that the first group of verses considers the knowledge to be independent, and in essence which is limited only to Allah. The second group of verses, which informs us regarding the awareness of the Unseen of others, explains that it is a dependent awareness of the Unseen. In reality, they gained awareness of the Unseen through Allah, not independently. With this explanation, there is no contradiction between the set of verses. One of them takes into consideration that the independence of Knowledge of the Unseen is limited only to Allah, while the other attributes dependent Knowledge of the Unseen to anyone whom Allah bestows it upon.
Common example
Imagine an accountant of a company who has the complete finances of the company under his authority. He says: “Only I am aware of all of the finances and transactions of this company.” One of the company employees says that: “The accountant informed me about the financial and transactional affairs that I needed in order to work better in the company.” No one finds any contradictions or discrepancies between these two sentences. This is because in reality, it is solely the accountant that has independent knowledge of all of the financial affairs of the company; and if an employee knows something about the company’s finances, then it is only because the accountant informed him about it; and in reality knowing about the company’s finances is not independent and it is only through the accountant that awareness of the finances is gained.
Knowledge of the Unseen is also similar to this example, because it is solely Allah that has independent awareness of the Unseen, but it is possible for Him to share this information with His Prophets or chosen servants.