Surah Saad (38) — Ayah 69

(Ayah 70,69) {مَا كَانَ لِيَ مِنْ عِلْمٍۭ …:} By the highest assembly is meant the assembly of angels in the heavens. {’’ كَانَ ‘‘} Gives the meaning of permanence; when negation comes upon it, it means the permanence of negation, that is, whatever discussion takes place in the assembly of angels, I never have any knowledge of it; I am not the Knower of the unseen. Whatever I tell you about it, I know only through divine revelation, and that too only about those discussions which are related to the guidance of people, warning them, and making them aware. This divine revelation is also a proof of my prophethood, because if there were no revelation, I could not tell you anything about what happens in the highest assembly.

In a hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned a conversation of the highest assembly. Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that one morning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) delayed us from the morning prayer until it was almost that we would see the disc of the sun. Then he came out quickly, the iqamah for prayer was called, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer and made it brief. When he finished, he said to us in a loud voice, “Remain seated as you are.” Then he said: [ أَمَا إِنِّيْ سَأُحَدِّثُكُمْ مَا حَبَسَنِيْ عَنْكُمُ الْغَدَاةَ إِنِّيْ قُمْتُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَوَضَّأْتُ فَصَلَّيْتُ مَا قُدِّرَ لِيْ فَنَعَسْتُ فِيْ صَلاَتِيْ حَتَّی اسْتَثْقَلْتُ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِرَبِّيْ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالٰی فِيْ أَحْسَنِ صُوْرَةٍ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ! قُلْتُ لَبَّيْكَ رَبِّ قَالَ فِيْمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَأُ الْأَعْلٰی؟ قُلْتُ لَا أَدْرِيْ قَالَهَا ثَلاَثًا قَالَ فَرَأَيْتُهُ وَضَعَ كَفَّهُ بَيْنَ كَتِفَيَّ حَتّٰی وَجَدْتُّ بَرْدَ أَنَامِلِهِ بَيْنَ ثَدْيَيَّ فَتَجَلّٰی لِيْ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ وَ عَرَفْتُ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ! قُلْتُ لَبَّيْكَ رَبِّ قَالَ فِيْمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَأُ الْأَعْلٰی؟ قُلْتُ فِي الْكَفَّارَاتِ قَالَ مَا هُنَّ؟ قُلْتُ مَشْيُ الْأَقْدَامِ إِلَی الْجَمَاعَاتِ وَ الْجُلُوْسُ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَوَاتِ وَ إِسْبَاغُ الْوُضُوْءِ فِي الْمَكْرُوْهَاتِ قَالَ ثُمَّ فِيْمَ؟ قُلْتُ إِطْعَامُ الطَّعَامِ وَ لِيْنُ الْكَلاَمِ وَ الصَّلاَةُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ النَّاسُ نِيَامٌ، قَالَ سَلْ قُلْتُ اللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَ تَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ وَ حُبَّ الْمَسَاكِيْنِ وَ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِيْ وَ تَرْحَمَنِيْ وَ إِذَا أَرَدْتَّ فِتْنَةً فِيْ قَوْمٍ فَتَوَفَّنِيْ غَيْرَ مَفْتُوْنٍ وَأَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ وَ حُبَّ مَنْ يُّحِبُّكَ وَحُبَّ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُ إِلٰی حُبِّكَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ إِنَّهَا حَقٌّ فَادْرُسُوْهَا ثُمَّ تَعَلَّمُوْهَا ] [ترمذي، التفسیر، باب سورۃ صٓ : ۳۲۳۵ ] “Listen! Shall I tell you what kept me from you this morning? I got up during the night, performed ablution, and prayed as much as was destined for me. In the prayer, I became drowsy until I was overcome by sleep, and suddenly I saw my Lord in the best form. He said: ‘O Muhammad!’ I said: ‘Here I am, O my Lord!’ He said: ‘What are the highest assembly disputing about?’ I said: ‘I do not know.’ Allah said this three times. Then I saw that He placed His palm between my shoulders until I felt the coolness of His fingertips between my chest, and everything became clear to me and I recognized it. Then He said: ‘O Muhammad!’ I said: ‘Here I am, O my Lord!’ He said: ‘What are the highest assembly disputing about?’ I said: ‘About the expiations.’ He said: ‘What are they?’ I said: ‘Walking on foot to the congregational prayer, sitting in the mosques after the prayers, and performing ablution perfectly in difficult conditions.’ He said: ‘Then about what?’ I said: ‘Feeding others, speaking gently, and praying at night when people are asleep.’ He said: ‘Ask.’ So I made this supplication: ‘( {اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ} ’ to {’’ يُقَرِّبُ إِلٰي حُبِّكَ‘‘} ) O Allah! I ask You for doing good deeds, for abandoning evil deeds, and for the love of the poor, and that You forgive me and have mercy on me, and when You intend a trial for a people, take me to You without being afflicted by the trial. And I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and the love of the deed that brings me closer to Your love.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘This supplication is the truth, so study it, then learn it well.’ Tirmidhi said: ‘This hadith is Hasan Sahih. I asked Muhammad bin Isma’il (Bukhari) about this hadith, and he said: This hadith is Hasan Sahih.’ Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) also declared this hadith to be Sahih.”

69. 1. By "Malāʾ Aʿlā" is meant the angels, that is, what are they disputing about? I do not know. It is possible that by this "ikhtisām" (dispute and argument) is meant the conversation that took place at the time of the creation of Adam (عليه السلام). As will be mentioned ahead.

69. I had no knowledge of the exalted assembly [68] when they were disputing.

[68]
The Debates of the Angels in the Higher Realm:

The higher realm refers to the abode of the angels. Even among them, sometimes a debate arises. One such debate was the one that took place at the time of the creation of Sayyiduna Adam ؑ, which will be mentioned ahead. And this address is to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that you should say to these disbelievers that whatever debates and discussions take place in the higher realm, I have absolutely no knowledge of them; I only know what is revealed to me. And since I am a warner to the people regarding their end, I am only given revelation about those debates that are related to the guidance of mankind.