Written by: Maulana Abu Al-Hasan Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani (May Allah Preserve Him)
Question:
Is it true that the Prophet ﷺ had already identified the places where the disbelievers at Badr would be killed? And if this is true, does it not prove that the Prophet ﷺ had knowledge of the unseen (ʿIlm al-Ghayb)?
Answer:
One of the miracles of the Prophet ﷺ is that he specifically identified the places where certain disbelievers would be killed during the Battle of Badr. He mentioned by name the locations where certain individuals would fall, saying, "This is the place where so-and-so will be killed, and here is where so-and-so will die," etc. Indeed, they were killed exactly where the Prophet ﷺ indicated. As narrated by Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him):
When news reached the Prophet ﷺ about the arrival of Abu Sufyan, he consulted with his companions. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, but the Prophet ﷺ did not respond. Then, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, but the Prophet ﷺ also did not respond to him. Then Sa'd bin ʿUbadah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Is it us you are seeking advice from? By the One in whose hand is my soul, if you were to command us to plunge our horses into the sea, we would surely do so. And if you commanded us to take them to Bark al-Ghimad, we would surely do so." The Prophet ﷺ then called the people, and they set out until they reached Badr. There, they encountered the water carriers of the Quraysh, among them a black slave from Bani Hajjaj, whom they captured.
The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked him about Abu Sufyan and his companions, to which he responded, "I do not know about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl, ʿUtbah, Shaybah, and Umayyah bin Khalaf are among the people." When he said this, the companions began to beat him, and he said, "I will tell you about Abu Sufyan." When they released him and asked again, he repeated, "I do not know about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl, ʿUtbah, Shaybah, and Umayyah bin Khalaf are among the people." They beat him again. Meanwhile, the Prophet ﷺ was performing prayer. When the Prophet ﷺ saw this, he turned and said, "By the One in whose hand is my soul, when he speaks the truth, you beat him, and when he lies, you let him go."
The Prophet ﷺ then pointed to the ground, saying:
"This is the place where so-and-so will die," placing his hand on the ground, indicating, "Here is where so-and-so will fall." The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said that no one moved from the spot the Prophet ﷺ had indicated; each of them fell exactly where the Prophet ﷺ had pointed. [Sahih Muslim, Book of Jihad and Expeditions, Chapter on the Battle of Badr, Hadith 1779]
This hadith is also narrated elsewhere in Sahih Muslim with slightly different wording:
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "We were with ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) between Makkah and Madinah. We were all looking at the moon, and since I had sharp eyesight, I was the first to spot it. No one else had seen it. I told ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), 'Did you not see it?' He could not see it and said, 'I will soon see it.' Then, he began asking us about the people of Badr, and he said:
'Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ showed us the locations of those who would fall at Badr, saying, "This is where so-and-so will fall tomorrow, if Allah wills."' ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, 'By the One who sent him with the truth, none of them missed the spot that the Prophet ﷺ had specified.'"
Moreover, this hadith is reported with varying wording in Musnad Ahmad (1/26), Abu Dawud (Book of Jihad), Nasa'i (Book of Funerals), and Tafsir Ibn Kathir under the verse:
"And [remember] when Allah promised you one of the two parties that it would be yours..."
(Al-Anfal, 8:7)
It is narrated:
"By Allah, it is as if I can see the places where the people will fall."
[ʿUyun al-Athar fi Funun al-Maghazi wa al-Shama'il wa al-Siyar by Ibn Sayyid al-Nas, 1/328]
Thus, it is evident that Allah occasionally grants His Prophet ﷺ knowledge of the unseen, but it must be noted that there is a significant difference between knowledge of the unseen (ʿIlm al-Ghayb) and being informed of specific unseen matters. Knowledge of the unseen is exclusive to Allah, and no one besides Him possesses it entirely.
✿ Allah Almighty has stated:
"Say, 'None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.'"
[Al-Naml, 27:65]
✿ Allah also said:
"And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him."
[Al-An'am, 6:59]
It is thus clear that knowledge of the unseen belongs solely to Allah.
Question:
Is it true that the Prophet ﷺ had already identified the places where the disbelievers at Badr would be killed? And if this is true, does it not prove that the Prophet ﷺ had knowledge of the unseen (ʿIlm al-Ghayb)?
Answer:
One of the miracles of the Prophet ﷺ is that he specifically identified the places where certain disbelievers would be killed during the Battle of Badr. He mentioned by name the locations where certain individuals would fall, saying, "This is the place where so-and-so will be killed, and here is where so-and-so will die," etc. Indeed, they were killed exactly where the Prophet ﷺ indicated. As narrated by Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him):
When news reached the Prophet ﷺ about the arrival of Abu Sufyan, he consulted with his companions. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, but the Prophet ﷺ did not respond. Then, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, but the Prophet ﷺ also did not respond to him. Then Sa'd bin ʿUbadah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Is it us you are seeking advice from? By the One in whose hand is my soul, if you were to command us to plunge our horses into the sea, we would surely do so. And if you commanded us to take them to Bark al-Ghimad, we would surely do so." The Prophet ﷺ then called the people, and they set out until they reached Badr. There, they encountered the water carriers of the Quraysh, among them a black slave from Bani Hajjaj, whom they captured.
The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked him about Abu Sufyan and his companions, to which he responded, "I do not know about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl, ʿUtbah, Shaybah, and Umayyah bin Khalaf are among the people." When he said this, the companions began to beat him, and he said, "I will tell you about Abu Sufyan." When they released him and asked again, he repeated, "I do not know about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl, ʿUtbah, Shaybah, and Umayyah bin Khalaf are among the people." They beat him again. Meanwhile, the Prophet ﷺ was performing prayer. When the Prophet ﷺ saw this, he turned and said, "By the One in whose hand is my soul, when he speaks the truth, you beat him, and when he lies, you let him go."
The Prophet ﷺ then pointed to the ground, saying:
"This is the place where so-and-so will die," placing his hand on the ground, indicating, "Here is where so-and-so will fall." The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said that no one moved from the spot the Prophet ﷺ had indicated; each of them fell exactly where the Prophet ﷺ had pointed. [Sahih Muslim, Book of Jihad and Expeditions, Chapter on the Battle of Badr, Hadith 1779]
This hadith is also narrated elsewhere in Sahih Muslim with slightly different wording:
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "We were with ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) between Makkah and Madinah. We were all looking at the moon, and since I had sharp eyesight, I was the first to spot it. No one else had seen it. I told ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), 'Did you not see it?' He could not see it and said, 'I will soon see it.' Then, he began asking us about the people of Badr, and he said:
'Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ showed us the locations of those who would fall at Badr, saying, "This is where so-and-so will fall tomorrow, if Allah wills."' ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, 'By the One who sent him with the truth, none of them missed the spot that the Prophet ﷺ had specified.'"
Moreover, this hadith is reported with varying wording in Musnad Ahmad (1/26), Abu Dawud (Book of Jihad), Nasa'i (Book of Funerals), and Tafsir Ibn Kathir under the verse:
"And [remember] when Allah promised you one of the two parties that it would be yours..."
(Al-Anfal, 8:7)
It is narrated:
"By Allah, it is as if I can see the places where the people will fall."
[ʿUyun al-Athar fi Funun al-Maghazi wa al-Shama'il wa al-Siyar by Ibn Sayyid al-Nas, 1/328]
Thus, it is evident that Allah occasionally grants His Prophet ﷺ knowledge of the unseen, but it must be noted that there is a significant difference between knowledge of the unseen (ʿIlm al-Ghayb) and being informed of specific unseen matters. Knowledge of the unseen is exclusive to Allah, and no one besides Him possesses it entirely.
✿ Allah Almighty has stated:
"Say, 'None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.'"
[Al-Naml, 27:65]
✿ Allah also said:
"And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him."
[Al-An'am, 6:59]
It is thus clear that knowledge of the unseen belongs solely to Allah.