Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Is there any hidden (inner) knowledge in Shariah?
There is no concept of hidden knowledge in Shariah. Some Sufis claim that the Prophet ﷺ was given two types of knowledge: one apparent and the other hidden. They say that the Prophet ﷺ conveyed the apparent knowledge to the Ummah but did not deliver the hidden one.
This is an exaggerated and misleading belief. Whatever knowledge Allah ﷻ granted to the Prophet ﷺ, He granted it through revelation and commanded him to convey it. The Prophet ﷺ, in obedience to Allah’s command, delivered all the teachings of Shariah to the Ummah and did not conceal anything.
Allah ﷻ says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ
(Surah al-Mā’idah: 67)
“O Messenger! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message.”
Sayyiduna Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in his sermon on the Day of ʿArafah during the Farewell Hajj:
أنتم تسألون عني، فما أنتم قائلون؟ قالوا: نشهد أنك قد بلغت وأديت ونصحت...
(Sahih Muslim: 1218)
The Prophet ﷺ asked, “You will be questioned about me, so what will you say?” The companions replied, “We testify that you have conveyed (the message), fulfilled the trust, and sincerely advised us.” Then the Prophet ﷺ raised his forefinger towards the sky, pointed it towards the people, and said thrice, “O Allah, bear witness! O Allah, bear witness! O Allah, bear witness!”
✔ Imam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله (751 AH):
He explained that if the companions had not attained certain knowledge of religion from the Prophet ﷺ, then balāgh mubīn (clear conveyance) would not have been achieved. Allah ﷻ would not have absolved the Prophet ﷺ from responsibility, nor would the most intelligent section of the Ummah (the companions) testify that he delivered the message. The claim of those who deny Allah’s transcendence is that the Prophet ﷺ conveyed mere words that did not provide knowledge or certainty, directing the companions instead to rely upon their reasoning and debates rather than revelation. This, however, is evidently false.
(الصواعق المرسلة: 2/733)
✔ Hafiz Ibn Kathir رحمه الله (774 AH):
He wrote that the Ummah testified that the Prophet ﷺ conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust. During the Farewell Sermon, in a great gathering of nearly forty thousand companions, the Prophet ﷺ sought confirmation of this testimony.
(تفسير ابن كثير: 3/151)
✔ Imam al-Maqrizi رحمه الله (845 AH):
He stated: “The undeniable truth is that the religion of Allah is clear and has no hidden aspect. It is open, with nothing secret beneath it. It is obligatory upon everyone without exception. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not conceal any part of the Shariah, not even a single word. He did not inform some select individuals, such as wives or relatives, of any special hidden knowledge while withholding it from others. The Prophet ﷺ had no secret, no coded message, and no hidden knowledge other than what he openly called everyone towards. If he had concealed anything, he would not have fulfilled his duty of conveying the message as commanded. Whoever claims otherwise is unanimously declared a disbeliever by the Ummah.”
(الخطط: 3/313)
Conclusion:
The religion of Allah ﷻ is clear and complete. There is no hidden or secret knowledge in Shariah. The Prophet ﷺ conveyed all of it openly to the Ummah, and concealing anything from the Shariah is against the consensus of the Ummah.
◈ Question:
Is there any hidden (inner) knowledge in Shariah?
◈ Answer:
There is no concept of hidden knowledge in Shariah. Some Sufis claim that the Prophet ﷺ was given two types of knowledge: one apparent and the other hidden. They say that the Prophet ﷺ conveyed the apparent knowledge to the Ummah but did not deliver the hidden one.
This is an exaggerated and misleading belief. Whatever knowledge Allah ﷻ granted to the Prophet ﷺ, He granted it through revelation and commanded him to convey it. The Prophet ﷺ, in obedience to Allah’s command, delivered all the teachings of Shariah to the Ummah and did not conceal anything.
❀ Evidence from the Qur’an
Allah ﷻ says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ
(Surah al-Mā’idah: 67)
“O Messenger! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message.”
❀ Evidence from Hadith
Sayyiduna Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in his sermon on the Day of ʿArafah during the Farewell Hajj:
أنتم تسألون عني، فما أنتم قائلون؟ قالوا: نشهد أنك قد بلغت وأديت ونصحت...
(Sahih Muslim: 1218)
The Prophet ﷺ asked, “You will be questioned about me, so what will you say?” The companions replied, “We testify that you have conveyed (the message), fulfilled the trust, and sincerely advised us.” Then the Prophet ﷺ raised his forefinger towards the sky, pointed it towards the people, and said thrice, “O Allah, bear witness! O Allah, bear witness! O Allah, bear witness!”
❀ Statements of the Scholars
✔ Imam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله (751 AH):
He explained that if the companions had not attained certain knowledge of religion from the Prophet ﷺ, then balāgh mubīn (clear conveyance) would not have been achieved. Allah ﷻ would not have absolved the Prophet ﷺ from responsibility, nor would the most intelligent section of the Ummah (the companions) testify that he delivered the message. The claim of those who deny Allah’s transcendence is that the Prophet ﷺ conveyed mere words that did not provide knowledge or certainty, directing the companions instead to rely upon their reasoning and debates rather than revelation. This, however, is evidently false.
(الصواعق المرسلة: 2/733)
✔ Hafiz Ibn Kathir رحمه الله (774 AH):
He wrote that the Ummah testified that the Prophet ﷺ conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust. During the Farewell Sermon, in a great gathering of nearly forty thousand companions, the Prophet ﷺ sought confirmation of this testimony.
(تفسير ابن كثير: 3/151)
✔ Imam al-Maqrizi رحمه الله (845 AH):
He stated: “The undeniable truth is that the religion of Allah is clear and has no hidden aspect. It is open, with nothing secret beneath it. It is obligatory upon everyone without exception. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not conceal any part of the Shariah, not even a single word. He did not inform some select individuals, such as wives or relatives, of any special hidden knowledge while withholding it from others. The Prophet ﷺ had no secret, no coded message, and no hidden knowledge other than what he openly called everyone towards. If he had concealed anything, he would not have fulfilled his duty of conveying the message as commanded. Whoever claims otherwise is unanimously declared a disbeliever by the Ummah.”
(الخطط: 3/313)
Conclusion:The religion of Allah ﷻ is clear and complete. There is no hidden or secret knowledge in Shariah. The Prophet ﷺ conveyed all of it openly to the Ummah, and concealing anything from the Shariah is against the consensus of the Ummah.
