The Unseen
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Chapter Three
Things He reveals …Not Originate
Only Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, is Omniscient of time enwrapped in the veils of the Unseen. The future is one veil of the Unseen that many people try to uncover its events yet to come by seeking the help of the soothsayers, the fortunetellers and others. They spend lavishly on that end while ignoring the reality that it is out of the endless Mercy of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, that He hid the future, keeping it unknown to all but Himself.
But people precipitate the events yet to come and are eager to know what Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, hides in the Fate He ordained. Simply, if they opened their eyes a little bit, they certainly would not run after knowing the future and they would thankfully prostrate themselves to Allah for veiling its events, otherwise life would be upset and would turn to a hell.
If Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, unveiled to us the future, how a mother would feel if she were to learn that her son would die when he attains twenty? How would she feel while seeing her son each day and knowing what would happen to him? How could she live? What her life would be like when she sees her son night and day but knows that she would lose him on a certain day or in a certain year? Having him blooming before her eyes year after year, growing stronger and more mature, how the life of this mother would be like?
Is not it out of the Mercifulness of Allah towards her that He hid the future so that she may lead a blissful life until the destined Fate of Allah comes to pass. She is offered thus twenty years of happiness instead of twenty years of misery while awaiting the inevitable Fate.
How could a man look ahead to his future while knowing that he would lose his fortune and be reduced to poverty? Or that he would lose his job and become idle? Or that his children would desert him when he grows old and would cast him in an old people’s home? How the life of this man would be like and how would he be able to survive?
Truly, what inspires in us the hope in life and provides us with the power of endurance, perseverance and the ability to withstand hardships and other sufferance that life may involve is the cherished hope that tomorrow will be better than today and what is yet to come will wipe our troubles and open before us the closed gates. That hope keeps filling our hearts while life goes on with good and evil, sweet and bitter.
The hope in a better tomorrow is what pushes us to work, to cultivate the land and accomplish all what the life of this world requires.
But if we were to know the future events and the calamites they bear for us, we would do nothing. Perhaps it might lead us to commit suicide – Allah forbid – in order to avoid the future events we have learned and out of dreading to continue living until they do befall us.
Thus, we see that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, hid the future out of mercifulness towards us and in order that we hopefully expect the life of this world instead of living it with pain, and to enjoy our lives instead of being miserable in them. That is the Mercy of Allah, which many reject while trying hard, even spending money, to know what will happen in the future!
There is always mercy in the Foredoom of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, so what if we learned the prejudged and lose sight of the mercy intertwined with it? Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has a wisdom in each predestination but sometimes we fail to grasp it. Hiding the future is certainly a mercy to all humanity.
How did the Noble Qur’an unveil the future?
We shall now move on to the future matters that the Noble Qur’an has unveiled. Our first example is the war waged between the Romans and the Persians. War broke out between the Romans and the Persians and ended with the victory of the latter. Persia, being a disbelieving nation made the disbelievers rejoice, on the other hand the Romans were people of the book, therefore, the believers were grieved.
War broke out between two great countries during that time and it had nothing to do with Islam or its tenets but Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, willed to prove a basic truth in the universe; that Allah grants victory to the one cherishing belief in his heart against the one whose heart is filled with disbelief. The Persians were disbelievers, who worshipped fire, whereas the Romans were Christians; they were people of the Book. Thereupon, noble Qur’anic verses were sent down upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying (what means):
“AlifÂLâmÂMîm. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'ân, and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings]. The Romans have been defeated. In the nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious. Within three to nine years. The decision of the matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allâh, (before the defeat of Romans by the Persians, and after, i.e. the defeat of the Persians by the Romans). And on that Day, the believers (i.e. Muslims) will rejoice (at the victory given by Allâh to the Romans against the Persians), with the help of Allâh, He helps whom He wills, and He is the AllÂMighty, the Most Merciful.†(ArÂ-Rûm, 30: 1-5)
These noble Qur’anic verses were revealed to announce that the Romans would achieve victory after some years. At that time, the disbelievers claimed that these were the words of Muhammad and negated that the Romans would ever triumph. But the believers affirmed that these were words sent down from Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, and revealed to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)…. the Romans would be victorious.
The conflict flared up and the challenge escalated to the disbelievers betting that the Romans would never be victorious, whereas the believers betted on the victory of the Romans. Among the bettors was our master, Abu Bakr As-Sadîk (may Allah be pleased with him) who betted four camels on the Romans achieving victory after seven years.
The seven years elapsed and neither a fighting took place nor did the Romans achieve victory. The disbelievers rejoiced and they started raising doubts in the Muslims against their Noble Qur’an and their religion.
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the matter to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who asked him, ‘How much is some years in your estimation?’ Abu Bakr replied,‘Less than ten.’ Whereupon, the Messenger of Allah said (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to Abu Bakr, ‘Go, bid up with them and add two more years to the appointed time.’
And it truly happened, for two years had hardly passed by before the Romans defeated the Persians and the believers rejoiced. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forbade Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and all the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) from betting and said to them that Islam neither acknowledges it nor sanctions it.
Here we have to question ourselves: who can decide the outcome of a war that would break out after nine years? Moreover, to decide the victor and the conquered party and have verses of the Noble Qur’an, whose recital is an act of worship and will never be altered or changed till the Day of Resurrection, revealed conveying that prophecy? Who can guarantee the future turn of events for nine whole years? Who can guarantee the continuation of enmity all along these years?
Was not there a possibility that the Roman and the Persian leaders would agree upon conciliation and no war would take place? Was not there a possibility that the battle is fought and the Persians achieve victory? They were two big countries and the preparation for war took nine years; was not there a possibility that, during these nine years, the Persians would upgrade their military preparations and enhance their weapons in a way that would enable them to defeat the Romans?
Further, wherefore does the Noble Qur’an, which is a doctrinal Book, discusses that battle which is remote from the doctrine? Because Allah comprehends in His Knowledge all things that happens in the universe, and The Sayer of the Noble Qur’an is The Creator of the universe, Whom nothing whatsoever in His Universe is beyond His Will. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says to anything ‘Be!’ – and it is, therefore the Noble Qur’an was sent down with revelations known only by Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He; matters He only reveals and certainly not originates.
The Noble Qur’an has given us the Judgment and Decree of Allah pertaining to a war that would take place after nine years, though nobody can predict the outcome of a war even after its beginning or while being fought. As every party engages in the battle while absolutely sure of achieving victory, otherwise they would not have undertaken it. Then runs the battle and the winner is the same decreed by Allah, The Exalted and Ever-Majestic.
This way, the Noble Qur’an unveiled the outcome of a war to be fought after nine years to learn well that Almighty Allah is The All-Knower of the secrets of the heavens and the earth and the Doer of whatever He wills.
The letter ‘س’ expressing futurity in the Noble Qur’an
The Noble Qur’an proceeds in unveiling the future; every Qur’anic verse beginning with the Arabic letter ‘س’ means that the stated events will happen in the future. When I express myself in the future tense, it follows that I have not yet done the thing, otherwise I would not have used the letter ‘س’ that indicates futurity. It simply means that the event will happen in the time yet to come; it happened neither in the past nor the present time but will come to pass in the future.
The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, says in His Perfect Book (the Noble Qur’an) with respect to changing the direction of the Qiblah (direction faced in prayers) [first it was towards Jerusalem then changed towards the Ka‘bah] what means:
“The fools (pagans, hypocrites, and Jews) among the people will say, ‘What has turned them (Muslims) from their Qiblah [prayer direction (towards Jerusalem)] to which they were used to face in prayer.’†(Al-Baqrah, 2: 142)
The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says what means, ‘The fools (pagans, hypocrites, and Jews) among the people will say,’ which signifies that at the time of the revelation of the noble Qur’anic verse they said nothing, but Allah informs us that in the future they would certainly say thus. Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, described the speakers of these words as fools. By unfolding what the nonbelievers would say in the future, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, had laid down one of the causes of that religion between the hands of the enemies of Islam, through which they might have destroyed this religion if they forbore uttering what Allah has told in advance.
The disbelievers and the people of the Book (the Christians and the Jews) could have refrained from saying anything about changing the Qiblah, then tell the believers that they said nothing, that the Noble Qur’an informed that they would say, but they have not.
But as the Noble Qur’an foretold the Unseen, they actually said these words whereby they served to affirm the cause of belief at the time they most craved to destroy it.
Afterwards, we proceed to the noble Qur’anic verse revealed in Mecca when Muslims were a minority, weak with neither might nor power, in which Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, says (what means):
“Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their backs.†(Al-Qamar, 54: 45)
Upon the revelation of that noble Qur’anic verse, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattâb (may Allah be pleased with him) wondered saying: ‘What multitude is that? When we are an oppressed minority?’
Years passed by and the believers migrated to Medina and the Battle of Badr took place; the first battle in which the disbelievers suffered defeat and Muslims achieved victory though the disbelievers formed great multitudes and the Muslims were a minority.
During that battle the disbelievers approached one thousand, whereas the believers were about three hundred. In spite of this, the disbelievers, the great hosts, were defeated and the Muslims won the battle though a minority. At that moment, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattâb (may Allah be pleased with him) cried and said, “O Lord indeed you uttered the truth: ‘Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their backs.’â€
To ascertain the Absolute Power of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, not only did the Noble Qur’an unveil the events that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, decreed and man has no choice in them but the Noble Qur’an has also unveiled the deeds wherein man enjoys the freedom of choice granted to him by Almighty Allah; to choose to do or not to do, as he pleases.
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, willed that man has the power of free choice in having faith, he may believe as well as disbelieve. The tongue may testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and may utter the word of disbelief, Allah forbid, just as its sayer will choose.
In this regard The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, says (what means):
“Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve.†(Al-Kahf, 18: 29)
But even in the optional issue of having faith the Noble Qur’an unveiled the Unseen. Recite the Qur’anic verses in which The Truth, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, says (what means):
“Perish the two hands of Abû Lahab (an uncle of the Prophet), and perish he! His wealth and his children (etc.) will not benefit him! He will be burnt in a Fire of blazing flames! And his wife too, who carries wood (thorns of Sadan which she used to put on the way of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), or use to slander him). In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad (palm fibre).†(Al-Masad, 111: 1-5)
This Surah was revealed regarding Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), to inform that Abu Lahab would die a disbeliever and be cast into hellfire. It was revealed, as mentioned hereinbefore, concerning an optional issue, that of belief.
What would have happened if on the revelation of this Surah and after its recital by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) on the believers, Abu Lahab gathered the tribes and told them, ‘Muhammad said in some Qur’anic verses he claims to be sent down from heaven that I shall die an unbeliever and shall be cast into hell. I declare my Islam before you and testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, so that you may learn that Muhammad is inspired nothing. That all this talk is from him, not from Allah.’
If Abu Lahab claimed thus hypocritically, dissemblingly or mendaciously he would have destroyed the cause of Islam right from its roots, especially if the speaker is such an archenemy of Islam. But although, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, laid between the hands of a bitter enemy of Islam a case through which he might have entirely destroyed that religion, it never crossed the mind of Abu Lahab to act thus.
Thus, the Noble Qur’an unveiled the unseen future even in optional issues. Still, Abu Lahab could have been rightly guided as many disbelievers. For Allah, has guided ‘Umar bin Al-Khattâb (may Allah be pleased with him) to belief, as well as Abu Suffyân, Khalid bin Al-Walîd, ‘Amr bin Al-‘Âs and ‘Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl (may Allah be pleased with them all). All of them were leaders of disbelief, but Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, guided them to faith. Their Islam grew firm and they became from amongst the champions of that religion and they spread it throughout the whole world.
Unveiling future secrets of the human body
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has unveiled the secrets of the human body. The Noble Qur’an has described the embryonic development within the womb with amazing accuracy that left modern science speechless. Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, says in His Noble Book (what means):
“And indeed We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth). Thereafter We made him (the offspring of Adam) as a Nutfah (mixed drops of the male and female sexual discharge) (and lodged it) in a safe lodging (womb of the woman). Then We made the Nutfah into a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood), then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So blessed be Allâh, the Best of creators.†(Al-Mu’minûn, 23: 12-14)
The Noble Qur’an minutely described the process of creation, stating first that man was created from clay. Thus, the Noble Qur’an has specified the substance from which man was created: clay which is to be found everywhere on earth. Scientists took the clay and on analyzing it they found that it consists of eighteen elements, among them are: iron, potassium, sodium, and calcium, beside other elements. They have also found out that the human body consists of the same elements composing clay. After designing the highly developed scientific devices that can film what is within the womb, and through monitoring and taking photographs, they discovered that the embryonic development perfectly and accurately matches the phases stated in the Noble Qur’an.
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, unveiled the mystery wrapping the phases of creation within the mother’s womb that none has ever known nor was able to discover them at the time of the revelation of the Noble Qur’an, because it needed highly complex magnifying scientific devices, which the world did not know fourteen centuries ago.
Also, among the miracles of the Noble Qur’an is the news Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, conveyed to us about the People of the cave and their long deep sleep within it. The Almighty says (what means):
“We turned them on their right and on their left sides.†(Al-Kahf, 18: 18)
Modern science then came to prove that a patient suffering from a disease that paralyzes him and confines him to bed for a long time must be turned to the right and to the left, otherwise his body will be afflicted with ulcers that will cause him severe physical complications. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has also imparted to us some secrets of the human body; that nerves lie directly beneath the skin and if the human skin gets totally burned, man will feel pain no more. The Almighty says in Noble Qur’an about the denizens of the hellfire while being tortured therein (what means):
“As often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for other skins that they may taste the punishment.†(An-Nisâ’, 4: 56)
The modern science has carried minute studies on the nervous system and proved that the sensory receptors exist directly beneath the skin, so when the skin is completely burned, man stops feeling pain.
Lengthy talk about the unseen future
In fact, the Noble Qur’an has discussed many issues related to the unseen future, and when the veils of the future time were lifted off them, and they became a present reality, it became evident to us the utmost accuracy of the secrets the Noble Qur’an has disclosed to us about the Unseen. Still, as time passes and Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, reveals to us more from the knowledge He alone possesses about His Universe, we further realize how the Noble Qur’an has already uncovered the future and foretold us what would come to pass beforehand, because Allah alone is the AllÂ-Knower of the secrets of the heavens and the earth.
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has drawn all the veils screening the Unseen in the Noble Qur’an for us to mind that Him alone possesses the keys of the Unknown and none other beside Him. Neither a creature nor some book has drawn near the secrets of the universe upon the revelation of the Noble Qur’an or after it.
Modern science has proved that there is no contradiction between the scientific facts and the Noble Qur’an and when we say scientific facts we mean the real truthful, not those built on falsehood, assumptions, guesswork…etc.
I still remember when California State University declared some years ago that it lighted upon the missing link between anthropoid apes and human beings. They excavated a skull of an ape having the face of a human being, but it turned out later that an ingenious imposter has brought the skull of an ape and the face of a human and fused them with utmost efficiency that was only discovered by highly complex devices.
When do the Noble Qur’an and science come into conflict?
The Noble Qur’an and science come into conflict for two reasons: first, because the scientific fact is false or the noble Qur’anic verse is misconceived or misinterpreted. The Almighty says in His Noble Book (what means):
“And the earth We spread out.†(Al-Hijr, 15: 19)
No conflict came on the revelation of this noble Qur’anic verse between what the eyes see and what the Noble Qur’an has stated, for man sees the land spread out before him. Allah, The Exalted and Ever-Majestic, then revealed to His creatures what He willed from the secrets of His Universe and science proved that the earth is globe-shaped. Soon after, space was explored and astronauts captured on film the earth, whereby they discovered that it is spherical.
But some religious scholars protested and accused those who said that the earth is globe-shaped of disbelief, and that is owed to their misunderstanding of the true meaning of the noble Qur’anic verse. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him says (what means), ‘And the earth We spread out,’ (Al-Hijr, 15: 19) meaning the land, whatever land.
On going to whatever place on earth you find the land spread out before you and that can never be except if the earth is spherical. Because if it had the shape of a hexagon, a square, a triangle or any other form you must reach an edge after which you would find no spread out land.
But the only shape through which you can move and still at whatever spot you find the land spread out in front of you is when the earth is globe-shaped. Moreover, if you took a plane from any location on the earth and flew in a straight line you would return to the place wherefrom you took off, and that can never happen except if the earth is spherical.
All the researchers, even in the West that try to cast doubts on the Noble Qur’an and spend fortunes on that end, none of them has been able to prove that there is a contradiction between the laws of the universe and the Noble Qur’an. In the meantime, many carried out researches have proved the contradiction exiting between the books revealed before the Noble Qur’an and universal facts, by reason of the distortion brought about in such books by the very hand of their people, inserting words of their own and claiming them to be Divine!!
What about the five Unseen matters?
Endless controversy has raged lately concerning the five Unseen matters, which Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has kept for Himself and has concealed them from all His creatures. They are stated in the Noble Qur’an; in the noble verse in which Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, says (what means):
“Verily, Allâh! With Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Verily, Allâh is AllÂKnower, AllÂAware (of things).†(Luqmân, 31: 34)
They claimed that some of the five Unseen matters have been revealed and have alleged that man can send down the rain. According to them, through the medical, science can now specify after pregnancy the sex of the baby, whether a male or a female. They also predicted the Day of Resurrection; that it would fall in the year 2000 or a little while after it!! They also have claimed that after the revolution witnessed in medicine it can now specify how long remains for man to live. They even have claimed that modern science can prolong life; in countries advanced in sanitary care the average life expectancy scored higher than in developing countries.
Moreover, they have claimed that by using computers they can specify the shopping habits of customers, and consequently specify the average income or earnings of any store by displaying the merchandise in a certain fashion that agrees with these shopping habits.
They spoke lots of other things beside this, all of which is empty talk; full of deception and reflects a lack of understanding the meaning of the noble Qur’anic verse.