65/30. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4774 — Say Allah Knows Best When You Do Not Know
Hadith About Saying Allah Knows Best
Sahih Bukhari : 4774
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4774
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ، وَالأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ أَبِي الضُّحَى، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، قَالَ بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ يُحَدِّثُ فِي كِنْدَةَ فَقَالَ يَجِيءُ دُخَانٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيَأْخُذُ بِأَسْمَاعِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ، يَأْخُذُ الْمُؤْمِنَ كَهَيْئَةِ الزُّكَامِ. فَفَزِعْنَا، فَأَتَيْتُ ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ، وَكَانَ مُتَّكِئًا، فَغَضِبَ فَجَلَسَ فَقَالَ مَنْ عَلِمَ فَلْيَقُلْ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. فَإِنَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِمَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ لاَ أَعْلَمُ. فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ لِنَبِيِّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم {قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ} وَإِنَّ قُرَيْشًا أَبْطَئُوا عَنِ الإِسْلاَمِ فَدَعَا عَلَيْهِمِ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِمْ بِسَبْعٍ كَسَبْعِ يُوسُفَ، فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ سَنَةٌ حَتَّى هَلَكُوا فِيهَا، وَأَكَلُوا الْمَيْتَةَ وَالْعِظَامَ وَيَرَى الرَّجُلُ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ كَهَيْئَةِ الدُّخَانِ "، فَجَاءَهُ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ جِئْتَ تَأْمُرُنَا بِصِلَةِ الرَّحِمِ، وَإِنَّ قَوْمَكَ قَدْ هَلَكُوا فَادْعُ اللَّهَ، فَقَرَأَ {فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ} إِلَى قَوْلِهِ {عَائِدُونَ} أَفَيُكْشَفُ عَنْهُمْ عَذَابُ الآخِرَةِ إِذَا جَاءَ ثُمَّ عَادُوا إِلَى كُفْرِهِمْ فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى {يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرَى} يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ وَلِزَامًا يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ {الم * غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ} إِلَى {سَيَغْلِبُونَ} وَالرُّومُ قَدْ مَضَى.
Masruq Narrated from:
While a man was delivering a speech in the tribe of Kinda, he said, "Smoke will prevail on the Day of Resurrection and will deprive the hypocrites their faculties of hearing and seeing. The believers will be afflicted with something like cold only thereof." That news scared us, so I went to (Abdullah) Ibn Mas`ud while he was reclining (and told him the story) whereupon he became angry, sat up and said, "He who knows a thing can say, it, but if he does not know, he should say, 'Allah knows best,' for it is an aspect of knowledge to say, 'I do not know,' if you do not know a certain thing. Allah said to His prophet.'Say (O Muhammad): No wage do I ask of you for this (Qur'an), nor I am one of the pretenders (a person who pretends things which do not exist.)' (38.86)The Qur'aish delayed in embracing Islam for a period, so the Prophet (ﷺ) invoked evil on them, saying, 'O Allah! Help me against them by sending seven years of (famine) like those of Joseph.' So they were afflicted with such a severe year of famine that they were destroyed therein and ate dead animals and bones. They started seeing something like smoke between the sky and the earth (because of severe hunger). Abu Sufyan then came (to the Prophet) and said, "O Muhammad! You came to order us for to keep good relations with Kith and kin, and your kinsmen have now perished, so please invoke Allah (to relieve them).' Then Ibn Mas`ud recited:--'Then watch you for the day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke plainly visible....but truly you will return! (to disbelief) (44.10-15)Ibn Mas`ud added, Then the punishment was stopped, but truly, they reverted to heathenism (their old way). So Allah (threatened them thus):'On the day when we shall seize you with a mighty grasp.' (44.16)And that was the day of the Battle of Badr. Allah's saying- "Lizama" (the punishment) refers to the day of Badr Allah's Statement:Alif-Lam-Mim, the Romans have been defeated, and they, after their defeat, will be victorious,' (30.1- 3)(This verse): Indicates that the defeat of Byzantine has already passed.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4774In-book reference : Book 65, Hadith 296USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 297
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4774
This hadith about saying Allah knows best begins when a man spoke about the Smoke in the tribe of Kinda. The report worried the listeners, so Masruq went to Ibn Mas'ud. Ibn Mas'ud became angry and taught an important rule: whoever knows may speak, and whoever does not know should say, “Allah knows best.” He said it is part of knowledge to say, “I do not know,” when one does not know. He then explained the Smoke as linked to a famine that struck Quraysh after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed against them, and he connected other phrases to Badr and the Romans. The key lesson is careful speech about religion.
What we learn from this hadith
- A person should not speak about religious matters without knowledge.
- Saying “I do not know” is described as part of knowledge.
- Ibn Mas'ud corrected a frightening claim by returning to known explanation.
