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What is the Meaning of ‘Ilm al-Ghayb (Knowledge of the Unseen) and ‘Ilm al-Kitab (Knowledge of the Book), and What is the Relationship Between Them? Regarding the concept and meaning of ‘Ilm al-Ghayb, it should be noted that Ghayb (the unseen) is the opposite of Shahada (the obvious). From the usage of the term, the criterion of ‘Ghayb’ is the limitations of human senses. What is intended by ‘Ghayb’ are those hidden matters that fall outside the scope of human sensory tools.[1] Its instances can be categorized as follows: 1. Entities that are beyond the horizon of human perception and never fall within its scope, such as angels and their modes of operation, etc. 2. Scientific discoveries by humans, such as the laws governing the universe and entities that have remained beyond human perception for centuries. 3. Unseen events that occurred in the past or will occur in the future. [2] Awareness of these categories constitutes ‘Ilm al-Ghayb. It must be stated that the true owner of such knowledge is Allah, as He is the one for whom the hidden and the present, the concealed and the manifest, hold no distinction. The Quran states in this regard: "He is Allah—there is no Allah except Him—Knower of the sensible and the Unseen, He is the All-beneficent, the All-merciful." [3] This distinction between the hidden and the manifest becomes meaningful only for the servants of Allah. This has led to differing views on the meaning of ‘Ilm al-Ghayb. For instance, certain groups believed that ‘Ilm al-Ghayb is exclusive to Allah. Consequently, in some cases, even the wives of the Prophet were not permitted to receive news of the unseen from him. [4] It appears that this viewpoint was dominant during the time of the Imams (AS). [5] Attributing Ghayb exclusively to Allah in an absolute sense is a pre-Islamic (Jahili) belief. People held the fundamental belief that humans cannot have any connection with the unseen or the supernatural. Therefore, if Allah sends a messenger, that messenger must be an angel. [6] The Quran refutes these claims by affirming that prophets are human beings[7] and by considering them connected to the unseen and knowledgeable of it. [8] Nevertheless, this idea persisted among people during the era of the Imams (AS); thus, when the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) narrated matters of the unseen, they were accused of practicing sorcery. [9] The Ahl al-Bayt (AS), in order to affirm for themselves a certain aspect of the ‘Ilm al-Ghayb which the Qur’an has established for them, and at the same time to avoid contradicting the common understanding of people (who regarded ‘Ilm al-Ghayb as belonging exclusively to Allah), affirmed ‘Ilm al-Ghayb for themselves in one sense and denied it in another. With this clarification, it can be said that ‘Ilm al-Ghayb is of two types: That which Allah has reserved exclusively for Himself and has granted to no one else, [10] and that which Allah has graciously bestowed upon the Prophet and, through him, upon his successors (Awṣiyāʾ). [11] It is important to note that ‘Ilm al-Ghayb in an independent and intrinsic sense is exclusive to Allah and is not attributed to any other being. [12] Now, given the understanding of ‘Ilm al-Ghayb established above, it can be said that ‘Ilm al-Kitab (which is established for the Imams in traditions) is also a part of this ‘Ilm al-Ghayb that Allah has not reserved exclusively for Himself, but has graciously bestowed upon the Prophet and his successors. To better understand the meaning and concept of ‘Ilm al-Kitab, it should be noted that the word Kitab in Arabic lexicon means "to join" or "to connect," and it is also used for joining words, writing, and putting things into verse or script.[13] Ibn Manzoor considers Kitab a term for the collection of whatever has been written and recorded. [14] This word appears in the Quran with various meanings, including: 1. Any written document, [15] 2. A written contract, [16] 3. Divine decree, [17] 4. Divine destiny and fate, [18] 5. The Book of Deeds, [19] 6. Heavenly scriptures, [20] 7. The Book of Events (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz). [21] The interpretation of ‘Ilm al-Kitab, which appears twice in the Quran, first refers to Asif ibn Barkhiya’s power to bring the throne of the Queen of Sheba, a feat he accomplished through a portion of ‘Ilm al-Kitab. [22] The second instance refers to someone who possesses ‘Ilm al-Kitab and is introduced as a witness to the prophethood of the Prophet. [23] Imam Kadhim (AS) stated: "I swear by Allah, by His Greatest Name—the very Name that Asif relied upon." [24] Based on this, among the sciences contained in ‘Ilm al-Kitab that Asif had access to is knowledge of the Divine Greatest Name. It should be noted that ‘Ilm al-Kitab is ‘Ilm al-Ladunni (divinely inspired knowledge) and non-acquired. [25] On this basis, Asif considered it a favor from Allah. [26] Furthermore, ‘Ilm al-Kitab is knowledge of the reality of the Holy Quran, which necessitates knowledge of the reality of all heavenly books. [27] Therefore, in numerous traditions from the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), the possessor of ‘Ilm al-Kitab is described as one who knows[28] the outward and inward meanings of the Quran, [29] and the other heavenly books. [30] Now, given the explanation of ‘Ilm al-Kitab in the Quran, especially in light of the story of Asif, it becomes clear that because humans are material and bound by limitations, they cannot attain such knowledge through material means. This knowledge is hidden from them and must be graciously bestowed by Allah. Thus, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) and his successors (AS) are aware of everything that has happened and everything that will happen, [31] and extraordinary events occur through them because they possess the entirety of ‘Ilm al-Kitab. Conclusion ‘Ilm al-Ghayb means awareness of the hidden. The concept of the "hidden" applies specifically to human beings; therefore, anything that humans cannot access through material causes is considered Ghayb (unseen). ‘Ilm al-Kitab, based on the story of Asif ibn Barkhiya, is a part of this knowledge of the unseen. One of the sciences contained within it is the Greatest Name of Allah, through which Asif transported the throne of Bilqis (the Queen of Sheba). According to traditions from the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), all of this ‘Ilm al-Kitab is with them, and ‘Ilm al-Kitab is a portion of the knowledge of the unseen that is not exclusive to Allah. [1] . ‘Ilm al-Ghayb (Third Knowledge), Subhani, Sheikh Ja’far, p. 24. [2] . Ibid., pp. 28-32. [3] . Al-Hashr:22 «هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ ۖ هُوَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ الرَّحِيمُ» [4] . Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Ibn Sa’d, Vol. 8, p. 150. [5] . Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon: 128, p. 120 / Al-Kha’irij wa al-Jara’ih, Al-Ra’uni, Qutb al-Din, Vol. 1, p. 343. [6] . Al-Mu’minun:24 «فَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَأَنْزَلَ مَلَائِكَةً مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَٰذَا فِي آبَائِنَا الْأَوَّلِينَ» [7] . Al-Anbiya:7 «وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ» / Al-Kahf:110 «قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ..» [8] . Al-Jinn:26-27 «عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا إِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضَىٰ مِنْ رَسُولٍ» [9] . Bihar al-Anwar, Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 47, p. 172. [10] . Al-Kafi, Sheikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 230. [11] . Al-Jinn:26-27 «عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا إِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضَىٰ مِنْ رَسُولٍ» / Al-Kafi, Sheikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 223. [12] . Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Allamah Al-Tabatabai, Vol. 20, p. 55. [13] . Al-Mufradat fi Gharib al-Quran, Al-Raghib al-Isfahani, Vol. 1, p. 423. [14] . Lisan al-Arab, Ibn Manzoor, Vol. 1, p. 698. [15] . An-Naml:29 «قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ» [16] . An-Nur:33 «وَالَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ» [17] . An-Nisa:24 «كِتَابَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ» [18] . Al-A’raf:37 «أُولَٰئِكَ يَنَالُهُمْ نَصِيبُهُمْ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ» [19] . Al-Isra:13-14 «وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنْشُورًا * اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا» [20] . Al-Baqarah:213 «فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنْذِرِينَ وَأَنْزَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ» [21] . Al-An’am:59 «وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ» [22] . An-Naml:40 «قَالَ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ» [23] . Ar-Ra’d:43 «قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَمَنْ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ» [24] . ‘Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, Sheikh Al-Saduq, Vol. 2, p. 95. [25] . Sharh Al-Kafi, Al-Mazandarani, Mulla Salih, Vol. 2, p. 364. [26] . An-Naml:40 «قَالَ هَٰذَا مِنْ فَضْلِ رَبِّي لِيَبْلُوَنِي أَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ» [27] . Mir’at al-‘Uqul, Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 3, p. 34. [28] . Al-Kafi, Sheikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 257. [29] . Sharh Al-Kafi, Al-Mazandarani, Mulla Salih, Vol. 5, p. 362. [30] . Mir’at al-‘Uqul, Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 3, p. 24. [31] . Al-Kafi, Sheikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 260.